Let the research begin

Planning to write is not writing. Outlining . . . researching . . . talking to people about what you’re doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing.
-- E. L. Doctorow

By Thursday I will have the better part of my study plan done which is odd to think about because other than researching what I will be studying I haven't done any writing yet. I know I want to concentrate on poetry and form but to make up for missing Science credits I will be focusing on another love which is gastronomic in nature. Working this way, not being told what to study, not taking classes, not having a syllabus seems contrary to all I've been taught and yet that's how Goddard works you decide to study what you're passionate about and you make sure to cover all the subjects you're required to take through five packets of work each semester. I'm sure this will become clearer as I get towards the end of the week. There is a freedom in studying this way, your mind opens itself up to possibility and choice and the love of learning...

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

All as it should be

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. Anne Frank

The last few days I've had to remind myself that everything is as it should be, that today when I felt fearful of reading out loud in front of much better writers that this was just a step in the process. I need to accept and embrace the beginning of this and not judge myself too soon.
It is easy to see simple beauty in Vermont, in the slightly sweet sap of a maple tree that has just begun its spring thaw, the weathered clapboard houses in the village of Plainfield, the morning snow that was so dry the snowflakes lingered on my brown wool coat throughout my walk to the library, the howling of the wolf pack at a nearby sanctuary...today the residency was focused on story telling and everywhere I am listening to stories.
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Getting Ahead by Getting Started

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”
Mark Twain

I will probably be posting this evening as the day is full of required classes for new students.
I never made it back last night, the orientation continues today with registration and classes about the computer program we will be using to submit our work. The schedule which looked overwhelming to me days ago is starting to flow. Set up to ease students into the "Goddard way" it has been a comfortable blend of information and free time. It just started snowing, a very fine snow.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Arrived in Vermont

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.”
Arnold Bennett

After a red-eye from Denver to JFK and a 3-hour layover, a quick flight brought me to Burlington where I took a one-hour cab ride to Plainfield. There is snow on the ground, a little more than I left in Colorado Springs but it feels like the winter thaw is starting. Signs all around campus warn of melting/falling ice. As a new student I am here one day early and it is peaceful and quiet but the schedule is full for the next 7 days and it looks very daunting. I am more than a little nervous about what I have taken on but with any change comes uncomfortable feelings. The only thing that felt comfortable today was posting on my blog, so familiar...
Today, write about change. It can be anything, the change in your back pocket, the change left on your dresser drawer or a real physical change of your body, your life, your ideas. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Get A Free e-Book From Artella!

Poetry is a packsack of invisible keepsakes. ~Carl Sandburg
I just found out that my poem is one of 12 finalists at Artella, one of my favorite sites!

If you vote for one of the poems you get a free ebook on creative poetry writing. If you're not a member of the Artella community you can join for free. Votes determine the winner of the top prize (which is $200). I'm crossing my fingers that my poem rises to the top of the competition. I don't think it would be fair to tell you which one is mine so read them all and vote for the one that you think is best.
Read the poems and vote here.
Wish me luck!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

An escape from emotion

“Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotion know what it means to want to escape from these”
Emily Dickinson
I've been working on a list poem which as the name suggests is a poem that uses a list format to get the emotion across. I first discovered this form in Leslea Newman's book,Writing from the Heart: Inspiration and Exercises for Women Who Want to Write.

Today, brainstorm about an emotion or a subject for fifteen minutes, then take your list and work it into a poem. Or alternatively take a list you've already written and write a poem from it. It can be as simple as a grocery list or as complicated as the fifteen things I want to do before I turn 40.
I ran across the 180 Project for high school students.In 2001, as Poet Lauerate Billy Collins suggested that high school students read a poem out loud every day I thought it was an interesting list of poems to discover and introduce to students. The first one is by Billy Collins and I think this poem sums up what I thought about poetry in high school.Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Where's Your Cat Sitting?

The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other cat's mat is a story.
--John le Carre

Get Paid $1 Per Word

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
Ben Franklin

Although I have written about common ties in the past... $50 for fifty words or less, my friend reminded me of this this morning as she just got notice that they bought one of her answers and her $50 check is in the mail. Not bad for a few minutes of work.
Right now common ties is looking for answers to questions on their website and they also have an open category. Artists are also encouraged to submit artwork based on the answers to these tiny short stories artists pay is $50-$150.

Today, check out the prompts. Pick a few questions, answer them and submit.Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

First Book Graveyard..be very afraid!

Unprovided with original learning, unformed in the habits of thinking, unskilled in the arts of composition, I resolved to write a book.
Edward Gibbon (1737 - 1794)

Last year around this time, I started my very first manuscript. In April, I broke the cardinal rule of fiction pitching and pitched my very first unfinished manuscript to an editor. I figured at best she would say send me the first three chapters but what I really thought is she would say we're not interested. I broke the next rule, never finished the manuscript and never sent her anything. It lies in pieces chapters here and there, misc. pages found throughout my tax paperwork.Not something I'm proud of. I think I lost the momentum of the book as I started exploring other arenas of the written word. I fell in love with poetry and prose last year and it's hard to look back. I'm going to bring my scattered manuscripts pieces with me to Goddard and see if it's something I want to resuscitate or if it's time to say goodbye to my first good attempt. If I bury it it will be lie next to my first unfinished screenplay, another project that lost its momentum about six months into it. Rest in peace, my friends.
How did you make the decision to write your first book? If you finished it where does it sit today? Under your bed in the first book graveyard or did you make a good effort to send it out. Are you ready to move beyond your first book? Please comment, I'd love to hear from published authors and soon-to-be published authors. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Countdown to Vermont

“Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”
Arthur Somers Roche

In one week I will be starting my journey to Burlington, Vermont. I have a lot of anxiety and doubts, anxiety that has effected my writing. My daily writing has suffered as taxes and paperwork took over my life. I couldn't seem to fit writing in when I was faced with journal entries and endless piles of receipts...tomorrow the boxes of paper go to the accountant and I start preparing for my writing/college life hopefully leaving some worry behind. I'm also starting a yoga class tonight, another thing that's been missing from my life, I'm hoping it will lessen the anxiety and bring me more into balance.

Today, think about how fear and anxiety have curtailed your creative side. How do you deal with anxiety without losing the creative spark? My solution today, I'm taking a walk thinking that everything will look clearer when I get back. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I am imperfect in many things, nevertheless I want my brethren and kinsfolk to know my nature so that they may be able to perceive my soul's desire.
Saint Patrick

Adapted from an old Irish prayer

Take time to work
It is the pride of success.
Take time to meditate.
It is the source of power.
Take time to play
It is the secret
of perpetual youth.
Take time to read.
It is the way to knowledge.
Take time to be friendly.
It is the road to happiness.
Take time to laugh.
It is the music of the soul.
And take time to love and be loved.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Independent Thought

O.k. I admit it this is very much a chick-flick but I loved it and may need to watch it again, the play of language and the acting were brilliant. The idea of a woman making a living as an author or "by the pen"...shocking. And so Jane Austen published anon. I'm not to the level of a Janeite but it's hard not to be touched by her creative genius and clever use of language.

My favorite lines in Becoming Jane "What's she doing?"
"Writing"
"Can anything be done about it?"

If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory. There seems something more speakingly incomprehensible in the powers, the failures, the inequalities of memory, than in any other of our intelligences. The memory is sometimes so retentive, so serviceable, so obedient; at others, so bewildered and so weak; and at others again, so tyrannic, so beyond control! We are, to be sure, a miracle every way; but our powers of recollecting and of forgetting do seem peculiarly past finding out.

Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

Today, use your daily writing to work on memory. Set the timer for thirty minutes and write about the first time you fell in love. Don't forget the details, really try for the small stuff...you might remember things you thought were long forgotten. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Where do future CEO's start?

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
Steve Jobs

Even though I've made my decision on which college to attend I still do my fair share of browsing the internet to see what other colleges are offering. Kettering University is one that's been getting a lot of press lately. US News and World Report ranked them as "the #1 University in the nation for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering" in its annual "America's Best Colleges Guide for 2008". Their unique programs including the engineering co-op programs place students in companies in their first year and rotate them from job to classes every three months. And their company partners include General Motors, Walt Disney World, TRW, Sandia Research Labs and even the CIA. And you can look on their website for even more.
Believe me my field is not industrial engineering but the whole concept of getting a real life education while also taking the required classes for your degree is the new class of Co-op programs. The students don't have to worry about their first job after college. Freshman students are working their first job soon after they start college with professionals in their field gaining practical experience and still enjoying all that college has to offer...including Stickman. Make sure you scroll down to the bottom for Stickman's finest flicks.

Back from Vegas

For me, Vegas is a vacation from being overinhibited, in the highly overinhabited yet uninhabitable city of complete uninhibition. ~Tammy Bloemzaken

I'm back from Vegas and feeling like a slacker; I haven't posted in five days which after posting almost daily for the past seven months feels like an eternity... the three days in Las Vegas were wonderful yet extremely draining. If you've never been there it's definitely worth a visit the sights and sounds, the excess in everything it's like nowhere else I've ever been.... The last night we took the haunted tour of Vegas which was more of a historical tour of the seedier side of old Las Vegas, the suicides, the murders, the hauntings... very interesting way to look at the city. After Vegas, Colorado seems very quiet, peaceful and with an early morning snow...clean.

I think I need to reread Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. Enjoy the Las Vegas pics! Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Pocahontas Sleeps

Pocahontas’ body, lovely as a poplar, sweet as a red haw in November - Carl Sandburg

My dreams have always been strange and you know what they say about telling others about your dreams. (they're only interesting to you)Anyhoo, in my dream I had an essay published in Oprah's magazine and I was reading it out loud to someone. A poem I had written was referenced.The only line I can remember was Pocahontas sleeps. The essay was about finding extraordinary writing in everyday living. So I'm going to use that line it has a nice cadence, probably in a poem but it would also make a great opener for a short story...feel free to use my dream induced prompt. And yes I'm now working on a query for Oprah's magazine.

Freewriting exercise. Gather all of your weekly 20 minute freewriting exercises and a highlighter. Go through each one, highlighting the brilliant lines and leaving the not so brilliant ramblings. After you're done, take all of the highlighted lines and put them together into a new document. You might be surprised what you'll find. Try to use this new material for a poem or a short story. Now get back to work!
An example of freewriting.
I won't be back regularly blogging until Thursday, Las Vegas awaits.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

No, I'm Not a Brain Surgeon

The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon.
~ Robert Cormier

I can't remember a time, really, when I haven't been a writer. Reading and writing were the two great escapes of my life and I suppose they still are.
Robert Cormier

I have always had a sense that we are all pretty much alone in life, particularly in adolescence.
Robert Cormier

When I was in grammar school Robert Cormier was my favorite author. I loved reading his books because he "got" teenagers. I didn't feel dumbed down and I felt that he understood what I was going through and what I wanted to read. The Chocolate War was published in 1974 his first book for teens and he was in his forties. (there's still hope for me.) This book was banned by many libraries for many years. Nothing in the books offended kids only uninformed parents that didn't want to accept their kids were growing up and may relate to something in this book.
As far as not getting it right the first time, I think that Mr. Cormier speaks to the power of the edit. So today, work on editing, freewrite for 20 minutes and come back tomorrow to finish up your freewriting exercise.
Congrats to Jim for getting two of his shorts published. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Win a Wii!

Click Here for a Chance to Win a Nintendo® Wii™!


The marketing machine has woven its magic. I want a Wii. I probably don't have the time to play, my husband's not interested but it looks like so much fun and as a diversion from work, writing and life grant me a Wii. This from a kid who was fascinated with Pong; oh the progress we've made.

Charter is kicking off their Charter High-Speed Internet for Life contest on March 12th and pre-registration is required. This is going to be an auction-style bid and bidding starts at $10. No reserve! and a chance to win the Wii.
If you 're lucky enough to be in Charter's serviceable areas you can enter the "Win a Wii" Sweepstakes and place a bid too.
What's required for entry?

*Check to see that you're in Charter's serviceable area by entering your zip code on the site.
*Register by filling in your email address and some other information.
*Consider bidding on Charter High-Speed Internet for Life.
*Enter to win the Wii.No purchase or bid required for this contest.
And unlike other contests where you only win the console this one includes the works. The winner will receive a Nintendo Wii Console, Wii Stand, 5 Sports games ( Boxing, Baseball, Tennis, Golf and bowling), 1 Remote Controller, 1 Nunchuk Controller, 1 Sensor Bar, 1 Wii AC Adapter, 1 Wii AV Cable. So if you're lucky enough to win no other equipment is necessary, you're ready to play. Take that Pong!

For complete Auction and Sweepstakes Rules.

Being in Love for the next 20,000 days

You must write every single day of your life…You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads….may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.
Ray Bradbury

The NyQuil Chronicles

“I have a new method of poetry. All you got to do is look over your notebooks... And think of anything that comes into your head, especially the miseries... Then arrange in lines of two, three or four words each, don't bother about sentences ...”

Allen Ginsberg (American poet, 1926-1997)


I took some Nyquil(Nyquil Cough Liquid, 10-Ounce Bottle (Pack of 2) last night to try and knock out my lingering cold and then I had a weird dream about a post. This was the first time I ever dreamt about my blog. Anyway in my dream the prompt for the day was to go through a finished piece of work and take the short sentences and lengthen them and then take the longer sentences and shorten them. Maybe it was my fever...anyways I half thought this might be a good experiment with varying sentence length, it could completely change the context of the piece. So give it a try. Now while I don't advocate taking over the counter drugs for inspiration it was an interesting dream.Continue with your 20 minutes of free writing today. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

What Would Happen If You Bought 25 Bottles of NyQuil.

A book about writing sentences that is a new addition to my ever-expanding craft book collection.
Stunning Sentences (The Effective Writing Series)

Childlike Writing

"It is a paradox of creativity that the very way to move beyond the conventional stage [of writing] is not to try harder, but to take a seeming step backward: to reawaken and cultivate in ourselves some of the ways we had of perceiving and expressing when we were children."
~Gabrielle Lusser Rico~

When I went home last November my sister gave me a stack of reports and stories I had written in grammar school. This was funny stuff but what I enjoyed most of all was something they had that is now missing in my writing. This little spark of childhood innocence that delights in writing because they can. Now my inner editor seems to kick in much too early, there are rules to be followed, and form, and plot and all of those technical terms. There is work to be done. In poetry, maybe because I'm such a beginner and I don't know all of the rules there is less censorship, I write pretty much what I feel. I look for the details.
One book that addresses this is Clive Matson's Let the Crazy Child Write! I want to write like a crazy child, play with words and language to find that childlike voice if only for fun. In the first chapter Mr. Matson discusses image detail and quotes Eudora Welty

What is there, then, about place that is transferable to the pages of a novel? The best things the explicit things: physical texture. [Stories]...need the warm hard earth underfoot, the light and lift of air, the stir and play of mood, the softening bath of atmosphere that give the likeness-to-life...

Mr. Matson goes on to say how by using image detail you can fill in a scene. Find these images to write about by letting your crazy child explore.
Today,look for the small parts of an image that will stick in your readers mind. Go deeper than you usually do, write without censorship, write as if you're still a child fascinated with the bits and pieces of everyday life. Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

A Good Technique for Freewriting

Thanks for all the touching comments on my memorial post. I won't be posting my daily until this evening.

This week take 20 minutes a day and do some freewriting. Don't ever lift the pen from the page or your fingers from the keyword. Just write. Even if you're writing I hate writing, writing is annoying I'd rather be watching tv or playing the piano. Just write. Do this every day this week and on Sunday...check back.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

In Memory of Rhiannon 1993-2008

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace." - Milan Kundera

Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really. ~Agnes Sligh Turnbull


My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. ~Edith Wharton


Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. ~Roger Caras

Rhiannon lived a long life for a black lab. Fifteen years. But it's never easy to say goodbye to a friend, a companion, a family member. Rest in peace, Rhiannon.


I Only Wanted You

They say memories are golden
well maybe that is true
I never wanted memories,
I only wanted you.

A million times I needed you,
a million times I cried.
If love alone could have saved you
you never would have died.

In life I loved you dearly,
In death I love you still.
In my heart you hold a place
no one could ever fill.

If tears could build a stairway
and heartache make a lane,
I'd walk the path to heaven
and bring you back again.

Our family chain is broken,
and nothing seems the same.
But as God calls us one by one,
the chain will link again.

--- Anonymous ---