A Need For Communication

My sister sent me this link. I can just imagine the frustration and then determination of this young man to write letters to his family and friends.

A Hunger for Life

I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of hunger for life that gnaws in us all. ~Richard Wright, American Hunger, 1977

I just noticed that July's theme for NaBloPoMo is food.In my fiction, poetry and shorts there always seems to be an element of food.
I think most poets have at one time or another found food to be an inspiration, Robert Frost's Blueberries comes to mind.

Blueberries

Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,

Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum

In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!

And all ripe together, not some of them green

And some of them ripe! You ought to have seen!


Robert Frost

As does Denise Duhamel's poem "Egg rolls", in her poem we are reminded how important food can be at times when you don't have money and are very hungry. I couldn't find Denise's poem online. But I definitely recommend buying her book Two and Two. It's one book I read often for inspiration.

In the theme of hunger and food, today write about a time when you were very hungry and you didn't have access to food. What did you crave? When you could eat what did you chose to eat. What food memories come across in your writings? How descriptive is your writing? Does it make the reader hungry for more? Or do they quickly turn the page. Good writing is like a good meal, you think about it long after the plates are cleared. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

An Old Favorite-Don't Give Up

Self-sabotage?

“Procrastination is, hands down, our favorite form of self-sabotage.”

Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby

My nemesis has always been procrastination, I could get my work done early, do a little every day, until the due date where I hand it in calmly, no stress just a record of what I've done. Instead I do the work daily but leave it to the last week to get it all together and then beat myself up over the fact that I did again procrastinate. You'd think after years of this behavior I would learn. No. I just learned that I work really well with last minute deadlines. Many writers have learned some form of self-sabotaging behavior, is it fear of failure or fear of success? Could you be afraid to be the writer you imagine yourself to be? What are the negatives to being successful? Well for many it means putting yourself in the public eye and opening yourself to criticism, for some it means another book, and you know how hard it is to follow the first book. How do you cope with self-sabotaging behavior or do you even recognize it? If your goal is publication but you've never sent out any work how closer are you to publication? At this halfway point in the year this might be a good time to look at your January writing goals. what could you do differently in the next six months to ensure success. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

If Whitman Listened to His Critics...

I celebrate myself, and what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. I loafe and invite my soul, I lean and loafe at my ease... observing a spear of summer grass.
Walt Whitman

Recently I watched a good documentary on PBS on Walt Whitman. What most impressed me about Mr. Whitman is that he first self-published, he believed in his own genius, and he talked his work up to anyone that would listen, he was a self-marketing machine. Leaves of Grass was shocking for Victorian culture, but it was his truth and he stood behind it. In Ariel Gore's book How To Become A Famous Writer Before You're Dead, she agrees that Walt was a lit star. If he didn't self-publish the world might have missed this great poet's work. There is so much negativity in the commercial writing world about self publication, but for some writers this is the first step in believing in their work. What do you feel about self-publication? Today watch all or some of this documentary. The section entitled Leaves of Grass talks about the publication of his first volume of poetry. Now get back to work!

Walt Whitman American Experience




Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Pencil Dancing

One of the books I "found" when I cleaned out my office was this one. You know you have too many books when you have no recollection of either buying the book or cracking its spine. I haven't read it yet but the explorations and exercises in it for creating creativity and personal growth look very fun and interesting.

Call for Submissions

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

LiteraryMary, journal of the beautiful, unusual and eclectic, will be publishing our first ever print issue in January of 2009, in celebration of the second anniversary of our steadily growing website of the same name. We are now accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, and black and white photography. We are also open to experimental pieces that don’t necessarily fall into any of those categories. Rather than ask you to familiarize yourself with our style - an impossible task, given that this will be our inaugural issue – you should keep in mind that although we have plenty of class, we have no style. We intend to publish a myriad of styles, our main concern being that what you submit is written well. We do not believe that good writing needs to be style specific, but it does need to be sincere, honest and absolutely free of grammatical errors, spelling errors and the kind of mistakes professionals just don’t make. Please no previously published work. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but let us know if your work gets accepted somewhere else as soon as possible. Finally, we ask that if your writing has been workshopped over the internet you take it offline when you submit to us. Submit to us. I like the sound of that.

If you are interested, please send up to six of your best pieces of poetry regardless of length and/or up to three pieces of fiction, for a total of no more than 4000 words, as an attachment (using either .doc, .rtf, or .wpd file extensions) to lmsubmissions@gmail.com. Experimental pieces and black and white photography should also be sent to this address. Please include your name and the best description you can come up with for what you’re submitting in the subject line, such as ‘poetry’ or ‘fiction’ etc. Don’t forget to include the email address at which you’d prefer to be contacted and a short bio. Submissions will be chosen in a mostly anonymous process and we will notify you whether or not you’ve been accepted in as timely a manner as possible. The deadline for submissions will be July 31, 2008. Payment will be one contributor’s copy since our staff works on a volunteer basis and that’s all we can afford right now. Extra copies will be available for purchase on the LiteraryMary website, and hopefully at a bookstore near you. Regardless, we will eventually take over the world.

Oh the paperwork...

I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork. ~Peter De Vries

One week left to my fourth packet of work, which means a lot of computer time this week getting caught up. Every new packet I say I won't wait until the last week to get it all together but inevitably I do. Especially with the nice weather it's difficult to sit and write when I would rather be hiking or gardening. Gotta go, back to work...
Lovingly,

The Writing Nag

Publish Before You're Ready

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I just started Part Three in Ariel Gore's book, Publish Before You're Ready. I'm loving this little writing craft book, it's funny, irreverent and there are real world examples of how not to wait until "you're ready to be published". She also knocks down all the excuses of I don't have time to write...I'm putting it out in the universe I need the $250 to take her online writing course.

Thousands of Thoughts

There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes. ~William Makepeace Thackeray

A hail storm yesterday and last night did quite a bit of damage to the garden and I felt helpless as quarter sized hail pummeled the ground and the fragile seedlings. Nothing compared to the storms in the Midwest, our garden is just extra fresh produce to take us through the summer. I can't imagine the devastation of seeing your entire year's work lost with the flood. Or your home, your farm and all your possessions. And still 3 years later Katrina victims aren't back in their homes, neighborhoods aren't rebuilt, families are still struggling. Two weeks ago another story about FEMA giving away donations intended for Katrina victims. It makes you wonder who is making these decisions with peoples lives.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Using Strong Verbs

“Forward motion in any piece of writing is carried by verbs.” William Sloane

“The core of our language is the verb, the word that denotes an action, whether transitive, intransitive, or reflexive.” William Sloane

“Passive verb forms often signal authorial hedging or limpness of thinking.” William Sloane


During my three day workshop in Listowel, I noted that the poems that really stood out used strong verbs. Poets know that each word holds so much weight so they use strong verbs to strengthen their thought.
In Judy Delton's book The 29 Most Common Writing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them), #9 is Don't Depend on Adjectives. Use Strong Verbs.
Judy writes "...many beginning writers (and some "ending" writers) still believe that the strength of effective writing is in lining up modifier after modifier in front of a noun, that the more pretty descriptive words, the better. Actually the exact opposite is true. Adjectives weaken;the fewer you use in an article or story, the better."
Today look for strong verbs in your writing or compose a list of strong verbs from books or newspapers. See how the verb carries the sentence more than an adjective. Also look for your use of passive verbs, how could you change the sentence by using an active verb. See the strength of your words.Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Fun Trivia Site. Triviala.com

Can You Be Discouraged?

It is impossible to discourage the real writers - they don't give a damn what you say, they're going to write. ~Sinclair Lewis

I can get pretty down on myself when I'm depressed about my lack of progress as a writer, when I find work I've written 3 years ago that was ready to send out and I let it go, when I didn't win a contest I thought I had a good shot at or when I keep writing for less than the going rate...at these times when you get discouraged what keeps you going as a writer?

Today, take 15 minutes and write down 10 reasons why you should continue your writing journey. Then take 15 minutes and write down why you should quit. Which list was easier to write? I keep my "why I continue" list next to my desk, so I can see it when I get frustrated, annoyed, or discouraged.

Sometimes all it takes is a little encouragement from a fellow writer or finding some new information or a blog that motivates you that day. What keeps me going is sitting at the keyboard each morning and writing.Pushing myself to have a schedule that I keep to...some good days, some bad...some achievements , many rejections...

Anne Frank said "I want to write but more than that I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart..."


Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

A Kind Word Every Now and Then

Science, or para-science, tells us that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to. But a kind word every now and then is really quite enough. Too much attention, like too much feeding, and weeding and hoeing, inhibits and embarrasses them. ~Victoria Glendinning

I spent most of the day cleaning and moving the furniture around in my office, now I look out at the garden and the peonies that just started blooming. A much better view than before, maybe not so good it's hard enough to get started in the morning.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Free Writing Books

Not exactly free but I just joined book mooch to get rid of my huge pile of overflowing books in the last 10 years, I'm just keeping the ones that I actually refer to. I will be adding to my inventory all summer in hopes that someone else can get use out of the ones I no longer read. If you haven't heard of this site, check it out. You get points by sending books to other readers and if you want a book you "mooch" one from someone who is getting rid of it. With books having little value at resale, I thought this made more sense. Of course you have to pay postage to send out the book, but in return you don't pay postage when you request one. I'm hoping to "mooch" some good reference books this summer.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Last Minute Gift for DAD

Writers and Envy

“Envy is a symptom of lack of appreciation of our own uniqueness and self worth. Each of us has something to give that no one else has.”

Great article in the New York Times about the green-eyed monster and writer's.

You've had that feeling your writing friend just signed her 5th book deal and you still haven't finished your third chapter. Today think about how envy can stop or diminish your progress as a writer. Eye opening article.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

The Gift of Guinness

You can listen to traditional Irish music anywhere, anytime. But the very best place is sitting in the west of Ireland, downing your third pint of Guinness and knowing its great to be Irish.

Conor Cunneen

Notes at Your Nightstand

I keep little notepads all over the place to write down ideas as soon as they strike, but the ones that fill up the quickest are always the ones at my nightstand. ~Emily Logan Decen

I just handed in my third packet for school, so I'm officially more than 1/2 way done the first semester. I have been so consumed with poetry the last 9 weeks that I think I need to take a break from it. I had more than 30 pages of notes from the poetry workshop and 8 original poems. My desk is so full of paper it's overwhelming it's even cluttered for me which is saying a lot. I hope to get back to writing prompts by the end of the week.
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Eating Out of the Garden-Fresh Pickles

I read this book during my time in Ireland and I couldn't put it down. Barbara Kingsolver and family resolve to eat off their land and only purchase locally for a year. In our garden, irises, roses and columbine are blooming, the peonies seem to grow inches every day and they are full of buds but as of today no flowers. On Saturday night we had our first salad from the garden, spicy arugula and mustard greens with red oak and spinach leaves. This is my favorite time of year when I can shop for salad between the rows instead of hastily grabbing a packaged bag from the supermarket. Broccoli rabe will be next, sautéed with sausage, olive oil and garlic. Followed by peas and radishes…we will eating through the garden until September. I pick tiny wild rosy strawberries the size of my thumbnail from between the flagstones every other day, it surprises me every year that they come back and also the size of them…we are so used to giant California red berries that look nice but have little flavor. Living in Oregon gave me the taste for real berries again.
While I couldn't do everything that the Kingsolvers suggest, it makes you stop and think about how far your "fresh food" is traveling. I'm definitely looking at making many of the recipes in the book, especially the fresh mozzarella. This is not a cookbook but a non-fiction book of their year through the seasons of food. Great read!

We started making these pickles because they’re easy, quick and one less item to buy. When the farmers market starts selling pickling cucumbers by the case I will have to look for a long term canning recipe. These are crisp, sweet and spicy. Adjust the sugar to your liking.

Fire and Ice Cukes & Onions
Adapted from Famous Dave’s Backroads and Side Streets cookbook

2 medium cucumbers
1 medium white onion
1 ½ cups white vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1 ½ cup water
¼ tsp coarse ground black pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp celery seeds
1 tsp salt

Slice cucumbers and onion on a French mandolin with the grate or waffle edge 1/8” thick.
Place in bowl. Mix remaining ingredients, making sure sugar is dissolved. Pour over cucumbers and onion. Separate onion and toss cucumbers to coat with the marinade. Chill in refrigerator overnight. To serve, drain and reserve marinade which can be used again. Experiment by adding small pieces of blanched vegetables, carrots, cauliflower, beets.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Ireland May/June 2008

Dear Erin,

Dear Erin, how sweetly thy green bosom rises! An emerald set in the ring of the sea. Each blade of thy meadows my faithful heart prizes, Thou queen of the west, the world's cushla ma chree.
John Philpot Curran

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

My poetry class at St. Michaels College, Listowel, Co. Kerry, Ireland.
For three days we learned all about para-rhyme, half rhymes, feminine and masculine line endings, poetry forms including sestina, sonnets, free verse, and studied poets Seamus Heaney,Ezra Pound, T.E. Hulme, Emily Dickinson,Elizabeth Bishop, Paul Muldoon and many others.
Being surrounded by other poets and producing poems every day (eight original poems in 3 days) was very inspiring and scary and wonderful. Some of the poems I wrote will probably never see the light of day, but others will serve as good starting points.
One of the exercises we did was with art postcards. Today, a poetry exercise...if you keep every scrap of paper you've ever received (like I do) you might have some postcards in your collection if not they can be easily found online. Using a postcard immerse yourself in the picture and write a poem using all five senses. Experiment with para-rhyme and half rhymes, try a poetry form you've never written in, use language in a different way, this can be the start of a poem or your poem may take you into a short story or piece of prose.
Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

The Hue and Fragrance of the Thought

A perfectly healthy sentence, it is true, is extremely rare. For the most part we miss the hue and fragrance of the thought; as if we could be satisfied with the dews of the morning or evening without their colors, or the heavens without their azure. ~Henry David Thoreau

Hope Must be Maintained

Even if the hopes you started out with are dashed, hope has to be maintained.
Seamus Heaney

Even if the last move did not succeed, the inner command says move again.
Seamus Heaney

I'm back from Listowel, Croughcroneen, The Aran Islands, Doolin, Galway and many other stops along the way. With more than 300 pictures, 7 new poems, lots of chocolate, Tayto chips, full Irish breakfasts, mugs of tay, pints of Guiness, hot whiskeys, many laughs, a few tears and much more knowledge about Irish poetry I'm ready to tackle more work. I didn't win the Artella poetry contest but received an Honorable Mention and a Special Recognition Honor award. That's why I chose Seamus Heaney's quote hope has to be maintained. It's easy to give up writing poetry, but with all I've learned I hope to write some new work very shortly and do some rewriting of the original poems I wrote over the last week. I feel like I've been gone a very long time...

I'm posting this video of Doolin very reminiscent of the sights we toured over the last week. I'll be posting pictures from my trip shortly.


Lovingly,
The Writing Nag