inspiration, creative writing prompts, motivational quotes, poetry and gentle nagging on the creative writing life...
30 July 2009
Composing a book and celebrating your success
"Writers are not just people who sit down and write. They hazard themselves. Every time you compose a book your composition of yourself is at stake."
E.L. Doctorow
E.L. Doctorow
In the next month I am gathering all my work together to see if I have enough material for my senior project which I hope will be a book length collection. I don't want to do a collection of poetry; my goal is to put together a book that reflects all of my creative interests: ephemera, short story, collage and poetry. I still can't envision the final project so before next semester starts I plan on doing a lot of research on other writers who have successfully published hybrid books.
In Gayle Brandeis' book Fruitflesh, I read that writer Opal Palmer Adisa buys herself a new plant every time she publishes a poem. What a powerful way to celebrate your successes. The first time I ever got paid for writing I bought myself a watch. I wear that watch everyday, and it does help me remember how good it felt that someone paid me for my words. It wouldn't be practical to buy myself jewelry after every publication but the first one was special.
Today, think about celebrating your successes so far this year. How do you celebrate when you have published a piece of writing? or successfully completed your personal writing goals? It doesn't have to be a purchase of a material item, as Brandeis writes:
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
In Gayle Brandeis' book Fruitflesh, I read that writer Opal Palmer Adisa buys herself a new plant every time she publishes a poem. What a powerful way to celebrate your successes. The first time I ever got paid for writing I bought myself a watch. I wear that watch everyday, and it does help me remember how good it felt that someone paid me for my words. It wouldn't be practical to buy myself jewelry after every publication but the first one was special.
Today, think about celebrating your successes so far this year. How do you celebrate when you have published a piece of writing? or successfully completed your personal writing goals? It doesn't have to be a purchase of a material item, as Brandeis writes:
"When we do something kind for ourselves after we open ourselves to creation, we create the momentum, the affirmation, for that creation to continue."What kindness can you bestow on yourself today? Now get back to work after celebrating you!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
29 July 2009
10 Minute Prompts
Pre-order Bonnie Neubauer's Take Ten For Writers: 1000 writing exercises to build momentum in just 10 minutes a day, release date August 10th...save $5.76 on the list price.
28 July 2009
Madame Chiang's
I'm trying to get rid of stuff but it's hard to pass up an estate sale when it's right in the path of walking to work. I bought this cute vintage cookbook for .25 (I love the 1940 graphics and typeface!)
and when I said I liked this chair the owner let me have it. It's just decorative but I think it looks perfect in the corner of the dining room.
and when I said I liked this chair the owner let me have it. It's just decorative but I think it looks perfect in the corner of the dining room.
26 July 2009
Rain Garden
“May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and all your heart might desire.” An Irish Blessing
The garden looked so beautiful today after an afternoon rain shower I had to go snap some pictures.
If you look closely there's a bee on the sunflower taking refuge from the shower and holding on tight.
If you look closely there's a bee on the sunflower taking refuge from the shower and holding on tight.
Food for Thought-To Be Eaten In The Wind
"To appreciate the wild and sharp flavors of these October fruits, it is necessary that you be breathing the sharp October or November air. What is sour in the house a bracing walk makes sweet. Some of these apples might be labeled, “To be eaten in the wind.” It takes a savage or wild taste to appreciate a wild fruit. . . The era of theild Apple will soon be past. It is a fruit which will probably become extinct in New England. I fear that he who walks over these fields a century hence will not know the pleasure of knocking off wild apples. Ah, poor soul, there are many pleasures which you will not know! . . . the end of it all will be that we shall be compelled to look for our apples in a barrel."
Henry David Thoreau
Food always seems to wind its way into my creative writing. I love this quote by Thoreau even though we are months from October I think he speaks of the true appreciation of good local food...and what an image he offers with the line "to be eaten in the wind." This quote makes me wish October was already here and I could eat a small wild apple in New England.
We just picked our first tomato from a heirloom variety of seed that I bought at Hancock Shaker Village in Massachusetts last year. It is small and not perfectly round with lovely ridges around the stem. Science has given us perfect round tomatoes with less seeds but little flavor. Thankfully the Shakers thought to save seeds and sell them keeping many of our heirloom varieties alive. For many writers food is poetry so its not a huge jump to write poems or write creatively about your favorite food.
Read and/or submit some food related poetry and/or essays. (Thanks to Yvonne for this link)
Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
25 July 2009
The Pillow Book
I particularly despise people who express themselves poorly in writing.
Sei Shonagon
Considered to be "one of the greatest works of Japanese literature" The Pillow Book is a lovely poetic journal filled with all sorts of observations, gossip, lists, poetry and prose from a Court woman in Japan in the Heian period.
Because I was doing a lot of journal reading and writing last semester my adviser recommended I read this. How insightful this book is! Beautiful reflections but also humorous entries.
The inner music of words
To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music the words make.
Truman Capote, McCall's, November 1967
23 July 2009
Julie & Julia
I can't wait to see this movie! My sister saw it at early release and she told me it was great. Julia Child is definitely a hero of mine; her first book wasn't published until she was in her 50's so there's still hope for me.
7 Questions for Creative Writing Accountability
Now that school is over until October I am intent on organizing my office and getting rid of clutter. I found this paper from an accountability group I was a member of a few years ago. I thought these questions could easily relate to your writing life.
1. What one think could you do this week to feel more organized? feel less stressed? help your finances?
2. What have you been procrastinating? Why? Can you schedule this task or ask for help in getting it done?
3. What are you missing in your creative life?
4. When I think about ____________________, I feel overwhelmed.
5. I'd like to call/email/write _________________.
6. If I was my boss, I would have fired myself for _____________.
7. One habit that I could change that would positively impact my writing goals is __________.
Knowing what your goals are is the first step in succeeding as a writer. Today, as a writing warm up set the timer for 10 minutes and write without stopping starting each line with the words I wish...now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
1. What one think could you do this week to feel more organized? feel less stressed? help your finances?
2. What have you been procrastinating? Why? Can you schedule this task or ask for help in getting it done?
3. What are you missing in your creative life?
4. When I think about ____________________, I feel overwhelmed.
5. I'd like to call/email/write _________________.
6. If I was my boss, I would have fired myself for _____________.
7. One habit that I could change that would positively impact my writing goals is __________.
Knowing what your goals are is the first step in succeeding as a writer. Today, as a writing warm up set the timer for 10 minutes and write without stopping starting each line with the words I wish...now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
20 July 2009
Poetry Window
I just handed in the final packet of work for the semester. Look for many new posts...this week!
My poetry window slideshow.
Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
19 July 2009
R.I.P. Frank McCourt
"I had no accomplishments except surviving. But that isn't enough in the community where I came from, because everybody was doing it. So I wasn't prepared for America, where everybody is glowing with good teeth and good clothes and food." Frank McCourt
Just read on Twitter that Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes died. Rest in peace, Mr. McCourt.
http://bit.ly/11WsG2
Just read on Twitter that Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes died. Rest in peace, Mr. McCourt.
http://bit.ly/11WsG2
18 July 2009
What Commands You to Write?
Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. ~Rainer Maria Rilke
17 July 2009
Writing the Carousel
 Download a FREE copy of the Artella eBook, Writing the Carousel: Going Full Circle in Colorful Poetry Writing!, which presents a progression of exercises that will help you uncover the surprising "turns" of phrases that make poetry effective, and then come full circle by using them in bold, colorful ways.Download your copy here! |
The Tree of the Paper Still Grows
"Browsing the dim back corner
Of a musty antique shop
Opened an old book of poetry
Angels flew out from the pages
I caught the whiff of a soul
The ink seemed fresh as today
Was that voices whispering?
The tree of the paper still grows."
Pixie Foudre
Of a musty antique shop
Opened an old book of poetry
Angels flew out from the pages
I caught the whiff of a soul
The ink seemed fresh as today
Was that voices whispering?
The tree of the paper still grows."
Pixie Foudre
Capturing an image in words, that's what drew me to poetry and why I continue on the path. What a beautiful image Pixie Foudre conjures in the line "the tree of the paper still grows."
Today using these five random words see how many poems you can write.
Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
Today using these five random words see how many poems you can write.
- paper
- ink
- bride
- approach
- listen
Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
16 July 2009
Egg Rolls
One of my favorite poems by poet Denise Duhamel is called Egg Rolls. In it Duhamel uses food as a metaphor for many deeper issues. She packs a lot into this poem, so much that I seem to discover more on each subsequent read.
Today, read Egg Rolls and freewrite on a time when you have felt conscious of class, not having enough money and choices you made good or bad at that time. Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
Today, read Egg Rolls and freewrite on a time when you have felt conscious of class, not having enough money and choices you made good or bad at that time. Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
15 July 2009
Immersed in Verse
Even though this is written for young adults I loved this simple, fun craft book on being a poet, creativity and learning to write poetry. The illustrations are great and the lessons are clear. There are also instructions for making your own poetry chapbook and taking a daily writing pledge which of course I think is wonderful. Author and poet Allan Wolf suggests you write at least "2 sentences a day." that's doable isn't it?
I wasn't into poetry as a young adult but if I had this book I think I would have been motivated to explore and write poetry. Full of prompts, lessons, poetic devices, tools for revision and reminders to "improve your eye for detail" I think I would recommend this to beginning poets whatever their age.
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
On Business Cards
One of the first writing conferences I went to, I ordered 250 free business cards from Vista Print. Having my name, my website and the word writer on a business card was an important step in telling the world, I am a writer. The cards are free if you want Vista Print's logo on the back which I didn't mind, but you can also pay a little more and design a unique card for your blog, website or just for your desk to remind yourself that you take yourself seriously as a writer. Vista Print has 42 FREE designs to choose from, the printing quality is great and the shipping is fast. They also have a section on their website with links to other free products to try because they know you'll be back to buy more of their great products.
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
13 July 2009
Creativity and Self-Esteem
It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.
Author Unknown
If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.
Vincent Van Gogh
One more week and I will be done with school for this semester! So today only a couple of quotes. Often what separates the published writers from the unpublished is a healthy dose of self-esteem. What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? In the next two months on my break from school I will be sending out my work again, something I took a break from the last year while I concentrated on craft and discovering my voice. One of my favorite books on self-esteem for writers and positive affirmations is Eric Maisel's Write Mind Positive Affirmations: 299 Things Writers Should Never Say Themselves ( What They Should Say Instead)
Are you your own worst enemy? How would the next six months look if you started each day with a positive statement instead of the hundreds of negative ones that play in your head every day? Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
Author Unknown
If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.
Vincent Van Gogh
One more week and I will be done with school for this semester! So today only a couple of quotes. Often what separates the published writers from the unpublished is a healthy dose of self-esteem. What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? In the next two months on my break from school I will be sending out my work again, something I took a break from the last year while I concentrated on craft and discovering my voice. One of my favorite books on self-esteem for writers and positive affirmations is Eric Maisel's Write Mind Positive Affirmations: 299 Things Writers Should Never Say Themselves ( What They Should Say Instead)
Are you your own worst enemy? How would the next six months look if you started each day with a positive statement instead of the hundreds of negative ones that play in your head every day? Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
11 July 2009
Deep Sleep or Sleeplessness?
A flock of sheep that leisurely pass by
One after one; the sound of rain, and bees
Murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas,
Smooth fields, white sheets of water, and pure sky -
I've thought of all by turns, and still I lie
Sleepless...
William Wordsworth, "To Sleep"One after one; the sound of rain, and bees
Murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas,
Smooth fields, white sheets of water, and pure sky -
I've thought of all by turns, and still I lie
Sleepless...
While William Wordsworth writes about sleeplessness... the last few nights I have slept so deeply that when I awake I have remembered the most vivid dreams. In my dreams, which are always in color, people are having conversations, traffic is going by, things are happening. They seem to be not disconnected but real stories. People say dreams are only interesting to you. But often my dream world ends up in my writing especially my poetry. I have never been able to capture much in my journals but the ones I have written about seem to be much more connected to my subconscious than my current writing.
In rereading Bernadette Mayer's epic poem Midwinter Day this morning, maybe because its so hot this week I think that reading about a Midwinter Day will cool me off... I find this wonderful passage that seems to be tapping into this sort of subconscious writing."The bed is like a typewriter, sometimes I think the bed's a refrigerator with the holographic head of a man in dichroic color to be seen in ambient light on the door, I mean the cover of the book the bed is, you do look all the time at some of the same things until the names of objects might as well fall off"
This morning take some time to write about sleep or the lack of sleep as Wordsworth so eloquently does. How does sleep figure into your writing? Do you write better or more interesting with no sleep, does your dream world find its way into your writing? What does a good night's sleep do for your creativity?
Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
09 July 2009
Archive of Chapbooks
We just opened our blog to anyone if you're interested in seeing the chapbooks myself and my fellow students have been working on this semester. This was a great exercise in self-publishing and creativity. You can also read about our process and see how self-publishing can open doors.
http://bit.ly/uv0LD
http://bit.ly/uv0LD
The best writing advice I ever received
“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.”
Anne Lamott
There is a meme going around Facebook right now...The 15 books that changed your life. Although I didn't participate it did get me thinking about all the writing books that kept me on the path of writing the last twenty years. The first book I recommend to all beginning writers is Natalie Goldberg's classic Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Although she went on to write many more books including a new one on memoir writing I still think this first one was the most influential to my writing. On Amazon right now there are quite a few negative reviews of this book but in 1986 when it was first published, no one was writing this time of "writing craft" book. This book introduced me to timed writing and many other writing exercises and made me feel that my journal writing was valuable at a time where I questioned why I needed to write. Eight years later Anne Lamott published Bird by Bird-Some Instructions on Writing and Life. I reach for this book more than any other when I'm discouraged about many things. When I struggled with finishing an essay last month...I thought again of "bird by bird" a story in the book where Lamott's older brother is overwhelmed with the "hugeness of the task ahead." This simple advice of taking things "bird by bird" is the best writing advice I ever received. Writing a book is overwhelming but if you take it page by page or paragraph by paragraph or even simpler, sentence by sentence a story begins to unfold. You can take this advice into almost every area of your life.
Today, think about the best writing advice you ever received. Take time to write it down, post it where you will see it when you feel discouraged. And now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
Anne Lamott
There is a meme going around Facebook right now...The 15 books that changed your life. Although I didn't participate it did get me thinking about all the writing books that kept me on the path of writing the last twenty years. The first book I recommend to all beginning writers is Natalie Goldberg's classic Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Although she went on to write many more books including a new one on memoir writing I still think this first one was the most influential to my writing. On Amazon right now there are quite a few negative reviews of this book but in 1986 when it was first published, no one was writing this time of "writing craft" book. This book introduced me to timed writing and many other writing exercises and made me feel that my journal writing was valuable at a time where I questioned why I needed to write. Eight years later Anne Lamott published Bird by Bird-Some Instructions on Writing and Life. I reach for this book more than any other when I'm discouraged about many things. When I struggled with finishing an essay last month...I thought again of "bird by bird" a story in the book where Lamott's older brother is overwhelmed with the "hugeness of the task ahead." This simple advice of taking things "bird by bird" is the best writing advice I ever received. Writing a book is overwhelming but if you take it page by page or paragraph by paragraph or even simpler, sentence by sentence a story begins to unfold. You can take this advice into almost every area of your life.
Today, think about the best writing advice you ever received. Take time to write it down, post it where you will see it when you feel discouraged. And now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
08 July 2009
Thoughts of the moment
Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
On Friday, we decided last minute to go away for the Fourth. Colorado Springs canceled fireworks this year and although there were neighboring towns that we could of visited it seemed like a good excuse to go to the mountains. These pictures are from Breckenridge and surrounding towns. I'll be back this afternoon with a writing prompt.
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
04 July 2009
03 July 2009
Art of Personal Letters
The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.
Walt Whitman
When I was growing up we were encouraged to have pen pals. In grammar school we were taught how to write the different styles of letters and we practiced regularly working on our penmanship and our creative writing skills.
I have almost every letter I have ever received. Last week going through some of them I came across one from my aunt, in the letter she relived my last visit in details I had long forgot. What a gift this letter was, twenty years later I can read it and remember how special the day was. She passed away about a year after the letter was written but in her words I can clearly hear her voice. My letters from my sister were filled with drawings and funny stories that I was missing since I moved away from home. As she grew up her handwriting changed as did her vocabulary.
Although I love technology and use email daily I think it would be wonderful if letter writing had a resurgence. Who doesn't love to receive a hand-written letter? Part of the reason this semester was so special was because we mailed two chapbooks to the other members of our small group. This meant that I looked forward to getting the mail...tucked into the mailbox between the junk mail and the bills there was a connection with another writer.
One of my favorite postcards in my collection is the one pictured in this post. On the front "Pauline" has underlined my True Love so hard that is has worn away the gold tone. On the back addressed to Mr Fred Koppin Stewardson Illinois she writes "How about what I underlined? answer.
What a story! More so because the postcard was never mailed. I wonder if Pauline and Fred ended up as husband and wife. And because of the style of the postcard (a penny postcard) I know it was written in the early 1900's. Quite a question for a Victorian woman to be asking.
Today, consider taking fifteen minutes and writing a personal letter...reconnect with someone, a family member, an old friend, a writing buddy. Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Letters Nag
Walt Whitman
When I was growing up we were encouraged to have pen pals. In grammar school we were taught how to write the different styles of letters and we practiced regularly working on our penmanship and our creative writing skills.
I have almost every letter I have ever received. Last week going through some of them I came across one from my aunt, in the letter she relived my last visit in details I had long forgot. What a gift this letter was, twenty years later I can read it and remember how special the day was. She passed away about a year after the letter was written but in her words I can clearly hear her voice. My letters from my sister were filled with drawings and funny stories that I was missing since I moved away from home. As she grew up her handwriting changed as did her vocabulary.
Although I love technology and use email daily I think it would be wonderful if letter writing had a resurgence. Who doesn't love to receive a hand-written letter? Part of the reason this semester was so special was because we mailed two chapbooks to the other members of our small group. This meant that I looked forward to getting the mail...tucked into the mailbox between the junk mail and the bills there was a connection with another writer.
One of my favorite postcards in my collection is the one pictured in this post. On the front "Pauline" has underlined my True Love so hard that is has worn away the gold tone. On the back addressed to Mr Fred Koppin Stewardson Illinois she writes "How about what I underlined? answer.
What a story! More so because the postcard was never mailed. I wonder if Pauline and Fred ended up as husband and wife. And because of the style of the postcard (a penny postcard) I know it was written in the early 1900's. Quite a question for a Victorian woman to be asking.
Today, consider taking fifteen minutes and writing a personal letter...reconnect with someone, a family member, an old friend, a writing buddy. Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Letters Nag
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