Artistry With Words

Welcome back!  I survived a trip to the dentist and our internet being down, and now I’m bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready to hit this week at full-speed.  What shall we talk about today?

How about spreading the love?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I just believe in the goodwill of people, the power of people to do something positive.”

Eddie Izzard
THOUGHT OF THE DAY

In the writer’s community of HubPages, where I am a member, we have seen a rather large influx of newcomers, refugees from the site Squidoo, and that influx prompted this posting today.

I have tried, on this blog, and at HubPages, to welcome newcomers, and to support veterans, and I do it for a variety of reasons.

I think newcomers need that connection and acceptance early on. I know I would have quit HubPages if I had not received almost instant support, and I don’t think I’m alone in those feelings.  As veteran writers, I believe it is our responsibility to welcome and support new writers.  It was done for us, and now it is time for us to follow in suit.

But it’s not just newcomers who need support.  For the life of me, I don’t know why more writers don’t make a special effort to uplift other writers.  Mentioning someone on your blog…leaving an extra-nice comment on someone’s article….these things matter.  Writing is a lonely gig.  Most freelance writers spend the majority of their days locked off from the world, and the only contact they have with others is online.  It’s nice to receive a pat on the back occasionally, and that pat on the back might be the difference between a writer carrying on or giving up.

TIP OF THE DAY

Reach out to someone new today.  Make a difference in a writer’s life.  Make a special mention on your blog.  Single someone out in an article.  Do something to bring a smile to the face of a fellow writer.

EXCERPT OF THE DAY

Yes, this is self-promotion.  I’m currently working on my third novel, “Shadows Kill.”  This will be the first novel I do not self-publish.  I’m either going to sell this to a publisher or it will wither away on my bookshelves.  So this excerpt may be the only chance you get to read part of my upcoming book.  I hope you enjoy this little snippet.

“Maya Angelou once wrote that anger is like fire, that it burns clean all who touch it.  If that is true, then after the funeral I was very clean indeed.  I had walked for hours, finally ending up on the beach at Priest Point Park.  I sat on some driftwood and tried to empty my mind.  I needed to push the rage into a corner where it could ferment until I needed it.  Rage and logic do not mix.  As long as I was feeling rage, I would not be able to think clearly enough to find the Shadow Man.

I thought of Nanci, the beautiful contours of her body, the way she would brush back a strand of hair on her forehead before she said something of significance, as though brushing away the mundane.  I thought of her love for animals, and how she had cried one afternoon when we found a dead raccoon by the side of the road while we were riding bikes.  I had never heard her say an unkind thing.  The daily actions of society that piss most of us off, like being cut off in traffic, or the rudeness of a stranger, or poor customer service at a store, none of it fazed her.  She would simply brush back that strand of hair, smile, and tell me that people are complicated and deserve compassion.  In a world of seven billion people and growing, we can ill afford to lose those like Nanci.

I reached under my windbreaker and felt the comforting grip of the .357.  We were taught in grade school by the good nuns that hatred is one of the seven deadly sins, and perhaps it is so, but I also know that hatred provides you with a deadening of conscience, and allows you to sight upon a two-legged target and forget that he descended from the same primordial ooze as you did.  When the time came for he and I to meet, all thoughts of the Garden of Eden and shared ancestry would be gone.”

PROMPT OF THE DAY

You know how this works. I give you a picture and you use it as a little writing exercise.  Use your five senses as you write about this scene.  Remember back to moments in your life that this scene reminds you of.  Hopefully you’ll get some good material from this exercise.

GUEST POSTING FOR THE DAY

I am pleased to introduce you to Michelle Scoggins.  You can find her here on HubPages.  Michelle has graciously agreed to add her thoughts this morning, and here she is.

Meditating To Unleash The Imagination While Writing

Trying to lose the anxiety was almost impossible as my internal critics unleashed their fury on me as I tried to write a small blurb.  Finally coming to the realization that my writing was sidelined I thought – How do I commonly let go of anxiety?

The answer was pretty clear – I meditate.  Could meditation be the answer to my writing woes?  Well surely it could be worth a try was my succeeding thought.

As I pondered and fought back the eruption of my internal world as if it were going to crawl right out of my pores and emerge like a hairy slimy bearded beast, I calmed myself through meditation.

The epiphany developed as I related meditation to writing.  Plainly my need was to clear my mind of anxiety and negative self-talk, which is foundational to meditation.  A mind free of distraction creates a perfect easel so that creativity can spew from all angles.  Having a creative mind is the one most desired trait of all writers.  Certainly we work at being original and crafty but that takes skill, time and confidence. Those internal critics are a true fire way of snuffing off even the strongest and most confident.  They are like Bermuda grass to a beautiful lawn; it will take over and kill everything around.  Inner critics are a writer’s worst enemy and will stifle imagination every time.   However, mediation brings that internal calmness that opens the mind and reveals all the creative nuggets that were hiding behind all the noise.  Mediation allows the writer to start with a fresh piece of paper bringing together the mind, body and spirit in a flow of outward and creative work one can be proud to claim.

Before an author sits before their computer commonly a ritual takes place in preparation.  Open your mind by using meditation prior to writing and see the development of your imagination flourish like never before.  Quieting the internal critics can really allow you to get to work and be fulfilled by the outcome.  Feel free to please share other fruitful ways that allow your creativity to drift to new horizons and create the work you call your own.

MUSICAL PROMPT OF THE DAY

I use music quite often to inspire new articles.  Maybe you do the same.  Here’s a song for you to consider. Listen to the words and see what happens.  It’s my favorite tune by Simon and Garfunkel…and it’s called The Sounds of Silence.

WRITER OF THE DAY

Wouldn’t it be funny, after all that was mentioned earlier in this post, if I forgot to mention a new writer?  Well I did remember, and her name is Casey, and on HubPages her screen name is caseymel…you can find her here.  I can tell you that Casey is a newcomer who understands community.  She has been very good about supporting me during her few two weeks on HubPages, and so now I give her the support she deserves.  That’s how it works.

MORE LATER

I have no idea when I’ll be back, but it will be one day this week.  I’m still fine-tuning my weekly schedule.  Thanks so much for being here and continually supporting me.  You are appreciated.

And thank you to Michelle Scoggins for her thoughts on meditation before writing.  I really appreciate it, Michelle.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”