Come to the monthly meeting of the Bay Area Writers League this Thursday, May 3rd, 2007. We'll meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble located at the Gulf Freeway (Highway 45) and Bay Area Boulevard.
We have an outstanding speaker this month: Ann McCrady.
Don't miss it!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Cooking With Words
I'm hoping my current writing phase is like cooking stuffed pork chops. Patience is required. As they simmer, the chops are tenderized and the flavor of the onions and bell peppers seeps into them. Always worth the wait.
It's possible I'm in denial and have some kind of writer’s block. When I sit down to write a story -- even though in my head, it seems fully developed -- the wrong words come out. I'm aiming for writing that tingles the senses, but all that comes out is blandness.
Perhaps this is the time to focus on reading. I admire G. K. Chesterton's work. These opening sentences in The Man Who Was Thursday are poetic and brave: "The suburb of Saffron Park lay on the sunset side of London, as red and rugged as a cloud of sunset. It was built of bright brick throughout; its skyline was fantastic, and even its ground plan was wild."
I would probably have changed that first sentence, though, because I always use AutoCrit (www.autocrit.com). This favored tool would have prompted me that the word "sunset" is used twice. But so far, I haven't written anything as interesting as G. K. Chesterton's stuff to plug into AutoCrit.
Perhaps I've been so busy analyzing bits of my work, I’ve been distracted from the flow of writing. Gwendolyn Zepeda, a local writer and quasi mentor, has written five books in the last four years, and all but one have been picked up for publication. Her advice is to get the entire book or story down first and then tweak.
I’m not sure what the cause of my difficulty is, but I’m gonna keep on cooking. One day, if I’m patient with myself and don’t give up, my written words will be seasoned just right. Hopefully, they’ll be as flavorful as my stuffed pork chops.
It's possible I'm in denial and have some kind of writer’s block. When I sit down to write a story -- even though in my head, it seems fully developed -- the wrong words come out. I'm aiming for writing that tingles the senses, but all that comes out is blandness.
Perhaps this is the time to focus on reading. I admire G. K. Chesterton's work. These opening sentences in The Man Who Was Thursday are poetic and brave: "The suburb of Saffron Park lay on the sunset side of London, as red and rugged as a cloud of sunset. It was built of bright brick throughout; its skyline was fantastic, and even its ground plan was wild."
I would probably have changed that first sentence, though, because I always use AutoCrit (www.autocrit.com). This favored tool would have prompted me that the word "sunset" is used twice. But so far, I haven't written anything as interesting as G. K. Chesterton's stuff to plug into AutoCrit.
Perhaps I've been so busy analyzing bits of my work, I’ve been distracted from the flow of writing. Gwendolyn Zepeda, a local writer and quasi mentor, has written five books in the last four years, and all but one have been picked up for publication. Her advice is to get the entire book or story down first and then tweak.
I’m not sure what the cause of my difficulty is, but I’m gonna keep on cooking. One day, if I’m patient with myself and don’t give up, my written words will be seasoned just right. Hopefully, they’ll be as flavorful as my stuffed pork chops.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Poetry on a Pedestal
April is National Poetry Month. It’s the perfect time to celebrate poets and their versified art.
You could celebrate by hugging a poet.
Give a shout-out to a favorite poet. (Huzzah, wordsmith Mary Kimmel!)
Buy a book of poetry. Both of the following are recently published: Good Poems for Hard Times selected and introduced by Garrison Keiller and Hip-Hop Poetry and the Classics by Alan Lawrence Sitomer and Michael Cirelli.
Observe details in the world around you and discover that moments are filled with poetry.
Read a love poem to your sweetheart.
Have a conversation in rhyme. It would be a silly, fun time!
Memorize a quote about poetry. Here’s one: “All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.” —William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads, preface (1801).
Join a poetry group. Locally, there’s Gulf Coast Poets in Webster, Houston Chapter and Poets Northwest, both in Houston, to name a few. (Go to www.texaspoetryevents.info for poetry event details.)
Go to a poetry reading. Coffee Oasis in Seabrook hosts open mic readings on the first Monday of each month. Barnes and Noble in Webster hosts them every fourth Tuesday.
Read poems at a poetry open mic.
You could come to the Spring Branch Library in Katy on April 21st at 11:00 a.m. to hear me give a presentation of Poetry Through the Ages. I will conclude by sharing a rap song I wrote called “Layin’ Down My Life,” which I’ve performed in many Texas prisons. Also presenting will be multiple-award-winning poet Doris Ferguson and Sophia Morrison.
The most meaningful way to appreciate poetry, in my humble opinion, is to write a poem.
How will you celebrate?
(published April 2007)
You could celebrate by hugging a poet.
Give a shout-out to a favorite poet. (Huzzah, wordsmith Mary Kimmel!)
Buy a book of poetry. Both of the following are recently published: Good Poems for Hard Times selected and introduced by Garrison Keiller and Hip-Hop Poetry and the Classics by Alan Lawrence Sitomer and Michael Cirelli.
Observe details in the world around you and discover that moments are filled with poetry.
Read a love poem to your sweetheart.
Have a conversation in rhyme. It would be a silly, fun time!
Memorize a quote about poetry. Here’s one: “All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.” —William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads, preface (1801).
Join a poetry group. Locally, there’s Gulf Coast Poets in Webster, Houston Chapter and Poets Northwest, both in Houston, to name a few. (Go to www.texaspoetryevents.info for poetry event details.)
Go to a poetry reading. Coffee Oasis in Seabrook hosts open mic readings on the first Monday of each month. Barnes and Noble in Webster hosts them every fourth Tuesday.
Read poems at a poetry open mic.
You could come to the Spring Branch Library in Katy on April 21st at 11:00 a.m. to hear me give a presentation of Poetry Through the Ages. I will conclude by sharing a rap song I wrote called “Layin’ Down My Life,” which I’ve performed in many Texas prisons. Also presenting will be multiple-award-winning poet Doris Ferguson and Sophia Morrison.
The most meaningful way to appreciate poetry, in my humble opinion, is to write a poem.
How will you celebrate?
(published April 2007)
Inspired by Research
I was thumbing through a book called Life in the Middle Ages as an exercise in research for this article. Reading about the vocabulary, dress, and customs of that day, I was stirred to write a sample of a period piece. What I ended up with, to my astonishment, is a viable first chapter of a novel.
Historical romance is my favorite genre of fiction. Before I became persnickety about reading nothing steamier than G-rated romance, the early works of Kathleen Woodiwiss captivated me. Favorites included Ashes in the Wind and The Wolf and the Dove. But the Christian-flavored Janette Oke series Love Comes Softly is more like the book series I dream of writing. A secret to success I learned from local author Judson Roberts is to write what I most like to read while making the enjoyment of the reader the motivation for my work. Historical Christian romance is the natural choice for me (I’m so excited about my chapter set in the Middle Ages!) and doing research is essential.
How blessed we writers are in this age of the internet. With an on-line computer, which is a resource offered at many public libraries, we can quickly find common names from a given era, historical facts, and much more.
Life in the Middle Ages, along with numerous books on writing not found at the local library, is available for checkout through membership in the Bay Area Writers League. I urge writers to make use of the wealth of available research material and study about whatever captures their interest. You never know. It could lead to the spontaneous dawning of a captivating novel.
(published March 3007)
Historical romance is my favorite genre of fiction. Before I became persnickety about reading nothing steamier than G-rated romance, the early works of Kathleen Woodiwiss captivated me. Favorites included Ashes in the Wind and The Wolf and the Dove. But the Christian-flavored Janette Oke series Love Comes Softly is more like the book series I dream of writing. A secret to success I learned from local author Judson Roberts is to write what I most like to read while making the enjoyment of the reader the motivation for my work. Historical Christian romance is the natural choice for me (I’m so excited about my chapter set in the Middle Ages!) and doing research is essential.
How blessed we writers are in this age of the internet. With an on-line computer, which is a resource offered at many public libraries, we can quickly find common names from a given era, historical facts, and much more.
Life in the Middle Ages, along with numerous books on writing not found at the local library, is available for checkout through membership in the Bay Area Writers League. I urge writers to make use of the wealth of available research material and study about whatever captures their interest. You never know. It could lead to the spontaneous dawning of a captivating novel.
(published March 3007)
Forsaking the Rutted Trail
Breaking out of routine both in thought and action has been a lift to my writing life this past month.
Exercise has hurt so good. In spite of sore muscles, my mood is elevated. Exercise seems to activate my creative brain waves, as if they’ve been in couch potato mode, too.
Poetry is currently my main writing focus, and I’m not being slack about it. I go to workshops and critique meetings, and I’ve joined several poetry groups. I’ll soon share a study I’m doing on ”Poetry in the Bible” with fellow members of the Houston Chapter of the Poetry Society of Texas. I also go to poetry readings to glean from other poets and read some of my own poems. I highly recommend the monthly poetry event “First Fridays” in Houston, which Robert Clark has been coordinating since 1975.
Work on my first book as well as a chapbook of poetry continues. These efforts to pull myself out of my unproductive daily rut are helped most by seeking inspiration and a change in thinking from extraordinary achievers. For instance, Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking, says this in Positive Living Day by Day: “You were not made to live a dull life. You were not put into this exquisite world, filled with beauty and fascination, to be less than an interested, excited human being.”
My efforts have been fruitful. As I was running errands recently, my eyes were opened to see extraordinary moments at almost every turn. I’ve never felt more like a writer, as I filled several pages of a small notebook recording those observations before they could escape me. It seems that all of life is poetry to the activated writer.
(published February 2007)
Exercise has hurt so good. In spite of sore muscles, my mood is elevated. Exercise seems to activate my creative brain waves, as if they’ve been in couch potato mode, too.
Poetry is currently my main writing focus, and I’m not being slack about it. I go to workshops and critique meetings, and I’ve joined several poetry groups. I’ll soon share a study I’m doing on ”Poetry in the Bible” with fellow members of the Houston Chapter of the Poetry Society of Texas. I also go to poetry readings to glean from other poets and read some of my own poems. I highly recommend the monthly poetry event “First Fridays” in Houston, which Robert Clark has been coordinating since 1975.
Work on my first book as well as a chapbook of poetry continues. These efforts to pull myself out of my unproductive daily rut are helped most by seeking inspiration and a change in thinking from extraordinary achievers. For instance, Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking, says this in Positive Living Day by Day: “You were not made to live a dull life. You were not put into this exquisite world, filled with beauty and fascination, to be less than an interested, excited human being.”
My efforts have been fruitful. As I was running errands recently, my eyes were opened to see extraordinary moments at almost every turn. I’ve never felt more like a writer, as I filled several pages of a small notebook recording those observations before they could escape me. It seems that all of life is poetry to the activated writer.
(published February 2007)
A Source of Inspiration
I’ve looked for a certain item in every antique shop I’ve visited for the past 25 years, with no luck. Then last month, on the bottom shelf of a store in Brenham, I saw it – an Underwood typewriter, just like the one Dad taught me to type on when I was 10 years old. It was a beautiful sight to me, with its circular keys and boxy shape.
For a mere forty-five dollars I could have the long-sought-after symbol of Dad, my original muse, who was a writer by profession.
But I somehow talked myself out of buying the typewriter. After all, my purpose for being in Brenham was to take my daughter Maddie shopping and figure out what I was going to buy her and William, her fiancé, for Christmas. Most importantly, my current financial goal is to pay off my debts so that I’m able to travel in a few short years.
“If the typewriter is still here next month,” I told Maddie, “I’ll buy it.” But I couldn’t believe it would be.
Reading and writing are my best helps for being a productive writer, I consoled myself.
I’m truly glad I didn’t buy that old Underwood typewriter. If I had, it would have spoiled the surprise I enjoyed on Christmas Eve. I opened a large box from Maddie and William and found that they had bought the treasure for me.
Before I can get any writing done, I require some form of inspiration. Because of that old typewriter that now sits in plain view of my desk at home, I have a feeling the days ahead are going to be very productive.
(published January 2007)
For a mere forty-five dollars I could have the long-sought-after symbol of Dad, my original muse, who was a writer by profession.
But I somehow talked myself out of buying the typewriter. After all, my purpose for being in Brenham was to take my daughter Maddie shopping and figure out what I was going to buy her and William, her fiancé, for Christmas. Most importantly, my current financial goal is to pay off my debts so that I’m able to travel in a few short years.
“If the typewriter is still here next month,” I told Maddie, “I’ll buy it.” But I couldn’t believe it would be.
Reading and writing are my best helps for being a productive writer, I consoled myself.
I’m truly glad I didn’t buy that old Underwood typewriter. If I had, it would have spoiled the surprise I enjoyed on Christmas Eve. I opened a large box from Maddie and William and found that they had bought the treasure for me.
Before I can get any writing done, I require some form of inspiration. Because of that old typewriter that now sits in plain view of my desk at home, I have a feeling the days ahead are going to be very productive.
(published January 2007)
Balancing Words and Humans
During the second week of National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo), Jessie came to my mind invasively. She’s a dear friend who I haven’t spoken with for a long while. I was so bent on writing my book, though, I didn’t take the time to contact her. You see, I was hurdling winningly toward being halfway finished with my first novel. I didn’t want to lose my stride. At the beginning of the third week of Nanowrimo, Jessie was in the hospital and unexpectedly died of unknown causes. This grievous event halted me and inspired me to change this article’s subject from one regrettable activity to another.
I was going to address the tragedy of wasting precious time that could be spent writing. Thanks to the impetus inspired by Nanowrimo, I learned that I can produce 1,667 written words per day.
There’s an even greater calamity than squandering our gifts and energy, though, and that’s neglecting our friends and loved ones.
The fact that Jessie died without my having expressed how much she means to me breaks my heart. She was a true friend. In fact, she was like a caring mother to me during the darkest phase of my life.
Jessie and I had in common a love for the Bible and for writing. She once gave me a Bible commentary as a gift, and I’ll always treasure it. She also gave me a copy of a poem that she wrote, and years ago I discovered that I lost it. I’ll never forget that missing poem or the lost opportunity that just preceded Jessie’s departure to heaven. Hopefully these memories will help me keep a proper balance of all that is important in life -- just one more gift from Jessie to me.
(published December 2006)
I was going to address the tragedy of wasting precious time that could be spent writing. Thanks to the impetus inspired by Nanowrimo, I learned that I can produce 1,667 written words per day.
There’s an even greater calamity than squandering our gifts and energy, though, and that’s neglecting our friends and loved ones.
The fact that Jessie died without my having expressed how much she means to me breaks my heart. She was a true friend. In fact, she was like a caring mother to me during the darkest phase of my life.
Jessie and I had in common a love for the Bible and for writing. She once gave me a Bible commentary as a gift, and I’ll always treasure it. She also gave me a copy of a poem that she wrote, and years ago I discovered that I lost it. I’ll never forget that missing poem or the lost opportunity that just preceded Jessie’s departure to heaven. Hopefully these memories will help me keep a proper balance of all that is important in life -- just one more gift from Jessie to me.
(published December 2006)
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