Oh, The Places You'll Go

On the almost eve of the release of the next generation ipad (sounds a lot clunkier than just saying ipad3—thank you, Apple!) I can say without reservation or regret that I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my white 32-gb bundle of high-definition joy. Sure, I dealt with the typical white Anglo Saxon consumerism-driven pangs of buyer’s remorse, but that lasted about as long as it took to say “4G.” As a writer there is nothing more exciting than the ability to write anywhere whether at one’s lunch break at work, at line to renew one’s driver’s license, or the doctor’s office. With so many wonderfully productive apps such as Notably, Daily Notes+Todo and Evernote, the ability to write anywhere at any time has never been more accessible.

What no app in the world can accomplish as of yet is to lessen the terror of writer’s block, cure a lamentable lack of discipline or summon ideas from the murky depths of one’s subconscious, especially one that is full of reality shows and Science channel documentaries on the possibility of life on Mars. In spite of all the electronic gadgets, forums and other helpful distractions, writing remains a disturbing yet oddly satisfying threesome between the heart, the mind and a blank sheet of paper. Somehow I find that comforting. In a world that has become increasingly intrusive with social networks making it harder and harder to go to the bathroom in peace, the one-on-one between me and the page is like an exciting conversation that happens on a great first date. Even better as the relationship I’ve had with my writing has been a 33-year long love affair that shows no signs of abating.

As a child of Atari and Commodore 64 I am excited by new technologies and gadgets. As a writer I look forward to observing how these new technologies affect American culture in general and my life in particular. I can tell you that while my ipad is a wonderful companion, my 10-year old, beat up, faux-leather exacompta journal goes with me all those wonderful places that wi-fi still cannot go.





National Novel Writing Month 2011

National Novel Writing Month 2011 is fast approaching and I have figured out that this year it's all about mobility and aroma therapy. I just bought a beautifully soothing blue starfish hurricane lamp from my new friends at www.onekingslane.com. I also picked up a bluetooth keyboard and mouse for turning my big screen TV into a computer monitor and for use with writing on my ipad. I have purchased an extra phone battery and have installed Evernote on all my devices so that I am ready to add to my word count at any time no matter where I happen to be.

Last year I missed my goal of 50,000 words for my 7th year in a row due to lack of proper planning and a less than adequate supply of migraine remedies. This year I am ready. I have a stack of lavender piller candles for my new hurricane lamp as well as plenty of lavender incense and oil. I will lavender my way through this year! This coupled with my newfound ability to pad my word count from anywhere at any time is just as much a harbinger of success as writing actual words. At least this is what I am telling myself three weeks before the commencement of National Novel Writing Month 2011.

Valentine's Day for Writers

The Victorian Era was one of the most socially repressed times in our modern history. And yet, despite the fact that the mere sight of lady's exposed ankle would send fissures of scandal throughout the ranks of society, there was nevertheless a lava flow of feeling pulsating beneath the surface. The first pornographic images proliferated during this time and secret societies where outwardly respectable men wore dark hoods and engaged in debauchery by candlelight flourished. It is no wonder, then, that the people of this period, who were too constrained by social norms to speak their thoughts aloud, would choose to pour them out onto vellum, parchment and pulp in the form of a Valentine’s Day card.

The florid expression of Valentine sentiments reached their zenith in the Victorian era. During this time valentines were elaborate poetic expressions of love that were more highly prized than Christmas cards. The designs on the cards were highly stylized using all manner of media from lace, to buttons, ribbons, glass, mirrors, bird feathers and even locks of hair intricately entwined to form flowers, complex knots and other designs. Before mass production began in the late 1840s, Valentines were intensely personal and everyone, for a day, was a poet.

Writers are uniquely equipped to express the sentiments of the day whether they be positive or negative. They speak to the cultural norms of their society and provide a much needed voice to cut through the apathy and anonymity of the modern, technological time in which we live. In our current permissive society where pornography has become prosaic, romance and sentiment are so much harder to come by. The writer can breathe new life into the dying art of the Valentine. After all, there are so many different types of love to celebrate: the love of family, of friendship, puppy love, passionate romantic love, love for one's pets and the love of a truly stellar slice of cheesecake.

So, writers, let your voice be heard! Put pen to paper and let only the outer boundaries of the universe limit your imagination. Now more than ever we need to reacquaint ourselves afresh with the language of love, the lexicon of the heart, the vocabulary of the soul. Elizabeth Barrett Browning was no slouch in this area. Her passionate and abiding love for her husband expressed itself keenly in Sonnet 43. This is my favorite line:

I love thee to the depth

and breadth

and height

My soul can reach

It doesn't get much better than that, folks. But when was the last time a line of poetry sucked the breath out of your lungs or transported you back to the time when you first fell in love? Maybe it is time to imagine those moments and immortalize them in a poem for the day. Let Valentine's Day inspire your inner Browning and see where that journey takes you. Do not allow the consumerism that is so entwined with this day to make you bitter or blasé. Reinvigorate your writer's heart to embrace the deeper meaning of romance and compose a Valentine that would make Hallmark greetings look like bathroom stall graffiti.

Some Cheese with that Whine?

On a day where I should have 15,003 words committed to paper for National Novel Writing Month, I am currently limping along at approximately 3,500 words. Where did the time and words go? I must confess to feeling a bit of panic last week when the twin responsibilities of work and school crashed down on me until I was too exhausted to breathe. Twitter has helped with keeping the hearty spirit of this frenetic adventure alive, but I find myself falling increasingly behind.

I have read several blogs and articles about all the tips and tricks to get through 30 days of writing insanity and in the moment I do feel encouraged, as if I could do anything, including purging 50,000 words from my brain to the page. But deep in the trenches of work, studying, writing papers and dealing with two feisty dogs, I find myself making excuses about why my word count is dwindling. Better yet I come up with time-wasting projects.

I have just spent the last 45 minutes surfing istock photo for vintage writing images instead of writing 1,500 words that I could easily squeeze in during that short amount of time. Even as I write this now, my eyelids are drooping and I feel the tug of tiredness and the lure of 700-count Egyptian cotton sheets. Even my dogs are imploring me with their slumbery gazes to go to bed. Instead I will hurl my plea for help and stamina out into the ether and hope I am not the only one suffering the second week slump.

For those of you still plugging away, enthusiasm undaunted, energy unsapped, I salute you!

Day Two of NaNoWriMo and all is (relatively) Well!

Today is Day Two of the 30-day endurance test of National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org). After preparing so well with my character cards, note cards with 35 scenes mapped out and my outline I was so sure it would be a lock. Day 1 had me writing 1,741 words in just over an hour. I was riding high on my own brilliance. I felt like I could take on the world. I was wrong.

Enter last night. I’m exhausted from getting up at 4:45AM, I’ve just finished slogging through 35 pages of reading for my History class and at 10:30PM I was almost in a rage because my dogs refused to do their business. I’m outside in my robe begging them to just do it already so I could get to bed and do it all over again, but the dogs just wanted to play.

Once I got in bed it hit me – the terrible thought that I just cannot do this. It is too much. My life is too busy, my health won’t stand it, I don’t have the creative juice or the physical wherewithal to get it done. But this morning, when I woke up 6AM – an hour late for my writing time, there was a fire inside of me that had not died out overnight – it had merely banked itself until I could get some decent sleep. I woke up rarin’ to go and here I am on Day 2 having met my daily goal with some words to spare (1,784 and counting).

I’m exhausted, I’m hungry and I’m mean…but I am still eager to do this thing!

Deconstructing Annie Wu

About a month ago I had an idea for a murder yarn for next month’s NaNoWriMo (www.nanowrimo.org) and ever since I have been obsessed with the idea and in love with my title, “Shrimp Fried Lies.” As November 1^st drew nearer I became even more obsessed with my original idea to the exclusion of all others, but there were problems. I had a block that I could not seem to get past. I could not think of my main protagonist and I couldn’t think of why anyone would kill poor Annie Wu, Chinese restaurant proprietress extraordinaire.

Then it happened! I saw a tweet about this fascinating article I read last week about Nasa’s 100-Year Starship (sounds like a 60s rock band). Immediately synapses began firing and I had a flood of characters, conflicts and chapters, oh my! I have been furiously writing down all my ideas to explore the idea of what it would be like to make the decision to leave earth and never come back. What would be the ethical considerations and what type of people would make this decision? Why would anyone want to leave earth? Probably for the same reasons people move to Alaska…to escape the law, people, family, friends, etc.

Ah, inspiration, sweet mystery of life, at last I’ve found you!!

Let the NaNoWriMo-ing begin!!

It was the Friday Before NaNoWriMo...

Yep. Panic is starting to set in. My hands are beginning to shake and I can feel the distant echo of an encroaching pain…a stress headache just a few hours away. I can feel it coming and still I do not have my main characters, supporting players or basic plot for National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org). Perhaps I will find inspiration at Sunday’s kick-off at the Barnes & Noble in Smyrna where I will meet some of my fellow NaNoWriMos.

Does anyone know if pepto bismal works on unadulterated panic?

The last time I was “in the zone”, that quiet tunnel of perfect concentration where I am lost in the moment and my muse whispers feverishly in my ear, I had a clear picture of my inciting incident and the setting where my yarn will take place. I have recently been derailed by the twin responsibilities of work and school, not to mention that viral video of the time traveling lady in the Charlie Chaplin video. I am convinced that this is not a hearing aid because she is actually talking into the device and no one else appears to be listening to her.

But I digress. Even though I have a 10-page research paper due Monday, 123 pages to read for my new history class beginning on Tuesday, I am oddly confident that I will begin NaNoWriMo on Monday in a great place…at least able to pull off my first 1,667 words.

For those of you about to NaNoWriMo, I salute you!