writing

10 03, 2014

Liminal Space and Me

By |2014-03-10T06:00:27-05:00March 10th, 2014|Make Me Think Monday|4 Comments

I recently learned about a concept called Liminal Space. I’d never heard the term before so off to Google I went.

Liminality is a transition period where normal limits to thought, self-understanding and behavior are relaxed – a situation that can lead to new perspectives.

Psychologists call liminal space, a place where boundaries dissolve a little and we stand there, on the threshold, getting ourselves ready to move across the limits of what we were into what we are to be.

There’s an Irish saying I think fits liminal space: Reality is that place between the sea and the foam. The sea is deep and dark and scary. The foam is shifty and uncertain, disappearing before our eyes. We linger in the in-between.

Interestingly, the word liminality comes from the Latin limen, meaning a threshold.

Remember adolescence? That’s the liminal space between childhood and adulthood.

So why is liminal space important?

Liminal space is where we can grow and change. The space between the closed door and the open window.

After a time of processing this concept, I see I’m in a liminal space on my writer’s journey.

Or maybe it’s simply that a writer’s journey is a constant state of liminality.

closed doorDoors close and windows open.Open window

Everyone’s journey is filled with them.

The hiccup is that you can’t experience transformation unless you let go.

Richard Rohr says, “Few of us know how to inhabit liminal space. If we are security-needy by temperament, we will always run back to the old room that we have already constructed. If we are risk-taking by temperament, we will quickly run to a new room of our own making and liking. Hardly anyone wants to stay on the threshold without knowing the answers…

I have to agree.

Straddling a threshold isn’t a comfortable place. Fear of the unknown has us holding tight to the familiar.

We must let go of the comfortable and familiar and move into the uncomfortable and the unfamiliar— seize the possibilities.

Not so easy to do. Scary even.

Unless we embrace change. Unless we stop trying to make our old journey fit the new destination.

“I’m going to show the courage not to retreat back to what was and I’m going to be patient not to jump into what I think ought to be, but I’m going to stand in liminal space. I am going to trust that as I stand on the threshold it is pregnant with the possibilities of God.” – David Jensen.

Richard Rohr says, “Nothing good or creative emerges from business as usual. This is why much of the work of God is to get people into liminal space, and to keep them there long enough so they can learn something essential. It is the ultimate teachable space…maybe the only one. … it is the only position that insures ongoing wisdom, broader perspective and ever-deeper compassion.”

What about you? Are you at a threshold in your life? Are you ready to let go and learn something essential—to claim the possibilities behind the open door?

threshold

Let’s go!

4 11, 2013

4 Triggers to Jumpstart your Writing Time

By |2013-11-04T06:00:53-06:00November 4th, 2013|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

Another November has rolled around, which means…

Daylight saving time started unless you live in Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Did you remember to set your clocks back?

?????????We did. Unfortunately, my internal clock didn’t get the message. I’m up at 4 a.m. because my body knows it’s really 5 a.m.

November is also National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Currently 258,733 novelist have officially signed on to complete a first draft novel with the goal of 50,000 words by the end of the month.

Not to be outdone, NON-fiction writers have their own challenge, Write Nonfiction in November (WNFIN), also known as National Nonfiction Writing Month (NaNonFiWriMo)

Other writers become caught up in the spirit of the writing challenge and commit to penning 50,000 words this month through their writing groups.

Flipping the calendar to November is the signal that the holidays are fast approaching. One look at a Christmas Countdown clock and my pulse accelerates in anticipation and dread.

Fifty days until Christmas? Yikes. I’m so far behind.

If you celebrate Hanukah, your clicking counter is less. Hanukah is much closer than you think. For the first time since 1888, Thanksgiving and Hanukah converge. You’re looking at less than twenty-four days to be ready! Click here for an accurate count.

Holidays can disrupt your regular writing schedule and stifle your  muse. Participating in the NaNoWriMo challenge may be all you need to motivate yourself.

On the other hand, even if you’ve joined NaNoWriMo and set a goal, you may need to give yourself a nudge to get into writing on some days.

With so many holiday preparations pulling for my time and energy, I find when I do notch out writing time I need to psych my muse into cooperating.

Four methods work to put my brain in writing mode.

1.  Establish a ritual  – a trigger to use right before you begin a writing session. Something that will coax your brain into the writing routine and you won’t have to make a decision on whether or not to write. You just will.

A trigger might be moving into a special area to write or sipping a cup of tea.

toby 2I brew a cup of Irish breakfast tea or grab a water bottle and go into my office.

Naturally, Toby follows and positions his very large body in the kneehole of my desk. That’s a trigger for me, but not one you can share.

Sorry.

2.   Begin a writing session by quieting your mind.
Tis the season to clutter our minds with lists and busyness. Pause. Do some journaling or read a devotional to clear your mind before you start writing.

3.  Engage in physical activity.
I’m not suggesting a full workout at the gym here. Only a few minutes of sun salutation and deep breathing yoga exercises or ten minutes of calisthenics to jumpstart the endorphins that lead to creativity.

A  walk can work as well. That’s what I do. Toby and Buster love when I hook up those leases and walk to work through plot issues or jog my creativity.

4. Involve your senses.
Play soft music or light a scented candle, even a dish of scented soap on your desk can be a trigger for the muse.

YOUR TURN: Do you have a trigger that puts you in writing mode?

23 09, 2013

Are you a Pogo Writer?

By |2022-09-11T16:14:26-05:00September 23rd, 2013|Make Me Think Monday, Monday Motivations|0 Comments

A writing career is different from other occupations. A writer has to make up their route to success. There’s no policy and procedure manual, no checklist for success. What to do and how to do it is solely up to the individual author.

Each day brings unchartered waters especially in the current, ever-changing face of publishing. There are good days and bad. Success and rejections. The emotional wave is like a roller coaster ride. Up one day. Downhill fast the next.

More than any other job, at least as far as jobs I’ve ever had go, writers control their destiny. At the same time writers can become their own worst enemy.

By that, I mean we tend to sabotage our success.

1970-pogoposterOr, in the immortal words of POGO, “We meet the enemy and it is us!”

Not familiar with Pogo Possum?

He’s the anthropomorphic comic strip animal created by Walt Kelly in 1948

The poster pictured on the left was created by Mr. Kelly for the first Earth Day in 1971. To read more about POGO and Walt Kelly, click here.

Why do I believe POGO writers can be their own worst enemies? I see signs, and I’ve seen writers who exhibit these characteristics and fail.

You’re a POGO writer if…

1. You spend too much time and energy focused on mimicking the writing and style of some other author.

We’re spinning our wheels and wasting our words when we do this.  The publishing world already has Janet Evanovich, J.K. Rowling, Steven King, and Nora Roberts. Their success is their success. You can’t copy and get there! Every writer has his own path to carve.

2. You obsess with following THE RULES.

Don’t get me wrong. THE RULES are important.

Once you understand the basics—things like POV, dialogue, setting, character, plot, theme, etc., you have to trust your instincts and what works for your story.

Rules are very important guidelines. Writing, on the other hand, is an art form that entails experimentation, innovation, and expansion. Don’t be so hung up on THE RULES you lose your own sense of story.

3. You buy into every new way to write or plot that a writing expert suggests.

Learning the craft, and studying with writing experts is important. I’m not arguing it’s not necessary to study writing craft.

Heaven knows I’ve spent a fortune learning from some of the top teachers in writing craft, and I improved my writing skills by leaps and bounds.

I’ve also learned that all the classes and workshops in the world are wasted if I’m not producing.

More importantly, I realize that writing experts don’t always know what’s right for me or my writing process.

Once you find the process that works best with your personality and lifestyle, you need to stick with it. 

Btw, if you’re interested, I’d be delighted to share the names of those experts I highly recommend, just email me.

4. You’re unable to take criticism or the flip side-believe everything anyone says about your story.

Either of these positions can be fatal. Critiques and reviews are an essential part of every writer’s life.

No denying bad critiques or reviews hurt. Surviving a brutal criticism or review of your work definitely isn’t for the fainthearted.

You have to develop an elephant hide and learn to weigh the opinions expressed for exactly what they’re worth then make up your own mind.

It is YOUR story, after all.

Strong writers survive…and often produce better stories from hard critiques or bad reviews.

5. You’re not writing.

This sign is the most telling of all.

Who doesn’t struggle with the procrastination parasite from time to time?

But a successful writing career requires disciple and focus. Whether moved by the muse or not, a professional goes to the keyboard or grabs a pencil every day.

I know what you’re thinking. Authors have to promote and develop reader relationships, which cuts into writing time.

Very true, but I would argue that the key to gaining recognition and readership (aka success) is writing the next story.

Do you recognize POGO writer signs in yourself? If so, now that you know, you can defeat the enemy.

Close this browse and get back to writing!

9 09, 2013

Dates Trigger Emotions So Should Your Writing: 5 Ways to Write for Emotional Impact

By |2013-09-09T06:07:50-05:00September 9th, 2013|Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

emotions

Years after something happens, whether we were part of the event or not, we recall and react.

I sent out a questionnaire to friends and family asking them to recall dates that spark memories. The responses were surprising and predictable at the same time. Dates and events in the list below appeared multiple times.

These two only appeared on one responder’s list and reading the dates jogged my memory.

Another responder labeled their list: “Things not ingrained by exact date, but by what they were.”

The list included:  Branch Davidian Complex Raid; Last Episode of MASH; Sandy Hook; Gabby Gifford’s’ shooting; the non-concession speech of Al Gore in 2000; the election of Obama (#1); the eventual concession of Gore in 2000; The Lewinski stuff with Clinton; The OJ Trial; The Ellen Show where her character ‘came out

A thought provoking list that brought back memories and some strong feelings for me.

Another responder offered strong memories triggered by thinking about certain dates.

“Nov 22 1963. Kennedy assassination. I was working in the music dept on UT campus. Someone had a radio on and we heard the news. I ran to student union to watch it on TV. Later I went home and worked on a theme (book report) that was due on the “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad. Mournful weekend.”  

“9-11-01. Home drinking coffee in our sun room with news on TV. Watched second plane hit towers. Didn’t turn off TV for days.” 

“August 22 1966. Charles Whitman shooting from tower. I was in Dallas on job interview, but hadn’t moved from Austin yet. Heard on radio. Not sure if it was Aug. 22 or 26. I didn’t know my husband then but he was on campus and took shelter in the student union. I recalled that at that time of day I would have been walking right across the mall for lunch, but I had taken that day off to go to Dallas.”

I’ve coined a phrase to define times that linger in our memories and by simple recall produce an emotional reaction.

TRIGGER DATES

As fiction writers, we must use trigger dates in our writing a way that our readers experience our characters’ fear and feel joy and become angry or excited and know grief. Readers should laugh and cry, shiver and rage. All from reading our story.

Why do we need to write for emotional impact?

Two BIG reasons: So readers will remember our characters and come back again and again. So readers recommend our stories or  write positive reviews for our novels.

How does a writer write for emotional impact? I offer five ways:

  1. Through Character action and response

No reporting a character is afraid or giddy or grieving. Show through the character’s actions.

  1. Create a sympathetic character

As a story evolves, the reader must know and relate to the characters. If you put the reader in the character’s place, the reader will experience a physical response—laughter or tears or shivers—as if whatever happened to your character has actually happened to them.

  1. Write conflict into every scene

Don’t be afraid of killing off someone close to your main characters or taking away something else dear to them. This is fiction; you’re not really hurting someone if you do mean things to your characters. When characters are agitated, readers will be too.

  1. Choose words to evoke emotion.

Words are our trigger dates. Use harsh or sharp words for the harsher emotions, soft-sounding and soft-meaning words for gentle emotions.

  1. Use sensory details to immerse readers in the reality of the scene.

What can your character hear and smell? What does a change in sight or sound mean? Using all the senses puts your reader there in the story.

YOUR TURN: Did reading the Trigger Date list stir emotions for you? If you’re a writer, how do you trigger your reader’s emotions?

1 05, 2013

One Word Wednesday – ACTION

By |2013-05-01T06:38:45-05:00May 1st, 2013|one word Wednesday, writer, writing|2 Comments

Action

For merchandise with this one word motivation: http://www.squidoo.com/one-word-quotes#module154058087

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”   ~St. Francis of Assisi~

Novels begin with the first word on the page or computer screen.

ACTION on your part gets that first word there.

13 03, 2013

One Word Wednesday – EMOTION

By |2013-03-13T06:47:29-05:00March 13th, 2013|one word Wednesday, writing, Writing Craft|1 Comment

The chief goal of a writer is to engage the reader. How do we do that?

EMOTION

We dig deep within ourselves and find what motivated us and inject that emotion into our characters.

I like the way Hemingway said it here:

SOURCE: tumblr_md88wbST7l1rnvzfwo1_500

SOURCE: tumblr_md88wbST7l1rnvzfwo1_500

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It isn’t!

If you’re having a hard time getting EMOTION on the page, check out these resources:

1. Writing for Emotional Impact by Karl Iglesias
This book should be on every writer’s resource shelf. The pages of Iglesias’ book are loaded with tips and techniques.

2. The Emotional Thesaurus
Another “bible” for writers. These authors have compiled a fabulous resource with specific examples for adding gestures to convey emotion.

3. The Bookshelf Muse
A must read blog with great tips for adding emotion to the page.

Now go do what Hemingway says, “Find what gave you emotion,” then give that emotion to your character so your reader feels what you felt.

6 11, 2012

Tipping point and the course of human events

By |2012-11-06T09:12:34-06:00November 6th, 2012|Tuesday Tipping Point, Uncategorized|4 Comments

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Anyone recognize that paragraph? I hope so. It’s the introductory paragraph to the Declaration of Independence. My fingers automatically typed those words instead of what I was meaning to say thanks to some teacher who made us memorize it and the Preamble to the Constitution.

Guess I became sidetracked by all the political ads and chatter everywhere. Today we have the option to cast a ballot for the Presidential candidate of our choice.

Now you go do the same. It’s our right and our privilege.

But I digress, the course of events that I meant to reference is that point in our lives when we recognize the time for change has arrived and we must do some personal downsizing.

No denying. All of us reach such a point sooner or later. By choice or by death.

As an antiques dealer, I’ve done enough estates – either as organizer, buyer or seller – to know that all our stuff ultimately has to go. Hearses don’t pull U-Hauls. We’re no longer an Egyptian pyramid culture where we entomb our worldly goods with us.

Recently, my husband and I returned from our vacation home and looked around at our beautiful home in the suburbs of the nation’s 4th largest city and experienced a tipping point.

We asked one another, “Why do we need all this stuff?”

The obvious answer was we don’t. For 4-5 months every year, we live in a small, small house in the Rio Grande National Forest and love every minute of it. We come back to hustle and bustle and headaches. So we asked ourselves, “Why?”

That’s when we reached the tipping point and decided to sell our house and stuff and vie for a simple life in the woods.

Our children are extremely grateful that they won’t be saddled with the grueling task after we’re gone. I think watching us disburse estates of our parents, his older sister, and our aunt and uncle convinced them it was an arduous job.

We’ve discovered a fringe benefit — seeing our children enjoy the things of their childhood and objects from our home in theirs.

That’s Chicken Wrangler Sara and her original Barbie house. She couldn’t believe we’d kept it all these years!

Our son and his son playing chess on the table where my husband and son played many a game.

This knife set (a wedding present to my husband and me) now hangs in our youngest daughter’s kitchen.

On Tuesdays, I’ll be blogging about our journey to simplify and the amazing freedom we’re finding as we turn the stuff loose. I’ll tell you how we decided what to get rid of and what to keep and how we disbursed the stuff.

Probably not every Tuesday. After all, this is a monumental task that takes time.

Plus I have another book due out this year. Gotta get in my writing time.

5 11, 2012

Monday Motivations: Creative juices dried up? 29 Ways to refresh

By |2012-11-05T07:20:17-06:00November 5th, 2012|Monday Motivations, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Hit a roadblock in your story? Creative juices won’t flow?

View this short two minute video for ways to get back in the groove.

I liked #25 and #29. #18 is great, especially with Thanksgiving looming on the horizon.

I’m not so sure I agree with #23. Doesn’t sound like fun to me.

YOUR TURN: What works to stir your creativity?

22 10, 2012

Monday Motivations: Testing the Waters

By |2012-10-22T09:23:29-05:00October 22nd, 2012|Monday Motivations|2 Comments

A friend recently shared this video titled Neglected Ducks Get Their First Swim from Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Great music, btw.

My first thought after watching the ducks repeatedly turn away from the water was that we writers are sometimes like those hoarded ducks-afraid to test new waters with our writing.

When was the last time you tried to write

  • a different genre
  • a short story if you normally write novels
  • a novel if you normally write short stories
  • a blog instead of just reading blogs
  • a tweet – now that will test your skill
  • a 1st person POV if you usually write 3rd person POV
  • 3rd person POV if you usually write  1st person POV

To me the pond in the video represents possibilities for our writer creativity. If we’d only venture forth and test the waters more, I think we’d see brave new worlds open up for our muse.

Did you notice how much fun those ducks were having once they took the plunge?

And who knows, we might find we like writing something new and different more than what we’re comfortable writing.

YOUR TURN: Have you ever written something out of your comfort zone? How’d it feel?

21 09, 2012

Miller Farm Friday – CHICKEN NUGGETS & Hatching Children

By |2012-09-21T11:20:57-05:00September 21st, 2012|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday, Uncategorized|6 Comments

No recipes or no recommendation for the best fast food restaurant serving chicken nuggets.

Although if you’re ever in South Fork, Colorado, I do highly recommend the chicken strips at Rockaway Cafe & Steakhouse.

Rockaway is a small family owned business with a casual atmosphere. Reminiscent of eating in someone’s home. John handpicks the fresh chicken breasts and carefully breads with his secret recipe.

You’ll love ‘em. We do.

But back to the Miller Farm.

Today our resident chicken wrangler is sharing some observations and a follow-up on last week’s acrobatic chicken.

The follow-up first – Butterscotch, the acrobatic chicken, seems to have recovered nicely. I had intended to clean her hurt foot every morning but I have yet to be able to catch her. Since she is moving faster than I am, I would say she is doing pretty well.

Observations on the concept of pecking order…
We have introduced new chickens into our flock on several occasions. Usually we have a group of birds that have gotten large enough to move outside but are still somewhat smaller than our mature hens, putting them on the bottom of the pecking order.

One evening I noticed that there was some “discussion” about who got to roost on a particular perch. Little Grey Hen come running out of the coop then she ran back in.

I heard all kinds of noise and saw that a smaller black bird was trying to roost on the end where Little Grey Hen usually sleeps. She would have none of that and before I (or the smaller hen) knew it, the black hen was on the ground and Little Grey Hen was back on her perch.

My first thought was “They all rolled over and one fell out.” (from the song Ten in the Bed).

Thoughts on hatching…
We have an assortment of fowl (chickens and quail) in the brooder in the garage. They hatched over a period of two days.

The last chicken to hatch seemed to have its shell stuck to its back side. We left it alone for a while, knowing that the struggle to get it off was making the bird stronger.

At a certain point, however, we could stand it no longer, and I held the bird while Rachel carefully cut away the shell which was hanging on by a thread.

We added the chicken sans the large chunk of hanging shell to the brooder where its feathers were able to dry and the last tiny bits of the shell came off.

I thought about parenting – sometimes we have to help kids get completely out of their shell so they can begin their own life.

The baby quail in the brooder nearly drove me nuts. They started sleeping on their sides with their feet stretched out making them look dead.

I guess I opened the cage and woke them up enough times that they decided if they wanted to get any sleep at all, they’d better sleep on their feet like fowl are supposed to do.

I’m definitely getting more sleep as well.

MY TURN:
Sara, the Chicken Wrangler, observed that a chicken’s process of hatching is like watching our children growing up. We need to help them out of their shells before they can begin their own life. Seems to me, that’s what writers do for their protagonists. We help them out of their shell. The literary term is character arc.

YOUR TURN: Do you see your child or your main character’s growth as hatching out of a shell?

Go to Top