Happy New Year

For many 2010 was a difficult year. There were hurdles to overcome, some more difficult than others, but in the end it was a triumphant year. I dealt with my writer's block and have slowly begun to write again. In late November, encouraged by friends, I started this blog. New to the blogosphere, I found myself in uncharted territory. A bit scared and alone, because my friends don't blog at all and couldn't guide me. They were, however, very confident that I could do it. So I did and here I am.

I remain positive remembering that 2010 was tough but good, and I know 2011 will be better!

I wish all of you the best in 2011. May goals be reached, dreams become reality and prosperity abound for all.

The Christmas Blizzard of 2010

I was snowed in and had to shovel my way out of the house.  First, I had to get the door open which was difficult with all that snow piled up against it.  After, pushing hard against the door a few times, I made some headway.  Still inside the house, with the door partially open, I began to shovel until I could see the first step.  My next door neighbor, a nice 70 year old lady waved at me – all smiles as if to say “look at the young'un struggle with a little snow”.  She had already been at it for an hour.  Little by little I paved a path wide enough for me to walk through.  The winds were very strong and kept blowing the snow about & I had to back track a few times and scrape the floor with the shovel to make sure that the path would remain clear.  Once at the front of my property, I began clearing a path on the sidewalk so that people could get by. 

After 2 ½ hours of this, I was hurting everywhere.  I’ve been told before to lift with the legs and not my back, but this relies on the knees bending.  I have bad knees so bending them repeatedly is no fun for me.  Eventually, I had to bend and lift using my back muscles.  Well, I couldn’t do that for too long either and I gave up.  There was enough of a path cleared and I dragged myself back into the house.  I took some Aleve and napped for a couple of hours.  And my neighbor, that sweet 70 year old lady, was still shoveling when I called it quits.  She’s amazing although it was a little embarrassing for me, since I’m 30 years younger!  God Bless her!

Season's Greetings

WRITE - The Battle of the Word

A jumble of thoughts bounces back and forth in your head.  Inspiration ebbs in and out like ocean waves on a rocky beach.  Frothy and energizing urging forward, shoulders hunched leaning over the keyboard.  Frenzy ensues, fingers tapping on the keys musically as the words flow.

The moment once rich and strong drains away palpably, and leaves behind a parched dryness. Reaching out desperately trying to hold on as it slips through closed fingers, you’re blind to defeat.  Ideas discarded, motivation wanes as the search for the illusive words continue.  The screen taunts, its blinking cursor mocking, the blankness of the page a cruel reminder of your impotence.  Desperation mounts, tendrils of negative thoughts crawl winding their destructive vines around your psyche, strangling your hopes.

But the battle is not yet lost.  Pushing away from the keyboard, a short reprieve to regenerate, you storm off.  Drowning insecurities in caffeinated beverages, and submerging in beautiful expressions of melody, you prepare to return.  Shoulders squared off, fingers flexed, shielded by determination the counterattack ensues.

With ferocious vengeance you strike at the keys, words pouring forth with force.  Writing to write for writing’s sake the imagery flows, the characters grow, and the scene develops.  The pale embers of triumph’s beacon steadily brighten illuminating the dark recesses where fear dwelled until their fiery light burns away the suffocating vines of hopelessness.

You’re a writer, the lone knight and self appointed champion of prose.  The word warrior who is set apart, and at times introspective but always vigilant for the story that demands to be told.

What will you write about today?

The Holiday Season Is Here!

The holidays arrived before I was ready for them.  How did this happen?  I just gave thanks for all the wonderful things that I was graced with this year.  For sure, I’m still digesting all the left-overs. 

There has to be a way to deal with this and after giving it some thought I’ve come up with a solution.  It goes like this:

I need one more month to mentally prepare for the festivities.  Another two months would help to plan and prepare financially for the extensive gift and food shopping that is needed for all those presents and meals that will be served.

This is a lot of work and considering all the different holidays celebrated from December to January, it is necessary to add an extra month to recover from unwrapping gifts, stuffing our faces, laughing and merry-making.

Taking these additional months into account, our calendar year will change as follows: 

Relaxuary            September

February               October

March                   November

April                     Mentalember

May                     Planember

June                    Financember

July                     December

August                 January

Notice the new months of Mentalember, Planember and Financember provide a nice cushion between Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season.  This will be perfect for many families who juggle time off from work, traveling and accommodating visiting relatives.  Relaxuary becomes the first month of the year, which is great because no one wants to start the New Year stressed out.

And this, folks, is my proposal for the new sixteen month Carmenian Calendar.

Where did the time go?

My son turned twenty one yesterday.  I spent the entire day trying to crawl out of the pit of denial; trying to face the fact that twenty one years had indeed passed.  How could I be the mother of a twenty one year old?  I feel young and at times can still frolic like a twelve year old!  This isn’t right, something clearly is wrong.  No, it’s true the time is gone.  Now fully accepting the reality I find myself a bit sentimental.  The feelings bubbled to the surface and the words flowed and this is how they go:

Where did the time go?

Just last week was my son born

Ten fingers and ten toes, that’s how it’s done

Enormous hands caress his cheeks

Your smile, your father’s pleasure peaks

With a wiggle and a wriggle you reach up

Mother obliges with kisses and hugs

First steps are taken and early he spoke

Proud were we at how you had grown

Before we knew it, to school he would go

To learn letters and numbers, science and sports

Well, not really sports he didn’t care much for those

But he liked the computer from very early on

We’ve pictures to prove it; at only three months old

Grateful were we that he always thrived

And before we knew it he was licensed to drive

Happy and loving he has always been

What his future holds remains to be seen

Imagine my wonder, and bitter sweet joy

To realize that you are no longer a boy

Just turned twenty one

You’re considered a man

My heart bursts with emotion

Where did the time go?

Do You Use These Word Shortcuts?

Like many of you, I use Word on a daily basis not just for work but at home as well.  And you may agree that banging away at the keyboard on a daily basis necessitates shorter navigational tactics.  But everyone knows the standard shortcuts for bold, italics, underline, copy, and paste, etcetera.  So as you type away on the first draft of your novel, the need for other shortcuts becomes necessary.  Don’t you agree?

Writing Forward

I came across a great website for writing called Writing Forward by Melissa Donovan.  It’s chock full of tips, advice and resources to help you become a better writer.  I especially like the Writing Ideas and Writing Prompts section. She lists several examples of where to get ideas to inspire your writing.  Her suggestions are refreshing and ‘out of the box’.

The Morning Run

Hello Everyone,

Today I'm sharing with you a bit of flash fiction that I worked on called The Morning Run. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think in the comments section.

The Morning Run

It was early dawn and the promise of a sunny day was evident. The rising sun’s light streamed in through the windows creating sprays of rainbows throughout the room. She smiled, glancing out of the window as she did her morning stretch. The gentle breeze tousled the trees and the first spring flowers blossomed in shades of orange and purple.

Eager for her morning run, she waved her aunt good-bye as she dashed out of the door. Cool and crisp, the breeze assaulted her senses as she began a slow jog. Too early for her neighbors to have risen, the morning stillness welcomed her. Barely audible she trotted down the avenue, her ponytail swaying as she ran.

From Vignette to Short Story

The last couple of days have been productive.  It all began Wednesday evening as I settled down in front of my laptop.  I decided to re-write a vignette I originally wrote in 2008.  It was merely a scene of about 800 words and I wondered how far I could expand it.  I had made a preliminary attempt on Tuesday but wasn’t happy; it needed more.  I was staring at my laptop thinking how am I going to do this?  Well, as it often happens, I asked myself this question out loud.  Yes I talk to myself, I’m sure plenty of you do too, and in any case I was alone and nobody heard me.  Wait a minute!  I heard me!  And then it dawned on me to read it out loud to myself to determine how the reader would ‘see’ the story.  I got comfortable, loosened my stiff muscles and began to read.  And that’s when it happened.  But before I tell you, let me explain something first.

The Quest To Be A Better Writer

Like a lot of other aspiring writers, I search the internet for anything having to do with writing.  Advice on how to write your first novel, finding a publisher or making the decision to self-publish abound with some of this advice being free and others available for a subscription, the purchase of an e-book or tuition for a course.  Any of these avenues can provide knowledge to those who seek it.  When the advice or tips are free, it’s great, but not everyone has the financial fluidity to sign up for a subscription here, buy a couple of e-books there and take a couple of courses.  There are the fortunate few that begin this career with a head start so to speak.  They may have an English degree, work in education or are already in some capacity working in this field – be it publishing, marketing, media, etc.

Writer's Block

Today, I want to talk about writer's block.  Exactly what is this condition called writer's block?  What causes it and what can remedy it?  Does everyone experience writer's block or is it just the malaise experienced by aspiring novelists?  How long does it last: hours, days, months? I hope not.

These questions have circulated inside my head for some time now.  I'm experiencing writer's block.  I say these words with the same sadness and fear one feels when stricken with an illness with no known cause or cure.  The sadness comes from the sudden loss of creativity and the fear slowly sinks in a bit later when there's no clear sign that creativity will return. 

What should I do?  Well, sometimes I'll read other novels to keep my mind occupied so that I don't think about 'my problem'.  I normally listen to music for enjoyment but lately I do it to relax since I'm tense about not writing.  I also lean on my friends for support during my 'difficult' time.  Alas, no one can help me for I have to find my way out of the limbo that I am currently in.  This limbo is like a revolving vortex that surrounds an arid valley where nothing grows and you feel like a waterless well: barren.  Dramatic isn't it?  Yes, I watch the Syfy channel.

How did this happen? In my case, I blame it on everyday stresses like finances and teenage children.  But finances and parenthood are part of life and we do the best we can.  Just like every other single mother in the world, I resolve my problems, take care of my home and family and hold a full-time job.  I have a good network of friends who support me and surround me with their positive and uplifting energy.  This is a wonderful thing, because I know that I'm not alone and that I'm loved.

Now, why am I still not writing? I haven't found an answer, but let me say this.  I hope to one day be a published novelist.  This is my story: I started working on a young adult novel in the Fantasy/SciFi genre, and I experienced what I thought at the time was a 'momentary' block. I tried to shake it off and not worry or think too much about it.  Shortly thereafter, inspiration for another novel overtook me.  I proceeded to work on this second novel, but now have experienced writer's block again. This time the block has persisted and I began to worry.  Presently, I have two novels that I have begun but somehow can't move forward on.  I'm proud of the work I've done so far and I would hate for the stories that I want to tell to die before they get off the ground.  I just need to unlock the vault where they lie dormant waiting for me to release them.

I have potential.  Potential is a good thing, but what really is potential?  As I understand it, potential is the promise of ability.  But unless potential is followed by a lot of effort, potential really gets you nowhere.  Now, effort is an action that executes the energy that one exerts to complete something.  Well, I certainly have energy so all I really need is to be dumped into a vat of creativity to get my writing juices flowing.  Then I can use my energy and make the effort to put my potential to good use.  I don't know about you, but I haven't seen any creativity vats lying around for me to jump into.  Perhaps I should awaken the Greek Gods and appeal to the Writing Muse.  

Oh, Muse of Creativity

Of Prose and Poetry

I beseech thee to aid me in my quest

Remove all blocks in my way

So that I may write today

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I conclude this editorial so that I can relax in my bedroom and listen to music with the lights off until I drift off to sleep or astral project to Narnia. 

Until the next time,

Carmen