Did You Ever… ROW80?
02 May 2012 23 Comments
in goals, philosophies, ROW80, Social Media, writing Tags: #Row80, Flash fiction, Ford Fairmont, goals, literature, magic connection, Mercury Zephyr, New York State Thruway, Online Writing, sharing stories, Social media, Usenet, Versatile Blogger Award, writing
Almost two months ago I posted the first of what was supposed to be three posts for the Versatile Blogger Award I’d been given by the darling Natasha Guadalupe (who could not join us this ROWnd, but says she’d love to get some more writing in)…..
That first post went something like this:
Did you ever feel that the Universe was reading your mind?
It’s been one of those days–one of those glorious weeks actually when every thing I do or see somehow has a deeper connection to the mental stew I’ve been brewing. Right now the dish I’m trying to serve up is a bit odd to say the least. The flavor certainly isn’t right, odd textures, and a lot of it is just water and some bouillon cubes. Yes, I should have made stock, but I was in a hurry to start some things cooking. People wanted to eat, and I felt like a truck had dragged me down the Thruway behind it.
But the stuff I saw along the way…. Wow!
It seems almost comical to read those words now. Not that things are any harder or more challenging or that I seen newer and brighter things that put my naivete of that post to shame…. I mean, in a sense, they are, they keep getting that way, and I have…but I have come to understand that is part of the beauty and magic that comes for being involved with challenges like the ROW80 and the A-to-Z blogging challenge (though yet again I did not join in the fun choosing instead the once a year Story A Day challenge to fill my May play book). It is also why groups the WANAs and even the classic discussion lists of SFF.net and Usenet have built the followings they have.
Because there connection is magic. Connection is love and beauty.
It’s not hard to figure out how one of the most powerful human abilities became nearly synonymous with that universal act of sex and reproduction. There is a kind of magic there, of making something new, of giving life and new voice existence, and for many lucky species on this planet….connection. Euphoria, empowerment (along with some fear and hurt, yes), passion, intensity and love… The creative act is an act of connection, be it with a higher power or with one’s own true self.
Just imagine what can happen when that act of connection is shared among so many many….
Did you ever ROW80? I have. MMmm….
Yop! A Mid-week Check-in
12 Apr 2012 8 Comments
in creative process, ethics, goals, philosophies, quandries, ROW80, Social Media, Updates Tags: #Row80, accountability, Arts, Facebook, fear, Hootsuite, learning, self-image, Twister
Even making this post seems more like an exercise in being heard than because I know what to say. Oh, there are all the great things that I’ve accomplished this week. There is the twist of the story that I discovered sometime after 1am that I wanted so much to develop when I woke up (but didn’t because I had made a promise to a friend to help out). I feel like I’m spinning my wheels.
But then I remember…. I have no wheels to spin.
If you’re wondering why I say that, here’s a trio of links for your edification:
- http://undisguisedlife.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-trigger-new-way-of-living.html
- http://undisguisedlife.blogspot.com/2012/03/mental-clarity-or-how-to-read-reality.html
- http://undisguisedlife.blogspot.com/2012/04/compassion.html
I confess, I am still absorbing the first one. Who is this “I” person anyway? But can I say “I’ll think about it”?
The second one feels painfully devastating to my mind/flesh existence, a sense of loss of my writing words, my creativity… of my imaginary friends! My husband and I have these talks occasionally when I tell him how I understand on a very visceral level how “believing in belief” (here’s part II) can be so alluring even when one is not affiliated with any dedicated religious path. There is a part of me that needs for something unseen and beyond myself to exist in order for me to touch the worlds I write from. And while it’s probably not true that I need this belief…. I believe that I do, and I’m not quite ready to give up my belief.
However, I cannot say for sure yet that this is what Nick is trying to say here. Either way, it feels uncomfortably like I have been feeling lately, as if it just is, and I cannot touch it, but I can speak of its effects.
The last link? That I had no trouble getting my head around. And interestingly enough, it related to some of the topics discussed by Guy McPherson in the question and answer segment of his video The Myth of Sustainability. So many things we do for the sake of the individual. Yet we forget (or ignore) how much we affect each other. If we really did act with compassion…. What a change we could make in the world.
So there we go. That’s part of where my mind has been lately. That and watching my son and husband play Twister (I did not last long in the games).
ROW80 Check-in
Linked to a Youtube video because it is such an awesome song
Since this is midweek, I’m going to make this a mini. I’m a bit behind on my new story writing. The typing is going well. The editing I’m ahead on.
Even the other stuff… Today I put myself into Hootsuite. Testing the waters. Not sure I really like it. Been twitchy not having Facebook sitting there. It could also be due to my not having set it up fully. And I do NOT like the $6 a month cost. I’m weird that way, not big on subscriptions, though I don’t mind a larger one-time fee. We’ll see what happens.
I’m off to post this and to sleep and dream. Maybe tomorrow we’ll be off to co-op, maybe we won’t. Things are always in flux.
And that’s okay.
Tuesday Snippet and Twitter Thoughts
13 Mar 2012 2 Comments
in Atyriia, characters, ethics, fiction, Social Media, stories, Valistii, writing, Writing samples Tags: Atyr, Creative process, fear of commitment, hashtags, Jeff Goins, Kristen Lamb, Listii, relationships, sharing stories, Social media, Twitter, writing
Image via Wikipedia
The post is late today. I’m blaming Daylight Savings Time. It’s not really the reason, but I loathe the concept of DST enough that I feel no remorse in making it the scapegoat of my present frustrations and tiredness. Yes, I truly have no shame, denigrating one of Benjamin Franklin’s most lasting creations so…
Oh, well.
Let’s talk about Tweets, not twits (and no, this is not to imply Franklin was a twit; I’ve never met the man, but I do know myself, and the label certain fits where applied). Added to my incapability to go to bed on time or adjust to a new sleep schedule (even with several months of warning), I find myself still struggling through the world of Twitter. Yes, I use the platform; I participate in #wordsprints and #row80 gatherings; I follow people, and by some odd chance I have even garnered myself some followers. More
What others have to say