Television Musings - Rants and Raves of a Romance Writer

By Kathy Carpenter

Momma’s Boy

Last Monday I watched what I thought was the first episode of Momma’s Boy a new reality show. The show was two hours and had potential. I was disappointed with this show.

I was lost right off the bat. There were no introductions of the players. No introductions of girls or how many there were. No introductions of the three men. And no introduction of the momma’s. No explaining of what the outcome is to be. It was kind of like I came into the middle of things. With one of the mother’s moving into the house. Actually it showed two and I wondered for a lng time what about the third one. The show had a lot of drama. I mean these mom’s are far worse than others woman, like on the Bachelor.

Did I tune back in tonight. Yes. Not much else is on. And I wanted to give the show a chance. I sort of want to see who the guys will chose. But it’s difficult. They don’t really show enough of the girl’s to let you have a favorite or get to know them. Mainly it focuses on the girls the mom’s don’t want for their sons. Of course those are the men’s favorite. They may be momma’s boys but they still want to have a good time.

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Monday Morning Motivators to Slay Your Creative Dragons

By CJ Lyons and Margie Lawson

SWITCHING GEARS: from CJ


Ever feel like your brain is just plain tuckered out? The writing goes stale, nothing you read is pulling you in….heck, even your fav authors aren’t engaging you, much less inspiring you to get back to work.

What to do?

Try taking a break from processing words and switch gears to more visual pursuits.

Grab some paints or crayons and create some art (no one has to see it except you). Or re-cycle those old magazines by cutting out photos and creating a collage. For those more computer savvy, make a video.

Think of your story as you work, use it as your inspiration. Relax. Have fun. After all, it’s not writing, it’s playtime.

You might be surprised by your results! I know I was.

Using a free, fun-filled site called Animoto, designed for cyber-klutzes like me, I created this video Took me maybe ten minutes--and I could "re-mix" it as often as I wanted.

I think it nicely captures the romance, suspense, medical elements and that these books focus on the women characters. But mainly it was fun! If I ever try again, I can do something different to fit my mood or put the emphasis on a different element--I might even try to do one as a brainstorming exercise!

Obviously, it's not professional quality--it's just me, having fun. But it did inspired me to hire Circle of Seven to make a real video in time for WARNING SIGNS' release on January 27th—and now I can't wait to see how the professional version turns out!

Bottom line: Switch gears and return to your writing rejuvenated and refreshed!


As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge suspense novels. Her debut, LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), became a national bestseller and Publishers Weekly proclaimed it a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller." The second in the series, WARNING SIGNS, is due out January, 2009. Contact her at http://www.cjlyons.net

Margie Lawson -- presenter, psychotherapist, writer -- lives at the top of a Colorado mountain west of Denver. Margie merged her two worlds, psychology and writing, to develop psychologically anchored editing systems and techniques that teach writers how to write page turners. A former college professor, Margie works as a psychotherapist, writes fiction and nonfiction, and presents full day master classes for writers internationally. Go to http://www.margielawson.com for more information.


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2008 Year-End Review for this Artist Entrepreneur

Well, what a ride it's been, like Lisa Canning of Entrepreneur the Arts, says in her post "My 2009, and Yours?"

Creativity doesn't gush forth in a straight line or logical way. So, in the spirit of the nonlinear and emotional intuitive I am, I'm listing my successes in order of appearance and excitement in my life.

My 2008 Successes

I'm most proud of the products I created this year: one e-book, one e-course with workbook and audio -- the Writer's Adventure Guide, and one card deck, the Writer's Tarot.

I am proud that I launched my Artist Entrepreneurs Unite project that is growing and morphing as we speak.

I am also very grateful to have been able to help clients edit their book proposals, namely, Karen Lodrick, and Elizabeth Pagayonan. And I'm grateful to have been able to coach and consult with writers throughout the year, both in person, over the phone, and online.

And thank you to the awesome writer ladies with whom I co-created the anthology, Writing Romance.

Last, but by no means least, I have enjoyed weekly (and sometimes more frequent) powwows with three fabulous people, and have created awesome projects with them, and continue to do so.

• With Cheryl Liquori, Marketing Coach extraordinaire, I'm grateful for our weekly coffee klatches and heart-to-hearts, and for the awesome project we're creating: Breakfast Blogging Club of the East Bay, to launch the beginning of February 2009.
• Grateful for our weekly phone klatches and in awe of the delicious creativity of my web support guy and blog designer, Peter J. Ferguson. Peter designed my Writer's Fun Zone blog. And has created a wonderful peace-centered blog and site of his own, My Moment of Peace.
• And how could I forget my sometimes graphic designer, and always cheerleader and husband, Ezra Barany. He designed the cover for my Writer's Adventure Guide program, edited the audio for the course, and is an all-around great guy. Creative too! (Check out his book trailer here.)

Still to Accomplish
I'm still working on getting organized; my database continues to live in a few places. I think I need a Rolodex. I love the feel of business cards. That's why I have boxes of them.

My 2008 Lessons

I learned A LOT this year. Mostly about how to stay in the present and find the joy and sometimes heartbreak in every moment. Through getting back in touch with meditation, connecting with the divine (I call it the Divine Nothingness/Universe), and by journaling more, I have seen how I'd previously been so driven by fear, anxiety, nameless flutters.

So thank you to my meditation teacher, Jeri. And thank you to the universe. I know that you will always catch me if I fall. And that falling is okay, and part of this amazing adventure called life.

For 2009

I will always appear to bite off more than I can chew, so my resolution and plan for 2009 is to chew  a little less and:

1. Finish my novel, The Dragon Stone
2. Create the the physical version of the Writer's Adventure Guide
3. Mass produce and distribute the Writer's Tarot
4. Speak/do workshops at least once a month
5. Have a lot of fun running my business(es)
6. Expand and launch my Artist Entrepreneurs Unite to the next level
7. And be open to wonderful opportunities!

And You?

What are your successes in 2008?

What have you learned from your 2008 successes and failures?

What would you like to accomplish in 2009?

---

Beth Barany is a Certified Creativity Coach for Writers, Book Consultant, and Artist Entrepreneur. 

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Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Snow on Queens Boulevard, Sandra Lee Schubert 2008

Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Sandra Lee Schubert

Sun on Mars

A friend sent a photo of snow falling in Las Vegas. This was not snow in the upper regions where there are heavy storms, but in the city itself. Another friend said they were seeing snow in Texas where snow does not normally fall. Reports of snow were all over the place. Snow was even found on Mars,where scientists have been searching for any possibility of life. Microbes can live in extreme temperatures. Having the presence of water means the possibility of life can exist.

The reports of snow in odd places made me think, not of global climate change, but of possibility.

I am always surprised by life, something I thought was one way turns out to have a whole other point of view.

Creation becomes this vital thing. Mapping out my life in I realize the path I was taking could be better served going in another direction. For many years I considered myself first and foremost a poet. when I started writing longer pieces I discovered a dark and Gothic voice. It was a surprise to me. Who is this person writing these words? I couldn't even say it was a female voice. There was a voice that came from a place I didn't know existed.

Occasionally I hear people resist another point of view. They have dedicated themselves to creating a comfortable persona. You can hear the subtle horror in their tone when their worldview is challenged. The rest of us listening may recognize the resistance because we know it in ourselves.

I would like to say I am open to all possibilities but I more fearful then adventuresome. I still surprise myself. There is snow on Mars and the possibility for life. I find some hope in that news.

Sandra Lee Schubert is a creative vagabond, a poet, writer and online entrepreneur. She co-facilitates the Wild Angels Poets and Writers Group at the historic Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. Sandra leads people to create their life stories as the creator of the e-course, Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own.
Visit her blog: Email her info@writing4life.com or @writing4life via twitter.

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Garden Views: Rekindling an Old Flame

I’ve been writing a series of posts for novice gardeners about the process of creating, or revitalizing, a garden (see http://loisdevries.blogspot.com/2008/12/gardening-as-process-dreaming-it-into.html). In doing so, I’ve fallen in love all over again with working on my own garden.

Having to think through the steps in order to explain them to would-be gardeners has forced me to consciously attend to them, rather than whizzing through what now comes automatically to me.

I felt all warm and fuzzy as I described the ideal conditions for dreaming a garden into existence. But I also realized how much of that esoteric experience I had missed lately. I’m looking forward to a cup of cider to warm my hands, a fire in the fireplace, a fuzzy throw to snuggle under, a pile of books and magazines to stimulate ideas, and notebooks or sketchbooks to capture my thoughts.

I had to pull my own bubble diagrams out of the drawer in order to explain how to draw one and what it should contain. They reminded me how much I had already accomplished, but that there was still much to do. It was satisfying to realize that the space was actually working as it had been intended --- dogs here, dining there, seeds and water for birds, and flowers pretty much anywhere something else isn’t happening.

I started itching to stretch the garden out past the fence and get out my landscape template to sketch in plants and colors.

Drawing is not my strong suit, but I’ve always loved the varied textures of art papers, colored pencils, and tubes of paint. Bubble diagrams and landscape designs are not high art, but they provide the opportunity for me to dabble and play with these media without any pressure to produce something beautiful, or saleable. After all, these are only maps to show me the way to my own idea of buried treasure --- painting with plants.

We all need to slow down a little and sink into some of the sensory, mental, and emotional pleasures that we associate with our art. Those are the built-in rewards of our work.

Lois de Vries' thoughts on gardening and environmental issues run the gamut from gardening in her own back yard to promoting land management practices that reconnect people to the Earth. Lois is seeking a publisher for her book, The Transformational Power of Gardening. Visit her blog at http://loisdevries.blogspot.com. Read more!

Television Musings - Rants and Raves of a Romance Writer

By Kathy Carpenter

Cancelled Shows

Not news we like to hear this time of year but my sister read my a list of shows that are cancelled. Though I can not remember all I thought I would spread the word on the ones I do. A lot of these were some of the ones I’ve mentioned in this blog as being creative. I guess Americans are not into creative television at least some of it. Here we go. Pushing up Daisies. The show where the hero can touch a dead person and bring them back to life for a minute - told in storybook fashion. Eli Stone. Where Eli see visions from God that help solve his cases and tell which cases to take. My own worst Enemy. I did not talk about this one. But it was where the same guy played duo personality, one a homebody, the other a spy. Dirty, Sexy, Money. Another big, rich family drama. One that was just starting to get good. Where the good lawyer, who was actually part of the family, was starting to become a little less moral and more like his dirty family he represented. Always and interesting concept.

We also lost Ex List and Valentine the two cutesy romance type shows. Lipstick Jungle which I really enjoy and Caruso which I dit see as a long time show. I mean the same things happen every time people come to island, and Caruso remains or the show is over.

Merry Christmas!

Till next time

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Sculpting a life
Susan Gallacher-Turner’s turn in the Pacific Northwest.

GIVING THANKS
AFTER THANKSGIVING.

Thanksgiving – a holiday, a simple phrase – that means to give thanks. This year it’s been hard to do. Not that there aren’t many things to be thankful for – love, health, food, shelter, creativity and support. Family that is really family and friends who are really friends.

So why am I having difficulty? Because my husband’s new job isn’t paying as much, with health benefits and 401K? Because I’m scared. Yes. Because he deserves the recognition of his talents with the appropriate salary and benefits. Yes. Because I can’t make up the difference right now. Yes. Because I don’t want to work at a job I don’t like for that reason. Yes. Because I want to work at my art, writing and teaching. Yes.

Truth be told, there’ve been years of guilt that I wasn’t pulling my weight financially. And yet, I know that being a full-time Mom means more than dollar signs. Last week, my children told me it’s been priceless to them. It’s been priceless to me, too. I know the guilt of not doing that would far out weigh what I feel now.

But now, things are different. Both of my children are ‘grown up’. My husband’s job has changed. And I’m different, too. Or am I? Or is it?

Sitting here at 5 am, tears running down my cheeks, I connect with me here. And with my past and all those nights I got up, wrote and cried and worried. And my feelings were the same then as they are right now. His job, the kids, my guilt at not having a ‘real’ job, one that paid money, one that gave a sense of security, of financial independence for me as well as my family.

Then and now, I am faced with the same choice really – choose fear or choose love. Is it really that simple? Yes.

Then – I chose to do what I knew in my heart was right – love. I chose to work as a full-time mother to my young children in spite of my fear of living on only one income. We made it.

Again – I chose to do what I knew in my heart was right – love. I chose to go back to school, taking classes in art with the goal of showing and selling my work, doing artist residencies in the schools and being there for my children in spite of my fears. We made it, again.

Now – I choose to do what I know in my heart is right – love. I’m choosing to do my art, writing and teaching in spite of my fear and all the changes. Once again, we are making it.

For all of this, I give thanks.

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THE ARTFUL LIFE – A HOLISTIC APPROACH

Divine Discontent

by Lisa A. Riley

Discover your own discontent, and be grateful, for without 

divine discontent there would be no creative force.

– Deepak Chopra

We all suffer to some degree of a chronic, low-grade discontent. So, we seek out the next goal to achieve, a new relationship, a new job, perhaps the next rush of adrenaline or the next “something else” that will bring fulfillment to our lives. The very thing we need to rid us of this unceasing desire and bring contentment. We even chant to ourselves a silent mantra, “When I get there, I can relax, enjoy life and then I will be happy.” Yet when we get there or obtain the object of our desire it only seems to temporarily quiet the hungry voice and before we know it, the gnawing starts up again.

In our eyes, such a recurring yearn can easily be interpret as a deficiency in our life or lack in our character that needs to be remedied. When we interpret feelings of dissatisfaction in a negative light and succumb to the urgency for instant gratification, we are often left with an even greater longing for the next thing.

Religions and philosophies have often referred to this as “A Divine Discontent.” They recognize its gift as a fountain of energy, which prompts us to take the next step towards becoming our full potential. In his book, The Path of Least Resistance, Robert Fritz, compares this process to a rubber band that is stretched back to a point of tension. Within that tension manifest a natural tendency to return to its previous form. According to Fritz this results when the place we’re currently at does not match up to where we desire to be. Therefore, what wells up is a strong urge to resolve it. Within this tension lives an energy, which commonly occurs prior to a major breakthrough or epiphany.

How does divine discontent play out in the creative process? It rears its face in the initial stages of an idea and then transforms into a sudden urge to bring the vision into fruition. It can be the motivation that drives the artist to return to the sculpture, painting or novel daily. Or it surfaces in the aftermath of its completion as a desire still yet not fulfilled. Once again ignites the birth of another idea.

In Mark Epstein’s book, Open to Desire he describes this restlessness. He writes, “But allowing oneself to fall into the space that desire cannot span makes the experience complete. The little bit of lack that remains, after even the most satisfying resolution of desire, is a window into something important, something true.”

Experiencing the Divine Discontent is part of being human and even a natural quality of being an artist. It can drive us to push through moments of creative block and seek out innovative ideas. That said, let us embrace and welcome the presence of our Divine Discontent and let it become a muse that is channeled towards developing a productive artful life.

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Monday Morning Motivators to Slay Your Creative Dragons

By CJ Lyons and Margie Lawson

More Healthy Eating: from CJ

In preparation for the holidays and all those New Years' resolutions, here are some more tips for healthy eating.

We already talked about serving sizes (palm of your hand, remember?) and proportioning the types of food you eat.

Now, let’s talk about reading labels. All too often we buy supposedly healthy food based on the pictures or words on the front of the package.

Guess what? They’re often just as fictional as our writing!


Here’s what to look for:

–in breads, you want whole grains, not just whole wheat. A slice should provide 2-3 grams of fibre.

–in prepared foods (like those Lean Cuisines you keep on hand for emergencies) look for no more than twice as much carbohydrates than protein. So if there are 20 grams of carbs, then there should be at least 10 grams of protein

–avoid trans fat, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats as much as possible.

–other things to avoid are corn syrup, sugar, fructose, or sucrose in the first ingredients listed

Have fun and eat healthy so you can power up your writing!

As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge suspense novels. Her debut, LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), became a national bestseller and Publishers Weekly proclaimed it a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller." The second in the series, WARNING SIGNS, is due out January, 2009. Contact her at http://www.cjlyons.net

Margie Lawson -- presenter, psychotherapist, writer -- lives at the top of a Colorado mountain west of Denver. Margie merged her two worlds, psychology and writing, to develop psychologically anchored editing systems and techniques that teach writers how to write page turners. A former college professor, Margie works as a psychotherapist, writes fiction and nonfiction, and presents full day master classes for writers internationally. Go to http://www.margielawson.com for more information.


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Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Crazy dreams by Sandra Lee Schubert 2008

Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Sandra Lee Schubert


Creative Dreams

A group of researchers have developed a technique to interpret brainwaves that occur during dream states and display images based off of the data.

Count me in. Last night I dreamt I was responsible for separating people into pair's at a park. Each pair would have a particular task to do. There were hundreds of people for me separate. In the process I befriended a young married couple. The husband and I became partners in a foreclosed apartment building in Manhattan. It had previously been bought by a corporation that had rudely kicked all the tenants out. My business partner and I had to clean out the left behind possessions.

The next scene I was living in Ireland, trying to buy food in a Irish fast food place. I kept trying to get potatoes to go with my meat but just got more meat. I was walking to my new home and decided to stop by and look at people hanging out by a body of water. It was a happening place. The water came right up to the sidewalk. People were swimming in the water and there were fish and giant bullfrogs. I asked a couple of women what they called this body of water. Was it a river? An ocean? They answered me in such a thick Irish brogue I couldn't understand a word they said. No matter, we had a fabulous time and I was liking my new adventure. I walked on and came across a church that was the building i had bought in Manhattan. My partner had converted the building into a thriving seminary and bustling church. I felt bad about being left out of all of this considering I was an Interfaith minister.

I could use that dream software. Imagine if I could take all those scenes and bring the visuals to life. Giant Bullfrogs? Walking through a city in Ireland, a place I have never seen, I felt oddly at home and happy. But wouldn't it be fun to see if any of the images had relevance for other people? Dreams hold so much possibility. My own dreams are always rich and full of elaborate imagery. They stay with me throughout the day, sometimes so vivid they become more like a real memory then just a dream. The dreams become rich fodder for me to pull images and stories out of them.

Would our lives be easier if we could take our visions and put them right on paper or a canvas? There is always this struggle to bring creation into being. What would we lose if we didn't have to engage in this particular kind of struggle? I am not sure. All I know is that I have this rich playground to play in. Sleep is my artistic retreat.

Sandra Lee Schubert is a creative vagabond, a poet, writer and dabbler in the arts and online entrepreneur. She co-facilitates the Wild Angels Poets and Writers Group at the historic Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. She is also the creator of the e-course, Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own. Visit her blog: Email her info@writing4life.com or @writing4life via twitter.

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Career Inklings from Columbia

Time to Recharge
by Janet M. Ruck

As the weather on the east coast encourages me to turn inward, I can take this opportunity to regroup, recharge and reframe my focus on what comes next. There is definitely change in the air, certainly in the weather, but also in the atmosphere and in the environment. So much upheaval in the world, some days it’s difficult to look beyond what comforts me.

Mother Nature knows that it’s time to slow down and regroup. Today it is a cold, rainy, unpleasant day. But, it’s all in how I view it, isn’t it? The sales person in the department store called it “liquid sunshine” when I commented on how dreary the weather is. Forced inward, I welcome the respite from the day. There is so much to do to prepare me for the rest of my life.

On days like these, I can take the time to focus on myself. Sometimes it’s difficult to do so, because then I become aware that I have rushed through so many moments. My life has always been about doing, and about going. This time of year, and days like these are gifts in their reminders to slow down, to breathe and to reframe. Once I get used to it, I really can relax! I wonder why I fight it so? Read more!

Television Musings - Rants and Raves of a Romance Writer

By Kathy Carpenter

Sugerplums and Scandal


Sugarplums and Scandal is a Christmas Anthology by six authors. I like to read a few Christmas books this time of year. The story I’m on is “Holly Go-Lighty” by Suzanne Macpherson.

Holly well that’s Christmas and what else would I be watching? I watched four made for Television Christmas movies last week. I can’t remember the names of the first two ( weeks are long this time of year if you know what I mean) But the last two were Comfort and Joy and Flirting With Forty. The Magic of Christmas what can I say? I try to watch as many of these movies as I can fit in.

Once Christmas is past, well at least in January, it’s no Christmas movies for me. I don’t like to watch things out of season. I especially hate watching Christmas movies in the summer.

These days everything is such a rush. In California we don’t even have our real summer weather until September and October. At the end of September I like to enjoy the fall season of decorating for about three weeks. Then Halloween maybe three weeks, after that some more Fall Thanksgiving stuff for about three weeks. And then Christmas. Not jumping ahead but enjoying each as it’s own special time period.

Until next week,
Kathy Read more!

WRITING NEW YORK

A Writer Takes on Grad School and New York City… and Lives To Tell About It

Deonne Kahler





I'M THINKING I INTRODUCE SOME FLESH-EATING ALIENS

After multiple flip-flops, I’d finally decided to write a book-length memoir as my thesis project, the story of my childhood and its attendant issues – sexuality, disobedience, self-esteem, male-female relationships (girls and boys, girls and fathers, girls and men, wives and husbands) – all as an exploration about what it means to “grow up.”

I’m most comfortable writing nonfiction, so dammit, that’s what I was going to do. None of this making up imaginary people with imaginary lives for me, I was going to lay the true story naked on the page. Just the facts, ma’am.

Until this weekend. Don’t kill me, but I may write it as a novel after all. I realize I’m like a jittery bride on the eve of her wedding: Do I commit to this flesh and blood man, the bird in the hand, the known thing (the memoir)? Or do I ditch the poufy white dress and pursue my single life a little longer, not knowing what the future (plot) holds or what new characters might appear (in the novel)?

I met with a few writer friends on Saturday. I presented my memoir piece, a series of linked scenes from my childhood. The good news: everyone loved the writing. The bad news: it might be better served as fiction.

People like my memoir idea, the story of a difficult (to say the least) father-daughter relationship. That isn’t written about nearly as often as mothers-daughters or fathers-sons, so it has a unique angle. Okay. But since I don’t have anything more dramatic in my past than most law-abiding, non-addicted, non-celebrity, non-crazy (well, that’s up for debate), never raised by wolves or held captive by sadistic mimes people do, it might be hard to differentiate my memoir from other coming of age stories.

What I do have are interesting characters (my family and friends) and setting (suburban San Diego in the ‘70s and ‘80s), plus a good eye for detail and a willingness to be entirely honest about how embarrassing and painful it is to be human.

The obvious thing about memoir is both its beauty and its curse: It’s true. (In theory. I’m looking at you, James Frey et al.) The people I’m writing about are very much alive, and even though my mother has given me her blessing for this project, I can’t help but worry. I’m fine metaphorically stripping in public, but I don’t know that I’m comfortable forcing my mom to do it too.

So. The novel. Yesterday I wrote three paragraphs I’m pretty happy with. (Three paragraphs! I know! Makes you want to quit your job and become a full-time writer, doesn’t it? The progress is overwhelming.)

The only big questions for me are the major dramatic events, the crises that all good novels throw at you along the way. I have no idea what mine will be. I’m great on character development, setting, and detail, but plot is my weak point. And a novel needs a plot.

No matter. I’m going to use my life as the outline but push the characters and events further than they were in real life. I need to let go of my fear that “I’m not good at fiction,” because in reality I have the chops to tell my story either way – nonfiction or novel. But I reserve the right to flip back to memoir at any point in the future. Think of it as part of the prenup.

Deonne Kahler has been a freelance writer for seven years, and decided it was time to move to New York and get her MFA. And really, why not? Contact her at deonne [at] deonnekahler [dot] com, or check out her blog at www.lifeonthehighwire.com.
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London Calling

Today I have to visit a friend in hospital. The hospital is on the other side of London – the other side of the river, in fact. In London, you’re either a South London girl or a North London girl. Large swathes of the population do not cross the River Thames by choice, even though they may holiday in Spain, or Florida, and cheerfully visit long-lost relatives in Australia every three years. To get to the hospital, I catch a red London bus to Golders Green and then, at Golders Green I get out, and change to another bus. At London Bridge, I change again. By this means, using a plastic monthly ticket we Londoners call an Oyster, I can travel across the whole wide city. I barely notice that I’m in South London. That’s the journey of a writer – from known territory to the great unknown, and all in the space of forty minutes. My friend’s symptoms are not good. I cry a little, take solace in a capuccino and write a little of my novel. I look up, and the bus is outside the café.

Jennifer Pittam blogs about the writer's life every Tuesday on http://weaversofdreams.blogspot.com. She recently won first prize in the ‘Coast to Coast’ Writing Competition with her short story, ‘I Remember Very Well.' Read more!

Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Rededication Sandra Lee Schubert 2008


Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Sandra Lee Schubert

Rededication

Sunday, November 30, 2008 my beloved Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine was fully open after a devastating fire nearly destroyed it seven years ago. The service of rededication was grand, sweeping spectacle of ritual. Maybe religion isn't your thing yet one couldn't help but be awed by the sight of the fully open and sparkly cleaned Cathedral.

As a physical space it is amazing. It is still being created, unfinished, it holds both the foundation of creation and its possibilities. That got me thinking about creation and do we need a service of rededication in our own lives?

There is so much change going on in world right now. The US will have a completely new administration, basing itself on the platform of change. The economy has pulled the proverbial rug from under us and many are in a financial free fall.

Panic would be easy and reasonable at the moment but may not be the most helpful response to recreating our lives. Faced with devastation we can rebuild our lives one day at a time. Dealing with my own layoff I had to make a choice about how I was going to deal with it. I opted to take the track of the Cathedral and use the opportunity to create myself anew.

To that end I am rededicating myself to my creative life. What can you do as a part of a rededication ritual? Maybe you would like to rededicate yourself to your art, your family or to a favorite cause.

We are coming up to a new year and it is a perfect time to reclaim your life and rededicate yourself to a brighter future.

Sandra Lee Schubert is a creative vagabond, a poet, writer and dabbler in the arts and online entrepreneur. She co-facilitates the Wild Angels Poets and Writers Group at the historic Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. She is also the creator of the e-course, Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own. Visit her blog: Email her info@writing4life.com or @writing4life via twitter.

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Garden Views: Art is a Personal Choice

As I shop my book, I’m learning how important it is to know one's own mind. In advance. Every time we begin a new piece of work, we make choices that determine the place we think our work should occupy in the world. If those choices are not made consciously and purposefully, we feel lost and indecisive when obstacles pop up.

For example, one editor explained that, for the immediate future, they are only acquiring more practical, informational books. The Transformational Power of Gardening is not that kind of book.

Should I try proposing a different book, one that is informational? I certainly have the knowledge, experience, background, and raw material to do so. If my motivation were only to see my name on a book cover, or to offer my book ideas as commodities, it would be a painless decision. One that would actually make my life easier.

But I have spent decades composing informational or practical content: Planetarium scripts that taught astronomical facts; radio scripts that told listeners about the latest developments in business; advertising blurbs for industrial products; corporate instructional manuals; a wastewater treatment monograph; operation manuals for equipment; do-it-yourself articles for magazines; specialized newspapers; newsletters; and in my current volunteer life, grant applications and environmental reports.

Now I want to tell the world about my own “big idea,” an aspect of gardening that has never been discussed before; one that reaches far beyond the mechanics of gardening and into the mind of the gardener. I chose this topic right from the very beginning because it intrigued me, and I knew that it would intrigue other gardeners.

This doesn’t mean that I’ll never write a practical gardening book. In fact, I have ideas for a half-dozen mainstream titles. They just don’t interest me nearly as much as The Transformational Power of Gardening does right now.

Artists of all stripes must choose, at some point, whether to “go commercial.” That is, perhaps, the easier route but it means writing, or painting, or sculpting according to a formula known to produce sales, rather than the uncertain, winding path of producing art that springs from our own creative core. More difficult, but much more satisfying.

Lois de Vries' thoughts on gardening and environmental issues run the gamut from gardening in her own back yard to promoting land management practices that reconnect people to the Earth. Lois is seeking a publisher for her book, The Transformational Power of Gardening. Visit her blog at http://loisdevries.blogspot.com.
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Television Musings - Rant and Raves of a Romance Writer

By Kathy Carpenter

Dancing with the Stars Finale

After watching the finale for this year’s Dancing with the Stars Finale I felt strongly this should be my next blog. For those of you who watched you know Brooke won. I personally wanted either Lance or Warren.

My person has not won for seasons. Last Year I did feel like Kristi was good. Much better than Brooke this year. But although they are technically the best, maybe. They are boring. The do nothing for me. I would much rather be entertained by someone like Lance or Warren with a few flaws.
When you are entertained not being a professional dancer you don’t even notice the mistakes because you don’t know what they are you don’t see them. You just say to yourself I really enjoyed that number.

No one I know wanted Brooke to win which brings up the question who voted for her? My mom claims they cheat. The judges manipulate the people with their comments. I say would you vote for or against someone because of what they say? I say give people credit the will vote for who they like best. She also says they don’t really count the votes. I’m pretty sure they do. But who voted for Brooke?

Let me know where you stand on this dis you vote for Brooke or want her to win?

Kathy.carpenter4@gte.net

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