Head Up in the Clouds

Scott McCloud wrote a graphic novel called Understanding Comics. In it he says,



Which is a lesson that I took personally. I recently thought about publishing something I wrote. I talked to a publishing company; I knew the price it would cost me to get it published, to have it advertised on the websites of stores such as Borders, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and even websites like Wal-Mart.com and Target.com. I asked the lady if I could get an opinion about the illustrations I included, and she mentioned that there is no way to know what will sell and what won't in terms of books or illustrations. She gave her personal opinion, but there is no way to know if people will listen.

Purpose of writing for me: At times, it is important to have an audience in mind. Sometimes, that audience is me. If there is something I want to express, then let's do that!! It's like the muffins that Natalie Goldberg makes for her store-- If she likes the flavor, and puts her all into making them, then chances are someone will notice that attention and might even be able to satisfy a craving.

Write! I need to. I was talking to my roommate who drew a sketch as a present. The sketch turned out so well, and she really enjoyed making it; too much time had passed since the last time she sat down and created art. I asked her if she has sketched anything since. She hasn't had time-- too much school, too much work, and too many emotions to sort through. I am afraid I do the same... When writing would be such good practice for me to sort my own thoughts, I cannot seem to find the focus or time to sit down and write. When I could be productive and enjoy myself through writing, I can't get motivated. Why do we do this to ourselves? What is all this resistance about that keeps us from breathing deeply and restoratively (yes, I made it up.)?

All media of communication are a by-product of our sad inability to communicate directly from mind to mind. Sad, of course, because nearly all problems in human history stem from that inability. Each medium (the term comes from the Latin word meaning middle) serves as a bridge between minds. -- Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics

Poemgranates Have Antioxidance

The ability to cultivate the feeling of accomplishment while writing stems from the creation of miniature successes. I want, so badly, to have this writing project finished, which is why I write short poems. I think I end them before they are finished. However, a work in progress is still progressing. So it is with Ryal. I read an article about cultivating solitude, hence the verbage at the beginning of this paragraph. I found myself doing this—finding peace while music was playing. I hit a stride in writing even with the distractions of people arriving at home, emails pouring in, cats being adorable together on the foot of my bed, and a phone that rang once.

About two weeks ago, I got stuck. I didn’t know where I should go with my story, so I let the story get cold for a little bit. When I got back to it, the solution struck—just switch activities. Maybe this is where a break comes in, which is why I got stuck. I kept trying to fight the break instead of leaving it and going to something else. I’ve gone on. And I even got to write a couple of other things in the letting Ryal get cold practice.

There is a source, a why, and always a fault.
There is a white lie at the end of a tunnel.
We can turn in, jut out, or share in the middle of a kitchen kiss-
ed by the sun.
You-- faultless, seamless, seen less oft than before I left.

There is a winter so long, a sigh, and a safe.
There is never a cry too soft to touch
Burst, mourn, so join. Go on.
Coffee sang outside- the birds- I felt.

There is space and air and are moments, just mine.
There's time like the present, but not much.
Turn a phrase, your face, to face me
Knee, I'm sure, versions of this.
We joke inside contexts and outside frames.

Under the podium, I thought, but there's just foundation.
Understand, you sought, and we built off that.
Easy rhymes and misprospelled statements.
Better just say within our means.


Yeah, okay, poetry is weird. Mine rarely makes sense at first, even to me. But sometimes it's like dreams, and I figure out what I mean and what I'm saying, then I make that a little clearer. Sometimes.

And this acted as the platform to writing about Ryal. I went back to his story for the first time in a very long time. And the whole time, I got to listen to music, which was glorious for me.

'Is there a word that means weighted down but not in a bad way?' he asked. 'I'm weighted down with musical ideas that keep me writing and recording and doing my job.'" --M. Ward in an article in the New York Times written by Melena Ryzik

In Others' Words

I love Merlin Mann. It's true. You should learn all you can about him. It would do you good. He talks about creativity, productivity, and ineffective ways to try to achieve both.

Anytime you take two things that you never knew were connected before and you find a connection... you're creative. Give yourself a chance to be really excited about it then work your ass off and you'll be really happy about it. --Merlin Mann

You could watch the whole video here. He is at Macworld, talking about how to be creative, productive, and efficient using Macintosh/Apple products, but it can be applied to the wider world of creation, which is what we talk about.

I've been learning about my own passions and enthusiasms and learning that the more I let my frustrations pile up, the more inefficient I become. My cleanliness tends to be a reflection of my psyche. I'm cleaning up my room in between paragraphs as we speak. FINALLY. Oh, it feels good. I will soon be able to write in my very own room. I'll be able to sleep in pajamas, maybe, instead whatever clothes I'm wearing when I finally crash into my bed at the end of the day. I will come into my room and breathe to relax, not just get out as quickly as I can.

It helps do that with writing, too. Sometimes, I let my words just pile up without saying anything. I just feel like laying a word there or flinging a sentence over there. But going back to edit, although time consuming and a bit frustrating at first, is cleansing and great. After cleaning up, I can look at what I've written and breathe a little bit easier because each word serves its own purpose.

Rewriting up in homes

More adventures in the world of writing! Being a part-time perfectionist, I understand that I have difficulty not automatically spitting out gold onto pages in writing. However, I am learning that warming up, stretching, and exercising my writing will give me more endurance and more understanding of my own writing.

I wrote just to get thoughts out then segued into writing about Ryal, the main character. I read a chapter in Natalie Goldberg's book, Writing Down the Bones, then found myself writing her suggestions as to what she could have done better with this particular chapter. This exercise allowed me to enter another perspective (that of a professional writer) and another voice. I enjoyed this exercise because of the final product as well as the process. I did not read the book thinking, I'll write this better. But reading the chapter, I was disappointed, because it did not meet my expectations.

The particular chapter, entitled "Fighting Tofu," talked about the futility in fighting with tofu because its "dense, bland, white. It is fruitless to wrestle with it; you get nowhere." She was talking about fighting oneself in striving to tap into motivation to write. Write, she says, and use some tricks on yourself when you need to. I thought about the title, and I needed more from this chapter. So I wrote the following:

Ugh. Disgusting. I do not like it with foxes or goats, or green or any other color. Why subject myself to culinary cruelty by putting tongue to tofu? Especially when I can just eat real food.

Tofu, by nature, is bland, a bit tasteless, and has a... let's say, unique texture, which does not necessarily appeal to those being introduced. "Tofu, meet disgruntled diner. Hesitant diner mm.... Man. Gone again. Where did he go this time?"

What I find applicable, intriguing, and delicious is that tofu has whatever flavor you put into it. It can be delectably blackened with spices, or it could be marinated in soy sauce to add an oriental tang. It could also taste of the disappointment and disgust, the expectations you have for it. That flavor has a way of ruining all your experiences. You could go into a meal fighting tofu (and you'll be proved correct) or you could choose to take the time to marinate or spice it up with a different technique.