Falling Away

"Once I begin the act of writing, it all falls away -- the view from the window, the tools, the talismans, and I am unconscious of myself... one's carping inner critics are silenced for a time... there is always a surprise, a revelation. During the act of writing, I have told myself something that I didn't know I knew."                                                            ~ Gail Goodwin

I came across this quote today, and I felt the urge to share it. For isn't it the truth? Isn't that one of the great reasons that we writers write? To experience a falling away of the world and an inner revelation of self?
I come to know myself through writing. It answers the hard questions. Who am I? What do I truly believe? What morals do I stand by? Which acts can I justify? And how far would I really be willing to go to get what I want?

The world is full of people who would tell you what to believe. The media is constantly bombarding you with it's skewed idea of what is right and what is wrong. Books would try to sway you. Friends would try to make us understand. And that's fine. It's important to be open-minded. But we also need to decide for ourselves what we believe, what we want, who we are.

For me, this is what I discover when I write. Sometimes I don't even know until I get to the end of a piece. Until a core piece of me bleeds out onto the page. But when I see it there in black and white, it's always an "aha" moment. It's always an "Of course! How could I not have realized." It's an inner truth. A seed that was germinating somewhere deep inside us, just waiting to be brought out into the light. Or as Gail Goodwin called it, "a revelation."

What is your writing trying to tell you about yourself?

Hello? Is This Thing On?

So wow. Was my last post here really a year and a half ago? Hard to believe. Are any of my followers still signed up? I wouldn't wonder if they're not.

It's strange how life moves and grows and twists and turns and tumbles us about like laundry in a dryer. Misplacing some of us like the other sock. Or spiriting us away, if you believe in the sock fairy.

Ever feel like that? Like even though you're there in  your life, you're not really there in your life? Days bleed together and then weeks and months and before you know it, a year and a half has passed and you awake to find you've been checked out all this time? That somewhere along the way, you've lost your voice? Your platform? Your say-so?

Not that life hasn't been busy. Most likely, it's because it's been so busy that other things, things like this blog, for example, have fallen by the wayside. But I never forgot. Somewhere in the back of my mind, like the faded remembrance of a dream you once had, I knew this place was still here. Sitting quiet and still and patient, waiting for the day I'd need it again. Waiting for the day I'd find my voice.

So here I am. Ready to speak up and speak out about the one word that still most accurately describes who I am at my very core: WRITER.

If you've got a voice, I'd love to hear from you. If you're still searching for yours, like that missing sock, you're welcome to borrow mine until you find it. We'll make a colorful mismatched pair together.

(Not So) Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

Take a cue from a comic strip and turn the topic into a short story or personal essay.

Expert Advice

Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air.
They are where they should be.
Now put the foundations under them.
~ Henry David Thoreau

Spark Word

Today's Spark Word is:
DRIZZLE.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

Write a scene
that takes place
at a photo shoot.

Expert Advice

“What I try to do is write. I may write
for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that
is that, not a rat.’
And it might be just
the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing,
I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come.’"
~ Maya Angelou

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

Write a story or
poem that takes place
amidst the clover.

Today's Spark Word is:

FIGURE.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

A man and a woman are sitting in a hotel lobby, waiting for someone

or something.

Spark Word

Today's Spark Word is:

FLIT.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

Write about a

Valentine's Day

with a secret

surprise.

Spark Word

Today's Spark Word is:

SHADOW.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

Write about someone who was born with a silver spoon.

Prompt Contest #24

Today I'm blogging about entering a writing prompt contest for Writer's Digest on my other blog, Christy Gets Crafty. Come check it out! http://christygetscrafty.blogspot.com/ And if you're feeling inspired, feel free to join me.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

Write a scene that takes place on game night.

Expert Advice

"The cat sat on the mat

is not a story. The cat

sat on the other cat's

mat is a story."

~ John Le Carre

Spark Words

Today's Spark Word is:

STRAIGHT-LACED.

Weekly Wednesday Writing Prompt

Write about someone

with a limited

world view.

Happy 2010!

Whew! I can hardly believe that 2010 is here already! And that we're already almost a week into it. I apologize for not updating sooner. I've been sick the last couple of days, but I'm really behind the ball this year. I actually still have my Christmas tree up, which is very uncharacteristic of me. Usually I take it down on New Years Day, sometimes even before that. This is my first year of not having a real tree however. My husband finally talked me into purchasing a fake one, and although I greatly miss the friendly smell of pine, it has been nice not having to worry about those little needles poking into your socks and sap getting all over your hands every time you water a real one. Taking it down should be a breeze. Not like last years incident that finally got me to cave in to going fake -- dragging the tree out the porch and front doors led to a shower of razor-sharp needles flying everywhere. We were finding those things in the carpet well into March!

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to a fresh new year. It reminds me of the saying from Anne of Green Gables, "Tomorrow is always fresh -- with no mistakes in it." I like the idea of a clean slate. A chance to make changes toward a better, more positive life. Surprisingly, this is the first year that I didn't compose a list of resolutions. Maybe because I really have just one -- to strive to be better. A better Christian, a better wife, a better mother, a better friend, a better writer, a better artist, a better homemaker, a better human being. I just want to devote this year to living life to it's fullest. To being all that I can be. To happiness, both in my life, and the people around me. From the people nearest and dearest, to the stranger on the street.

Smile more. Stress less. Make messes. Make friends. Dream sweeter. Dream bigger. Press in. Press on. Hug tighter. Laugh louder. Pray harder. Listen closer. Get down on my knees. Get up on my feet. Sun on my shoulder. Wind at my back. Eyes wide open. Arms flung out.

Embracing life.