The Artist's Way check-in: week four

1. How many days this week did you do your morning pages? (Tantrums often show up as skipping the morning pages.) How was the experience for you? I did my morning pages five days this week. The experience was good. The morning pages are very cathartic for me, and I'm able to think out problems and situations to find good solutions.
2. Did you do your artist date this week? (Does your artist get to do more than rent a movie?) What did you do? How did it feel? I did play, but I didn't have an official artist date.
3. Did you experience any synchronicity this week? What was it? I did experience it, but since it's of a more personal nature, I'm not going to share it here.  Sorry.
4. Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant to your recovery? Describe them. Nothing comes to mind.

My week of reading deprivation is over!  Hurrah!

In like a lion: writing about weather

Weather is still a hot topic for discussion here in central Florida.  Despite being nearly March, Orlando temperatures are lower than average, and it's on the minds of everyone, and affecting their daily lives.  For writers, the weather can be a jumping-off place for a scene, or a way to immerse readers in the setting and story.


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Use your writing time wisely

Many people have a glamorized vision of a full-time writer's life.  They see people who lounge around in their pajamas drinking coffee and staring out the window.  Unfortunately, writers can fall into procrastination traps just as easily as people in traditional jobs, and they don't have managers and supervisors around to check up on them.  Full time writers have to figure out their own ways to use their time wisely and stay productive, even when temptations arise.

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10 on Tuesday: things I've learned about myself through morning pages

Part of the process of The Artist's Way is "morning pages."  That means that every morning, before I do anything else, I write three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing longhand.

At first, I just did the pages without really thinking about the content.  Now, though, I'm seeing the real purpose of them.  If I let go and really write, my heart takes over, and I learn things about myself.  Problems are solved, true worries surface, and my creative self makes herself known.

Here are some things that have been revealed to me through the morning pages (in no particular order).

1. I'm worried about my heart.
2. Great things happen when you trust your creativity and God (or creative flow or whatever you believe in that feeds your creativity).
3. I'm excited about the changes I'm making in my life. (Details to come on my personal blog.)
4. I love staying home with Bean!
5. I'm happier now than I was before I started this process.
6. I need a vacation.
7. I don't take care of myself as well as I should.
8. I have champions in people I didn't expect, as well as creative "enemies" in people I didn't expect.
9. My handwriting gets messy when I'm trying to keep up with my brain.
10. I've felt very out of control for a long time, but it's getting better.

What is National Novel Editing Month?

Editing is a task many writers dread.  After all, the writing is the fun part.  Creating new worlds and characters, coming up with dialogue, and resolving conflict are all part of the excitement of the writer's world.  But once the story is on paper, it requires editing in order to make it the best it can be.  Fortunately, there's support for editors to help encourage them to reread, revise, and rewrite their novels!


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This Week's Task List

• Continue working on rewrite of NaNo novel in preparation of NaNoEdMo
• Continue working on coffee house book writing
• Continue working on grant application
• Environment task (#1) for Week 4 of The Artist's Way
• Time Travel task (#2) for Week 4 of The Artist's Way
• Life Pie task (#5) for Week 4 of The Artist's Way
• Artist's Prayer task (#6) for Week 4 of The Artist's Way
• Closet task (#8) for Week 4 of The Artist's Way
• Situation task (#9) for Week 4 of The Artist's Way
• Reading deprivation task (#10) for Week 4 of The Artist's Way (if needed)

No reading allowed?

I'm in week four of The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.  As part of the process this week, I won't be reading.

All week.

At all. ::shudder::

I know, but I'm trusting the process in this.  I won't be reading any blogs this week.  I'll have a lot of catching up to do next Monday!

The Artist's Way check-in: week three

1. How many days this week did you do your morning pages? How was the experience for you? If you skipped a day, why did you skip it? I did my morning pages six out of seven days!  It was cathartic for me to write every day. I'm starting to learn where some of my creativity blockers are, and where some of my stress sources are.
2. Did you do your artist date this week? (Yes, yes, and it was awful.) What did you do? How did it feel? I did not, in fact, do my artist date this week. Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?
3. Did you experience any synchronicity this week? What was it? I did not.
4. Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant for your recovery? Describe them. See answer #1.

Write yourself warm

All over the United States, people have been watching the weather with interest, waiting for the meteorologists to tell them when temperatures would start easing up the thermometer.  Here in Orlando, for example, there have been record cold temperatures.  Fortunately, writers can use their talents and imagination to stay warm.


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10 on Tuesday: songs I sing to Bean

(in no particular order)

1. Rock-a-bye, Baby*
2. The Garden (a hymn my grandmother sang to me)
3. It's Time to Go to Sleep (a song I made up for Bean when he was very, very little and couldn't sleep)
4. Down to the River to Pray (from the O, Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack)
5. Lullaby (Good Night, my Angel) by Billy Joel
6. I'll Fly Away (from the O, Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack)
7. Away in a Manger
8. The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson
9. Colors by Kira Willey (Yes, that is definitely the song from the old Dell commercial. Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?)
10. It's Okay, Wyatt (this is another song I made up for Bean; when I sang it, he immediately stopped crying)

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*I sing a different last line to this song: "But Mama will catch you, cradle and all."