2021 Write Revolutions

Have you started thinking about your 2021 Resolutions? 

                                     Consider a Revolution of Ideas instead.

Timothy Pychyl, a professor of psychology at Carleton University in Canada, describes resolutions as an effort to reinvent oneself. People make resolutions as a way of motivating themselves, he says. Pychyl argues that people aren't ready to change their habits, particularly bad habits, and that accounts for the high failure rate of resolutions. Another reason for the high failure rate involves unrealistic goals and expectations.

Stop the resolutions!  Let the Revolution of Writing Begin. Change your approach.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton etched eternal, “The pen is mightier than the sword,” in his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy. When he played The Joker in Batman, Jack Nicholson threw a poison quill into someone’s neck. The powerful pen concept has seen constant use in communicating the force of language.

We face beasts  They wear a variety of costumes. Often we have to discover how to conquer them in ways beyond disciplining ourselves.

"It's always just beginning. Everything is always just beginning." - Jakuso Kwong

Move into a write flight pattern:

Write in moments. Make each feel fresh and full of surprises. Strike from all sides of the subject. Revolutionize with positivity.

Plan every day to focus on an aspect of writing in the moment. No matter how mundane the words appear, let them flow, flee and fly on the page or screen.

Celebrate your success of making the moments happen. If you write today; you're a writer today. Applaud yourself.

Be mindful. Get playful. 

Stay physically, emotionally and mentally aware of your inner state as you write moment    by moment, rather than living in the past or future.

Don't take yourself so seriously. Have fun and laugh when you feel cranky and don't want to write.  Write about cranky.  Write even more.

Fire up the pen, flap those wings, and take on the moments of 2021 in words.

Find your Write Revolution.

Resonate with Resilience

 

"Anxiety is the interest paid on trouble before it is due." - Dean W.R.Inge

Human beings are the only creatures in nature who complain and feel anguish about a situation before it happens. When met with obstacles, other animals, insects, and plants just keep doing what needs to be done. They stay in their process toward progress. moving beyond what gets in the way.  

Consider aspects of resilience. Check out eggs hatching, roses unfurling, or seeds sprouting. Imagine if they wasted time with anxious thoughts.Nothing would hatch or bloom. They benefit from not having the brain cells necessary for worry.

Most researchers argue that pessimism has its place. It offers a more realistic way to positive results. Barbara Held, psychologist at Bowdoin College, believes healthy doses of pessimism become crucial in overcoming obstacles and achieving goals. If we accept the fact that things can go wrong, we can prepare for them. It's the best offense for a positive outcome.

Become a balanced optimist. Rather than thinking like the defensive pessimist, use your imagination to work for you in creating the best and worst cases. Ask, "In what five ways can I achieve success."  Scribble notions as you consider all pathways and rocks in the road of your desired destination. 

Preparation enables you to have a variety of responses ready You have choices and do not need to persist with unsuccessful routes. These ideas will move you beyond the emotional reactions of the moment. Your healthy resilience will develop.

Write five ways to reunite with resilience.

Satisfy Needs

Anne Truitt created her work as high adventure. she said artists had "to catapult themselves wholly, without holding back one bit, into a course of action without having any idea where they will end up. They are like riders who gallup into the night, eagerly learning on their horse's neck, peering into a blinding rain."


Consider what you really need for adventure. 

After a shipwreck, you find yourself stranded on a beach. You can depend only on yourself and two animals. Which would you choose?

What's the first exploration and adventure?

Flying Lessons

"If I'd been told as a child what the life of an adult is like, I wouldn't have believed it.  I'd never have believed it could be so unfinished. 

 - John Berger, Once in Europa

I believed I could fly into the blue of sky. If the blue jays hopped from the railing to sail into the atmosphere and sparrows fluttered on branches, so could I. Launches from trees and second floor hotel rooms did not send me soaring but taught a marvel for gravity's tug. My curiosity prevailed and flight exploration continued. Oh, how I wished to wriggle in the clouds and smell sunshine.

Adulthood seemed too far to reach. Not many grownups had humor and gleams in their eyes like my father. My mother used her creativity for piano tunes, embroidery, and copper work. Her activities seemed too tame. 

Adventure called me from tree branches and bird wings.

Watching caterpillars turn into flying creatures also gave me hope for flight. I searched the sky to learn the sequence in flaps of wings. Jumping and running created elevation - but not for long. Mind flying kept me moving into wonder.

Eventually I did get a ride on an airplane to experience the highest of flight. I watched clouds bundle and bunch, wondering how to catch them on my tongue. What if I could  snuggle inside and roll around?

Adulthood still seems far away and perplexing. I will continue to explore nature's wonders and stay at the age of nine years, spreading my wings daily.

What did you desire as a child you had to make happen? 

In Honor of Barry Lopez (1945-2020)

The imagination is what gives shape to the universe." - Barry Lopez

From above, to a hawk, the bend must appear only natural and I for the moment inseparably a part, like salmon or a flower. I cannot say well enough how this single perception has dismantled my loneliness.  - Barry Lopez

Barry Lopez traveled to remote landscapes to discover nature's mysteries and majesty. They nourished his senses as he wrote and promoted our responsibilities for the earth's care. He left the earth on Christmas Day, 2020, to discover new terrain in Heaven.

Barry Lopez earned a bachelor's and master's degree from Notre Dame. He moved to Oregon for graduate work in folklore and journalism at the University of Oregon. He won the 1986 National Book Award for Arctic Dreans.

Barry described a cloudy sky, "Grays of pigeon feathers, of slate and pearls."

He has been described as "the nation's premier nature writer" by the San Francisco Chronicle. In his non-fiction, Barry frequently examined the relationship between human culture and the physical landscape, He also became a landscape photographer and collaborated with other artists and writers. 

During a visit to the Canadian Arctic, Barry Lopez found himself within a mystical experience. He wrote, "There are no shadows. Space has no depth. There is no horizon. The bottom of the world disappears. On foot, you stumble about in missed stair-step fashion. It is precisely because the regimes of light and time in the Arctic are so different that this landscape is able to explore in startling ways the complacency of our thoughts about land in general."

When Barry felt frustrated with his writing he would walk along Eugene's McKenzie river watching nature. "Every time I did there was a beaver stick in the water at my feet. So I imagined the beavers were saying, "When the hell's wrong with you? You get back in there and do your work." He collected the sticks as reminders.

He spent thirty years to write his book, Horizon. considering all that is connected.

"It's so difficult to be a human being. There are so many reasons to give up. To retreat into cynicism or despair. I hate to see that and I want to do something that makes people feel safe and loved and capable." 

During his last days in Hospice, his family bought him the beaver sticks he had collected.

Rip, Barry. You will continue to find wonder.

The Vitality of Quartraits

"We were all these human beings going through this same thing with the same emotions, like, 'What's going to happen next?' We got to just be here and wait this out and see how this rolls. The stories in this book, you know, there's phenomenal stories that make you laugh, stories that make you cry. People experience death, loss, their jobs, parents, celebrating birthdays. It just goes on and on and you're going to see all those things in here and I think really relate to it." -  Innis Casey

Quartraits reveals a collaboration of photography and sensitive writing. Compiled by Innis Casey and Kimberley Lovato, the collection shares stories that provide the possibilities and positivity of human nature and nurture during our challenging time. 

Innis Casey began taking photographs as his own photography business waned during the pandemic. He hoped to brighten the day for others. He called his quarantine portraits "quartraits." 

Casey created the mix of photos and writing assisted by his sister, Kimberley Lovato, a travel journalist. The creative process developed a bonding experience for them.

"I had to keep that thing going inside of me. I had to do something and the cameras were right there. I could do it alone. I could do it safely on a long lens. Boom! And now this is what we got," Casey said.

The book contains photography of friends, neighbors, people who heard about it. Celebrities invited Casey to their homes: Eric McCormack, Brad Garrett, Danny Trejo, Emilio Rivera and Kate del Castillo.

For more information on the book, go to quartraits.com. Available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, its vitality will inspire your day.

Christmas Memories

‎"One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six." 

              ~ A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas*

The season stimulates memories in the form of anecdotes, conversations, and relationships. Events turn over and over in the heart and mind. Will the memory fulfill itself in the events of the moment?  Will those who have left return home to celebrate?

What do you wish for to complete your holiday celebration? Would you request a return from a deceased relative for the day? Will you return to a childlike self for the festivities?  

Do you require a day of youthful pleasures? Do you recall when someone told you about Santa Claus? How might you transport yourself in words over the miles and years?  

Bring memories to the fireside and write.

"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!" ~ Charles Dickens.

Christmas Book Flood

 

Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world. The Nordic island with a population of 329,000, loves to read and write. They publish five titles for every 1,000 Icelanders. That means one in 10 Icelanders will publish. The majority of books are sold from late September to early December. 

On Christmas Eve, Icelanders exchange books during, jólabókaflóð, the "Christmas Book Flood."

Iceland's literary history dates to medieval times. Landmarks of world literature, including the Sagas of the Icelanders and the Poetic Edda, are still read and translated.

Designated a UNESCO City of Literature, Reykjavík has a population of 200,000 people. Within that small group, the city's library's book loans total 1.2 million in a year. A popular TV show in Iceland, Kiljan, is devoted entirely to books.

According to Baldur Bjarnason, a researcher who has written on the Icelandic book industry, "If you look at book sales distribution in the U.K. and the States, most book sales actually come from a minority of people. Very few people buy lots of books. Everybody else buys one book a year if you're lucky. It's much more widespread in Iceland. Most people buy several books a year.

"

Bjarnason continues, "The book in Iceland is such an enormous gift, you give a physical book. You don't give e-books here."

On Christmas Eve enjoy the power of the book flood. 

Take time to cuddle with chocolate and a fun book.

Holidaze Writing

If the chaos of this Holiday season causes distress and down time in your life's journey, find ways to play. Incorporate surprise, laughter, and delight into your days and notice what happens to your attitude.  

Take time off from worrying or trying so hard to please everyone else. 

Make a list of the five biggest worries on the left side of a sheet of paper.

Opposite each worry write why they never-in-this-world-will-happen.

You'll discover you worry using creative improbabilities not creative reality.

Write a Dear Child of Me letter.  What would you like to do that's really fun, daring or outright wild? As you write, try to remember your fearless self.

Take a timeout and write yourself into Fun.

Mistletoe Moment

 

The mystical power of mistletoe and the tradition of kissing under this plant originated with the legend of Goddess Frigga, the Goddess of Love and her son Balder, God of the Summer Sun. 

Balder dreamed about his death. Frightened, he told his mother of the dream. Frigga felt concern for her son and also for the life on earth. She knew that without Balder, life on earth would come to an end. Frigga appealed to every being in air, water, fire, and earth to promise her that they would never harm her son. Every animal and plant under and above the earth promised to keep her son safe.

Loki, the God of Evil, an enemy of Balder, knew that Frigga had overlooked one plant in her appeal. Known as mistletoe, it grew on apple and oak trees.

Loki made an arrow and placed a sprig of this plant at its tip. He beguiled Hoder, the blind brother of Balder and the God of Winter, and made him shoot this arrow at Balder. 

When Balder died, everybody worried as the earth turned cold and life became dreary. For the next three days, every creature tried to bring Balder back to life. Finally Frigga with the help of mistletoe brought him back to life. Her tears on the plant became pearly white berries and she blessed it so that anyone who stood under the mistletoe would never be harmed. They would instead receive  a kiss as a token of love.

The plant’s ability to remain lush and fruitful throughout the year led to its use as a symbol of fertility. The Greek goddess Artemis wore a crown of mistletoe as an emblem of immortality. The plant also played a role in the Druids’ celebration of the Winter Solstice. With a golden knife they cut it from the oak and made potions to boost procreation.

Mistletoe served as the magical ingredient in the kissing ball or kissing bough in Victorian England. This round frame trimmed with ribbons and ornaments often held a tiny nativity with mistletoe at the bottom. The ball hung from rafters or the ceiling. Guests at holiday parties, weddings and other festive occasions played kissing games beneath the ball. The kiss beneath the decoration was said to bring good luck and lasting friendship. 

Washington Irving, wrote of a tradition in kissing beneath the mistletoe in Old Christmas From the Sketch Book of Washington Irving: "The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas; and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked, the privilege ceases."

The custom of plucking berries for each kiss, and ceasing the bestowal of kisses once the berries are gone, has been left behind. Hanging mistletoe and the custom of kissing beneath it remains a popular tradition in Christmas celebrations. 

Enjoy a mistletoe moment on Christmas day.

Celebration of Winter

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." - Berthold Auerbach

December's Winter Solstice occurred yesterday on December 21st. 

The Romans celebrated Brumalia as a winter festival. It also became known as Saturnalia (the “waxing of the light") to honor Roman Gods, Saturn, Demeter and Bacchus.

The festival included feasting and merriment to celebrate the victory of the sun over the cold and darkness of winter. 

Everyone celebrated with dancing and carousing.

Enjoy the season's rhythm. Create a winter festival of fun. 

Choose a theme and decide on guests to invite from other times in history. Mix and match your delights and let the story evolve. Add sky dragons and enjoy the celebration

Time to Imaginate

When worries clutter thoughts,  find time to imaginate. 

    Take a break and let the mind play

         Try a few lizard pushups.

Breathe in five and out five. Pause. 

Consider your mind in flight

Return to a setting that brings scents and natural sights into your mind's view. Settle into the green.

Feel the majestic of waves. 

Smell the salt spray. Fly into the colors of blue.

You will discover you have all you need when you avoid worries. Just wander into wonders.

Which Way to Go

 

It may be that when we no longer know what to do

we have come to our real work

and that when we no longer know which way to go

we have begun our real journey.  

- Wendell Berry

 ". . . wanderer, there is no path, the path is made by walking. By walking one makes the road, and upon glancing behind one sees the path that never will be trod again."

- Antonio Machado

Metaphorical thinking helps us connect to the secrets and mysteries inside. If one decides to experience what lurks behind the door or deep inside one's own cavern, self-knowledge awaits. 

Robert Frost felt, "poetry takes you to a place you have been and thought you'd never return to."

Days provide challenges and chances to take. 

At sunset, the sun exhausts its focus and blends into the sea.

Shades and clouds merge.

Colors translate the sky.

Tangerine transpires

into persimmon.

Where sun dragons

prance.

Move into the darkness. 

Bring a lantern for revitalization. 

        Illuminate sensitivities.  

Take on the night.

The Power of Influence

Virgil's Hand   by Francesc Parcerisas translated by Cyrus Cassells  The battle's slow and sinuous, a stormy fire on the hilltops. The enemy's spears and darts have decimated, at such a snail's pace, our once-protecting parents, that, almost unawares, we're caught, wordless, shield-less, in the blazing tumult of the frontline. Up till now, Virgil's hand. From this day forward, the world will be utterly different: we'll combat the fire totally on our own. Guideless, spurred by a secret quest for common sense, perhaps, in the long run, we'll realize the ramparts, the enemy, the war itself, are trumped-up shadows of a fire that's merely light and ash; we'll realize: purgatory and paradise are located within us.

In what ways did you learn to combat the fire on your own?

What did you learn from your parents, teachers, or friends that resides within you?  

Consider behaviors you forward on to others that have tendrils of this guidance. How have you taking pieces of others and puzzled them into you?

Let your writing entertain the questions about the power of others' influence.

Go Wilding in Writing

"I love spring water and wild air, and not the manufacture of the chemist's shop. I see in a moment, on looking into our new Dial, which is the wild poetry, and which the tame, and see that one wild line out of a private heart saves the whole book." 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Feeling is what I like in art, not craftiness and the hiding of feelings." - Jack Kerouac

During the 1950s, "first thought, best thought," became the mantra of the Beat writers. They wanted to capture a direct line to the subconscious through what flows in the mind. The Beats went after the wild line.

Wild, free, single lines evolve into a work of art. A sketch results from glimpsed nuances. It all started with the wild sketches on cave walls.

The first thought taps something deeper. It emerges out of the edges of imagination. Energy arises from that first effort. the spirit of a writer arises in a quick sketch. Depth of feeling, spiritual depth, emotional stage of the moment all spill out.

Free form art changed writing, jazz, and painting. 

Jackson Pollock sought the wild image. Thelonious Monk went after the wild edge in jazz.

The first impression arises to set a stage. 

Go wilding today. 

Sit in front of a window and write what you see within the frame of the window. 

Notice what passes in the corners of your eyes. 

Let the wild enter; the flash of a black thing will introduce another thought.