Well, I’m beginning to realise why I like haiku so much : writing a haiku can instantly pull you into the present moment (that’s really handy if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t find it easy to “leave work at work”); and writing a haiku is a quick and simple way of keeping the creative channel open (that’s really handy if you haven’t got the time you’d like for your novel or non-fiction work, but you’d still like to “keep your hand in”).
You can read today’s haiku here (it’s called “Wheat”), and I read it out loud in today’s video. If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you might recognise one of my favourite themes emerging 😛 .
You know what? I like the haiku : I like the idea of a quest to capture an emotion, to paint a picture. I like the effect that haiku-writing has : it encourages exquisite presence.
I want to travel deeper into the experience of the world around me (and into the emotions inside me) ; I want to get closer to the turning wheel of Nature. I am open to discovering whether the haiku is the perfect vehicle for this mission – so , stand clear : I am getting into the haiku seat and taking the hand-brake off 🙂 !
My haiku adventure will take as long as it takes (that’s the first time in all my adventuring that I’ve ever heard myself say that, which is interesting in its own right)…. and that probably means a poetry collection (and that will be another first!). The form might even change along the way too 😛 .
Inspired by my recent brushes with Nature, today I try my hand at writing a haiku . I explain a bit about what I’ve learned about haiku in today’s video; I also read out my first haiku!
For today’s adventure, I read Steven Pressfield’s “Turning Pro” . It’s a rapid read (it took only 2 hours, cover to cover) and continues the conversation he starts in his first book, “The War Of Art”. His first book provides a thorough examination of the concept of resistance and introduces the idea of “the pro”. The pro is someone who nurtures a consistent set of habits geared towards overcoming this resistance with a view to not only acknowledging their true gift (whether that be writing, or painting, or parenting, or dancing, or cooking, or care-giving..) but also delivering that gift to the world.
Steven devotes a considerable amount of time (in “Turning Pro”) to the notion of distraction (also a form of resistance). He suggests that many of us (amateurs) distract ourselves from our true purpose (our true gift, our potential work of art, our new business) by living shadow lives (lives that look meaningful and fulfilling but they’re not really in line with our true gift and/or who we really are … and so they don’t feel like they’re the “real deal”) and by engaging in certain behaviours (like addictions) which allow us to hide from ourselves.
The pro faces up to the fullness of who they really are, acknowledges their gift and then brings their gift into the world.
As I read the book, it brought up some big questions for me :
1. To what degree do I distract myself (and how do I distract myself) ?
2. What would I discover if I didn’t distract myself?
3. Am I living in alignment with my true purpose? (Should I have a purpose at all? If I do have one, what is it?)
I share more about my response to Steven’s writing in today’s video. He’s certainly got me thinking!
I have completed the fourth (and final) round of editing of my short story, The Faerie Thorn. Now I’m ready to move on to the next part of my writing adventure : preparing my bio and a synopsis to send off to agents and publishers!
Gosh. Editing is a tougher than I thought 😛 . Today’s adventure has been all about editing my book and this round of editing has been completely grammar-focused. I am actually surprised that I got out alive. Grammar and bone-ghosts seem to have a lot in common 😛 .
The editing is still not complete and I’m heading into my fourth and (fingers crossed) final cycle tomorrow. What makes me giggle (well, okay , I’ll admit it. I’m too grammar-garotted to giggle just now) is that the Faerie Thorn story actually took me fourteen hours to write. Guess how long the editing has taken?……….
As I took an editing break over the weekend, I’ve spent most of today catching up. I’ve been transferring the editorial notes from my paper manuscript to the soft-copy of The Faerie Thorn on my computer and wrangling with the finer points of English grammar.
My head got so jammed with grammar puzzles that I had to venture into the “teenager’s lair” to find a book to help me! “Spelling, Punctuation And Grammar” is aimed at 14-16 year-olds and perfect for the word-addled head of a fantasy writer 😛 . You can find the book here.
Five hours of editing left me hungry for fresh fodder and so for today’s adventure, I answered the call of a local out-of-the-way place in the hope of finding inspiration for my next story.
Here’s how I got on (oh and I hope you enjoy the safari feel of this short film – it was quite a challenging off-road trip!)
For today’s adventure, I attempt to edit like a pro. I read Steven Pressfield’s “The War Of Art” last weekend and it’s really helping me to keep the momentum going :).
In today’s video, I also share an unexpected side-effect of writing a story that comes out of the “local ground”.
Well, I made it! Today I write and narrate the final part of my original faerie story, The Faerie Thorn. In this episode, you get to find out what happened to Man Donaghy’s good Big People looks, you learn what a borrow-body is, and some of you may cry at a certain point (I did!)
Everything I have shared with you is completely unedited and so now the adventure that lies ahead is an editing one!
Well, it turns out that the Faerie Thorn folk have a little more story up their sleeves than I thought and so today is not the last part of the story!
Here’s me narrating what I’ve just written (it’s hot off the press and unedited, as usual). I wonder if you expected the trolls to take what they did from Man Donaghy? I wonder if you’ve worked out what the trolls are going to do with the thing they have taken from him? I wonder if you’re curious to know how successful the trolls were in getting rid of New Wife Donaghy?……
Well, I’m beginning to realise why I like haiku so much : writing a haiku can instantly pull you into the present moment (that’s really handy if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t find it easy to “leave work at work”); and writing a haiku is a quick and simple way of keeping the creative channel open (that’s really handy if you haven’t got the time you’d like for your novel or non-fiction work, but you’d still like to “keep your hand in”).
Humans Resourced 