Smell

I want to start this installment by thanking everyone for their kind words and thoughts during my family tragedy. They definitely have helped me to move on...well, not completely move on , but you get what I mean. I thought I would use this time to talk about smell. Kind of strange in a way, but it's something we really don't think about when we are creating stories. Sure, we write about emotions and how we feel, but do we write about how things smell? I don't know about you, but I'm constantly smelling-- as I write this, I can smell my large German Shepherd as he sleeps at my feet. He's stinky and his breath is bad and sometimes he farts. He is almost 7 years old, so he doesn't have puppy breath anymore. But his smell is so distinct, I miss it when I go away. Okay, maybe this is a bit weird for some people. Let's try some other memory. There is a perfume I used to wear back in my mid-twenties. It was a mango smell that The Body Shoppe still sells. Whenever I smell that mango perfume, it takes me back to a time when I was in university and was partying waaayyyyyy too much. I'm transported to that time and place, and those feelings return once again:a mixture of sadness, loss and being lost, but also a moment of finding myself. Whether you are journaling or establishing characters in your story, smell can dig a little deeper into what is really going on inside.

Sorrow

In times of tragedy, it can be difficult to find the energy to write anything down. Even a phone message seems like a big task: finding a piece of paper and a pen is tiring. This last week has been like that as I was dealing with my own tragedy and sorrow of my father-in-law unexpectedly passing away. Stress and emotions can rob us all of inspiration and creation. At one point, you just don't feel like thinking anymore. As life slowly returns to normal, I now feel the need to write. And, as I do, I realize that even in times of sadness, inspiration still remains. Over 700 people attended my father-in-law's funeral, demonstrating the impact he had on so many people's lives. It's hard to believe this very busy, small town man managed to find the time to maintain relationships. It's also amazing how easy it was for people to automatically lend support without even asking. These people organized and delegated and did whatever they could to make things easier for all of us. Even the young children, so innocently unaware of what was going on, provided the comedy relief, something my father-in-law would have enjoyed watching. I guess the message here is to continue writing even when things are crappy. Whether happy or sad, inspiration and creation can still be found. Writing it down can heal the spirit.

Questions

Kilroy_60 at Fear and Loathing: The Gonzo Papers sent me these questions to ponder. I have to admit that it took some time. Most of my answers aren't clear-cut, but I'm a little like that...a little bit country and a little bit rock n' roll. 1. A book that has changed your life: There are many books out there that have changed different areas of my life. I can't name only one: Ghosts I Have Been by Richard Peck (read it when I was 10), Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams,William Nicholson, What the Bleep Do We Know by William Arntz et al (book and movie), Good Grief by Lolly Winston (excellent writing), Women's History of the World by Rosalind Miles. All of these have changed my way of thinking or inspired me in some way. 2. A book you have read more than once: The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. This one could go under question number 1 as well. 3. A book you would want on a desert island: 101 Ways to Build a Wooden Boat From Twigs and Sand. (Okay, it's not a real book, but if it was, I would buy it.) 4. A book that made you laugh: Paging Aprhodite by Kim Green. I like it when a book makes me laugh from the first page. 5. A book that made you cry: 'If There be Thorns' by VC Andrews (from the Flowers in the Attic series). I was 16 and I distinctly remember crying near the end. I can't remember crying any other time. 6. A book you wish you had written: One young adult series that comes to mind is Francine Pascal's Fearless. Amazing stories. 7. A book you wish had never been written: Hard one, but Malleus Maleficarum (The Witch Hammer) comes to mind. 8. A book you are currently reading: Smart Women Finish Rich, Canadian Edition by David Bach 9. A book you have been meaning to read: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 10. Now tag 5 people: I'll have to figure this one out.

Inspiration

First of all, I'd like to direct your attention to the right side of the page where the links are located; I think you will find these links interesting reads. I'll be adding more links as time goes on. Second, I want to apologize to anyone that I don't respond to right away. Trust me when I say that it's not you, it's me. I want to talk about different areas where we can find inspiration. I know that I've mentioned before that inspiration can be found anywhere and everywhere, you just have to pay attention. I know that it can be difficult to get out of our heads and just open up to all the possibilities around us; we live in a world where we need to go faster, and, if we blink, then we've missed something. Take the time to find that inspiration. Give this a try: go to your nearest playground and have a swing. I'm not kidding. If you feel a little creepy doing this, do it when the kids are in school or at night when the kids are in bed. Seriously, swing as high as you can. Think about nothing but the act of swinging. Shout out, "I can see my house from here." Feel the wind blowing through your hair, discover how high you can go. Many things can happen when you do: you'll feel free, alive, and possibly regain something that you had lost ages ago.