Changing Seasons

As a big Fall enthusiast, I'm anxiously waiting for my birthday which, this year, is the first day of Fall or the Autumnal Equinox.  I've already started to enjoy posts on Facebook from some Halloween and Fall pages that I follow.  I've also been planning some Halloween things with my daughter already.

This desire for the new season has pushed me to work on editing my poems for my book of poetry project since my overall theme is nature and the seasons.  Also, I had so much fun playing with Haiku recently that I found myself re writing a longer poem as a simple Haiku.  I did this because the original poem was unfinished, I was still inspired by it, but I was stuck.

The poem began as an exercise in using descriptive language and words.  I wanted to convey the beauty of colors as they change from Summer green to Fall's reds/golds/rusts, etc.  My original was a complicated mess and, although I can still remember the exact tree that inspired it, I had lost my direction.  To move forward with the piece, I found myself focusing on the image in my memory.  I studied the shape and colors, which were in full transition, still displaying Summer while Fall was edging it's way in.

After about an hour of painful rewriting attempts, I used the "strikethrough" feature in Word and crossed out everything, leaving it on the page as a reminder of my failure, as well as a resource for words I still liked.  This is when I began reviewing my Haiku notes feeling that a u-turn was called for.

I stared at the formula, 5-7-5, total of 17 and typed "Summer."  I stared at that a while, then hit return twice and typed "Fall." I looked at that for a while then started to insert short phrases before and after these words until they formed something meaningful.

My next step was a bit more difficult, I started paring things down to match up with my Haiku formula, 5-7-5, total of 17.  I was actually starting to like this poem now.  Next I began changing out words to fit and then words that we more descriptive or telling.  Yes, I pulled out the old Thesaurus to find shorter or better words.  Finally, I had what I thought was my finished piece and read it for my daughter.  Her reaction was lukewarm.  "You've done better" she said.

So, I picked this up again today, two weeks later, and below is my final product.  I like it much better than all of it's previous incarnations.

Summer to Fall

September 8, 2017

Summers luscious greens

Answering Fall’s charming chill

Turn warm, red and gold.

The photo isn't an exact depiction of my original inspiration, however, it does give a sense of the color change that I inspired me in the first place.  I think I'm starting to get the hang of Haiku.  

Now that I've started, I have to keep the inspiration coming and work on more editing.  I don't think it's unreasonable to find new inspiration for a piece when you're editing.  Perhaps inspiration is a key ingredient in editing for me that I need to explore some more.  I'll share my results with you.  

Enjoy the new season and watch for more editing posts.  I hope you share your thoughts and/or poems with me in the comments.

Ecliptedness

I love it when people throw out a word that sounds really cool, even if it's not real, when they have something big to say and no other word fits the bill.  Ecliptedness was created by a co-worker yesterday when trying to describe how well the eclipse themed cookies depicted the many stages of eclipse the sun would experience during the event.  

Although we laughed about it at the time, today, I can see how words can come to be.  We shared this word with everyone who came into our office kitchen while we were there and they all thought it was very descriptive and appreciated the creative use of language.  This was not just due to excitement over the big event, it was true admiration.

Inspired by this new word and the eclipse itself, I have been thrown back into writing poetry because I cannot help but get these poems out of my head and onto paper.  Now, of course, I have to share them.  They are also giving me me more works to include in my book of poems because they can be included in my overall theme of nature and/or seasons.

The first poem I'll share was born of my impression of the glowing crescent Sun as a mischievous Cheshire Cat grin.

~

Celestial Grin

Like the Cheshire Cat,

The Sun grinned

Hiding behind the Moon

Like a frightened child hides behind her mother’s skirt

Showing only a partial face.

~

www.nemy.com

Take a good long look at this eclipse photo from yesterday. Now close your eyes and imagine the Cheshire Cat.  He has just been harassing you about your tardiness or drinking too much coffee, none of which is his business, and has faded from sight, leaving only his grin to further annoy you.

Disney Cheshire Cat Grin

I'm certain you can see why this image came to me yesterday while watching the Sun disappear behind the Moon.

The next poem I'm going to share features something that I never expected during the eclipse. While I knew the light would be different, I never expected shadows to be altered. Here is my poem about the Sun's nap.

~

Suns Summer Slumber

The Sun took a nap yesterday

K L McClune 2017

Hiding behind the Moon like a shy child

It drew a shadow blanket close under its chin

As the cover was drawn

Familiar shapes distorted

Leaf shadows transformed from round drops

To slim crescents

The golden glow of pavement

Paled against the black and gray shadows

Lifted the silvery arcs

Cradling them with soft edges

Under cover, a small Sun sliver shown

Like the glowing arc of a mischievous grin

The Sun teased us with evening at mid-day

Its warm rays cooled, it’s light diminished

Upon waking, the cover retreated, slowly

Like a curtain drawn in anticipation of a show

Golden light returned and shadows deepened,

Warmth was restored and the Sun emerged refreshed

~

I've written more, but I'm actually hoping that you might share how you were inspired by the eclipse and what you created as a result.  Please leave me a comment and let me know how you've been inspired to be creative by the eclipse.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day!

Compiling a Book of Poems Post #2

Editing, editing, editing.  I've been editing poems for my book and going back over all my poems multiple times since my last post.  After I made a list of the poems I consider "Complete" I put them into categories to see what kind of material I had to work with.  From this exercise I determined that most of my "Completed" work had to do with the seasons or nature in some way.

This prompted me to look through all my work to see if I could find any other poems about nature or the seasons to bolster my book.  I added a number of unfinished poems to my list and brought my total to 63.  Of these poems, 30 are about nature or the seasons.  Most of these new poems need some editing or rewriting.  This is what I've been doing for the last week or more.

By the way, I'm by no means finished with this part of the process and am still determined to put a book together.  Now I'll be focusing on more poems with nature and the seasons as themes.  I'd like to have approximately 40 poems for this book.

In the process of editing and completing some of my poems, I've come up with some nice pieces and want to share some with you.

Autumn Gusts

Leaves dart across the ground

Like schoolboys chasing a ball

They flip and turn and spin

Like tumbling gymnasts.

Frantically, leaves fly

Like birds rising from a lake

Pushed by Autumn gusts

High into the air.

Color splashed branches dance feverishly

Like teens at a concert

Arms waving in the air

Moving in one rhythm.

I found myself practicing the use of metaphor and simile trying to get this one just right.  This next poem has a very different feel.  This rewrite about a heavy Spring snow is very different from my original, but I do like this version better.  

Spring Snow

Frozen crystals dance easily

Weightless

Swirling

In a dervish.

Thick, like fluff, they fall

Recklessly

Tossed

In a wind.

Landing, they join, cling in close

Layering

Combining

Like a mantle.

Heavy, pressing down, young limbs bend

Sagging

Droopy

Bowing down.

Brightened, the crystals sparkle in sunlight

Glimmering

Melting

Dripping down.

I started this post months ago and have sadly not worked on editing poems since that time.  Life derails me sometimes which is frustrating.  Many things are happening around here.  However, I have been inspired to write about the Sun and Moon today because of the "Great American Eclipse."  

Yes, the eclipse was almost complete for those of us in the greater Denver Metro area.  I'm going to be working on a few new pieces to add to my collection for this book.  I think they'll add something special.  

So, I'll leave this post for now on the editing theme and hope that you enjoy these two re writes.  I promise to have a few new pieces for you soon that highlight the celestial bodies involved in today's spectacle.  

Have a splendid day and keep writing!

HAIKU

Today I want to share Haiku with you because, in my opinion, it’s one of the lovelier forms of poetry. 

Haiku is defined by Britannica as, “unrhymed Japanese poetic form consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.” 

Here are some facts that I uncovered about Haiku.  The Haiku form was refined by Basho in the 17^th Century from the hokku element of the poetic form renga, an early Japanese poem.  Renga is a linked-verse poem, a form in which two or more poets supply alternating sections of a poem.  The hokku is the initial stanza of a renga.  It sets the time of day, season and dominant features of the landscape for the renga.  The hokku did not become known as Haiku until the late 19^th Century after it had been refined by masters like Basho, Buson and Issa.  (See sources below for more on the history of Haiku.)

Haiku is written in three lines and each line has a specific number of syllables, 5-7-5.  While early themes were nature, animals or the seasons, you can now write Haiku on any subject.

To write a Haiku, find inspiration in anything you like.  Take a walk, use a picture or a memory and make a few notes.  Now simply write two or three lines describing your subject.  Edit your lines by focusing on an emotion or images based on your senses; sight, taste, touch, smell or hearing.  Finally work on the syllable count, first line 5, second line 7 and third line 5.  (See sources below for more on writing Haiku.)

Below are some examples from early Japanese masters of Haiku:

Basho

None is traveling

Here along this way but I

This autumn evening

Temple bells die out

The fragrant blossoms remain

A perfect evening!

Kyoshi

Crimson must be running

Through the trunk of

This plum tree

Born as a spider

No choice but to spin

His spider web

Now here is a Haiku I created:

Graceful deep green leaves

Teardrops shimmer in the sun

Shade the woven trunk.

This was truly joyful to create.  I have a Ficus tree sitting in front of my desk at work.  It has a beautiful, graceful woven trunk and the leaves are a lovely deep green.  This was the perfect subject for my first Haiku.  I hope you like it and that this minimal presentation on the Haiku has given you a bit of inspiration to try it for yourself.  Even if you are just inspired to go read some Haiku, I guarantee you’ll be pleased with the effort.

If you do give writing Haiku a try, please share in the comments.  I’d enjoy hearing from my readers.

Source information:

Creative Writing Now

http://www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-a-haiku.html

Britannica.com

https://www.britannica.com/art/haiku

Haiku World

http://www.haikuworld.org/begin/mdwelch.tentips.html

Poetry Power

http://www.powerpoetry.org/resources/tips-writing-haikus

Writing Again

I've been terribly lax in my writing of late and I apologize for that, mostly to myself.  My writing is largely for myself and I share in the hopes that it will inspire or bring some small measure of enjoyment to others.

In order to spark some degree of creation from my sore and overused brain, I looked up some new writing prompt ideas on the internet.  I found that the blog Creative-Writing-Now.com has some terrific ideas and ways of thinking about a piece which inspired me.

One of the many ideas I gleaned from my rummaging on this blog included different forms for a poem, such as instructions, a recipe and a letter.  The most intriguing of these for me was a recipe.  My brain immediately began scanning for non-food things in my life that could be the subject of a recipe.  My psyche landed on my grandmothers hands.  

This was a natural choice since my grandmother was, and still is, a big influence on me.  Although she passed away about 15 year ago, I still remember many little things about her that made me feel good and loved.  Her hands always fascinated me.  They were never still, always creating something wonderful or doing something helpful.

Here is my recipe for Bang's Hands (the story of her name shall be for another post)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bang’s Hands 

By Kimberly L. McClune 

September 12, 2016 

Ingredients:                                             

Heap of Kindness                  

Accumulation of Gentleness              

Plenty of Industry                   

Hours of Play 

Oodles of Comfort 

Abundance of Calm 

Measure of Healing 

Bundle of Love 

  

Directions: 

Blend the kindness and gentleness until warm. 

Stir in the industry until well learned. 

Skim play off the top for hours of fun. 

Mix in comfort to bring a smile 

Fold in the calm until steady. 

Knead in the healing and 

Garnish with Love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While this image is generic, it reminds me of my grandmothers hands, riddled with arthritis, as she reached out for mine.  She often took my arm while we walked and I can still feel her grip and smell her perfume.  Writing this small piece churns up an ocean of memories and images that I will gladly rifle through in an odd moment.  

What recipe could you write as a poem?  Or perhaps, you prefer to write a letter or instructions.  I strongly suggest going to Creative Writing Now and looking under IDEAS for a plethora of poem and story prompts.

I'm hoping that this recent jaunt into creativity will spur me on to more and more poems and even a story or two.  Keep writing and leave a comment, I'd like to hear from you.

Know Yourself as a Writer

Recently, I was trolling about on a few writing blogs that I follow and found a post about knowing yourself as a writer.  Click here to access that blog post.  The author presents an exercise to help clarify reasons and motivations for writing as well as setting some goals.

Knowing your motivation and goals for writing, regardless of genre, theme, or style can be critical in your success, especially if you strive to make a career as a writer.  

When working on this exercise, I found myself feeling torn.  On the one hand, I write blogs for others and earn a bit of money.  On the other, I write my own blogs for practice and to express or share things that are meaningful to me.  On yet another hand, not sure where I get this hand from, I write poetry for myself and occasionally for others.  If my poetry is published, then it's an exciting bonus.

Would I love a full career as a writer?  I'm not certain.  While I enjoy writing and believe that I have some skill/talent, I'm not sure I want it to be my career, at least not right now.  Do I want to be a full time writer someday?  Yes, I do very much.

My answers to the questions in this exercise revealed an important fact about my writing that I need to change or I will not move forward, I need to spend more time writing.  Honestly, I spend too much time on wasted activities during my non-working hours.  It's a constant struggle, as I'm sure most can relate to.  In my own words from my post on August 3, 2015, "to be a good writer, you have to practice writing."  I hereby pledge that I will write for at least one hour everyday, 'cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!'  (Yes I will quote, and even swear an oath, from My Little Pony)

Another thing I learned about myself as a writer is that I write to tell stories.  Stories have always been a way for me to share my own thoughts, feelings and experiences with others.  I believe that I have always been a storyteller and always will be.  There are just multiple ways that I enjoy sharing a story.





What I have discovered about myself as a writer by answering these few seemingly simple questions is so enlightening.  Read through this post on Writing Forward and see what you learn about yourself. This blog is a very good for any writer of any genre or style.

Just by perusing some writing blogs that I enjoy, I found an exercise that has revealed some important aspects of myself as a writer.  In another six months to a year I'll answer these questions again to see if I've changed at all. I'll post my results here.  Comment below on how this exercise affected your outlook on writing and your knowledge of yourself as a writer.  I'd love to know more about you and your writing.

Writing Prompts ~2~

In this post, I’ll be giving you some ideas for writing prompts, as well as sources for finding them.  Perhaps, I’ll even give you an example of one or two of mine. 

As I’ve discussed in previous posts, the best way to get better at something is to keep doing it.  Practice, like with an instrument or a sport, will help you to get better.  Getting better and seeing improvement in your own ability is one of the best ways to be inspired, at least for me, to keep working at it. 

Writing Prompts are a great way to challenge yourself to try new things, new themes, new styles and new genres of writing.  I find they can help to bring me out of a slump too.  There are many different types of prompts. 

 

If you’re a story writer, a good source for writing prompts could be the newspaper.  Review the headlines to find a situation or story that interests you and, without reading the newspaper’s article, write your own article or story.  Or, you could buy books that have prompts like, The Writer’s Book of Matches or 1001 Prompts to Ignite Your Fiction.  I found out about this from Writer’s Digest

online.  You can find it on Amazon or at a local bookstore.

On the website Creative Writing Now, www.creative-writing-now.com, you will find hundreds of ideas for writing poetry, as well as tips and advice, and a bevy of other helpful things that writers like to poke around and read. 

You could chose to write about an image or painting or other visual stimuli you encounter or peruse in the course of your day.  You can also simply search for images of a certain thing, situation, feeling or word on your favorite internet search engine, like Google.  I searched ‘images for peace’ and got a load of “Peace Sign” images and doves holding olive branches and people holding hands, etc. 

Here’s a writing prompt with a visual for you to contemplate and write a poem for.  It can be any type of poem in any form, just use this prompt as your inspiration.  Try giving yourself a time limit for your piece.

                                                       The sun is rising.

Here's what I threw together in 10 minutes based on this image and these words.

Misty sunlight scrunches my eyes.

Still water slides past my weighty and sluggish strokes

As the long night turns to new day.

Faded, the world drifts past.

Molten gold swallows my oar as it pushes on

While daylight unfolds before me.

I would love to know what you come up with from this prompt.  It would also be great to hear from you about where you get ideas for poems and what inspires you. 

Keep writing and watch how much you improve with the practice.  

Other online sources for prompts:

http://www.writingforward.com/category/writing-prompts/poetry-prompts

http://www.pw.org/writing-prompts-exercises

Regain Inspiration and/or Creative Focus

What can a creative person do when there is little inspiration and even less focus for their craft?

Well, some may go on retreats or hide away.  Some may turn to stimulants or drugs to push away the world, listen to music or steep themselves in a favorite pastime.  What an individual does when inspiration or focus are gone is as individual as the individual.  Some, like me, may turn a bit silly and say or write silly things to get the juices flowing again.

In this regard, I created the following ludicrous poem in an attempt to start typing on the old keyboard for a totally creative purpose.  My endeavor was to make myself rhyme and count syllables.  Neither of these are things I practice when I write poetry.  I tend to let the form and manner of my writing be dictated by what I am attempting to convey in the work.

So take this little ditty as a form of inspiration to inspire you to get past those moments when inspiration is on holiday.

Rhyming Fun Counting Syllables

Kimberly L McClune

April 10, 2015

Home alone,

Alone at home

Never on the telephone (7)

Seeing things that I am shown (7)

High and low

Low is high

Perhaps way up in the sky (7)

Going there where I can fly (7)

Thinking now

Then I think

Knowing that I think I know (7)

Thinking that I know I think (7)

Above below

Below above

Many things that I can show (7)

Showing all the things I know (7)

Truth or lie

Lying truth

Do you think that you are sly? (7)

Lying as you travel by (7) 

Now that you've had a good laugh at my expense, or now believe me to be totally insane, I bet you feel a little better about that lapse in creativity you've been struggling with.  Take heart in knowing that you’re not alone. 

Keep writing, or doing whatever creative activity charges your soul with life energy.  The above poem at least brought a smile to my face and heart through the mere act of creating it.  I could go on writing about this and you could go on reading, or we could both stop right now and get on with it, now that we’re inspired of course! 

Enjoy your creativity! J

Silver Morning - A new poem

Sadly, I have had many troubles and life issues to deal with that have taken the desire and inspiration to write poetry from me for a very long time.  However, the winter weather a few weeks ago interrupted my depressing self-dialogue and I penned the following in response to the world that greeted me that morning.

Silver Morning

By Kimberly L. McClune
February 11, 2015

A window frames a fragile scene.

The morning ceiling is layered in gray and white
And a diaphanous haze clings above the glassy sidewalk
That glows golden in a hidden sunrise.

Becoming a part of it,

Illusion shifts to reality
As I take my first steps.

The air is thick, dusted with fog.

Yet a silvery light surrounds me,
Simple, delicate.
It engulfs me.

Tufts of new fallen snow hug every surface

Fluffy and white, dense and rich
Winter boas cling to trees and rooftops
Softening the form of a hardened world.

With the many changes that I have recently undergone in my life, I am planning to spend more time in the practice of writing, not just poetry, but short stories and articles and anything else that comes to mind. 

I have learned that writing that be healing or cumbersome, enjoyable or a chore.  For me, it is a way of healing, rejoicing and completely free self-expression.  When I need to write, I am forced to do so by my very soul. 

May you enjoy this poetic offering and take inspiration from it to read more poetry or do your own creation with words.

Enjoy your impending Spring and I hope to write more very soon to share with you.

Writing Prompts

Haven't made a post in a while and I'm sorry.  Being unemployed is taking it's toll, along with other factors in my life.  Some are things I can control.  Many are things I can't control and must take time to deal with.

One continual joy in my life is the monthly Writers Circle at my local library.  The group grows and changes, yet is always full of talented, enjoyable people.  A frequent activity for us is to do a writing exercise, often with a prompt of some kind.  This month, we are writing from a picture, prior to our meeting, and then presenting our creations to each other.

After staring at this picture for long moments, and mulling it over, I came up with what follows.  The inspiration was two fold for me.  I was first inspired by the feeling I was infused with by the photo. The second was the personal connection that feeling brought forth.  Here is the result.  I hope you find something personal here, that it is touching and not saddening.

Lonely Beach

By Kimberly L. McClune

September 7, 2013

Looking out across the gleaming waters                                    

Eyes squinting, hearts pinching                                      

We walked together and yet separate.

Neither the rush of waves nor the glaring sun

Could penetrate our joint solitude.

The cry of a distant gull hung in the air

Unanswered

Just like the longing so ardent in our souls.

Would we ever?

No

Never.

Holding tears behind our eyes

Unwilling to show the pain

Unable to share the depth of feeling

We strode along the water’s edge.

The actual writing prompt was to write a paragraph or poem based on the photo.  I didn't really care which I wrote, I simply wrote what came to me.  In fact, my first scribblings were almost the makings of a paragraph, but I found that what came of this exercise wasn't a little story, rather, it was expressing the emotion that this photo inspired inside me.  My feelings often come in the form of a poem rather than stories.

You may find the same thing as you write, that emotions are expressed in a certain form and that anecdotes and experiences take another.  Perhaps they take the same form for you.  Regardless, I find that I miss writing very much and look forward to making much more time for it in the coming weeks.  I believe that you cannot become accomplished at anything unless you DO IT, and do it a lot.

Writing prompts are a good way to practice your craft.  You can find ideas on the internet with simple searches or challenge yourself or a friend.  You could select a photo, make up a title, or choose a subject for a simple paragraph or four stanza poem.  These exercises can become the basis for a new piece or just stay as an exercise.  Your writing is just that, YOURS!  No one else should tell you exactly what words to write or you are no longer the writer.  

Well, I've to get back to writing, etc.  Take care and enjoy the day.