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!

Compiling a Book of Poems: Post #1

Almost since I started writing poems in 2010, I've wanted to put together a collection or book of my poems.  Of course, you have to have enough poems written to fill a book first.  It's taken me years, but I've got almost enough really good poems to create at least a collection.

Being a methodical person who doesn't enter into things like this lightly, I've begun to research the best way to put together a book of poems for publication, whether just for me or for sale.  Thus far, I've found some very good sources.  The links are at the bottom of this post.

One important question I think a poet must ask is whether you want to publish strictly for yourself or to sell to the public.  I believe this is important, because if you are merely putting a collection together for your own enjoyment, the guidelines are more lax.  You don't have to adhere to the conventions of publishing.


With that said, I've decided that my first endeavor will be strictly for myself because I would like to have more of my individual poems published before I try to make sales.  Furthermore, I will say that, even though I'm currently undertaking this task for my own enjoyment, I do not like reinventing the wheel.  I will, therefore, be attempting to put my collection/book together using the conventions that are expected for a published work.

Let's start at the beginning.  
Reviewing your poems is the first step.  All the sources I've read, see links below, have various strategies outlined for reviewing your work to determine what will go into your book.  Of all the varied suggestions, printing out all your poems is a good first step.  While many of us have our poems saved in an electronic document, there's nothing like pen and paper for editing, sorting and labeling.

So, I've printed all the poems I feel are ready to go into a book, or that I want to go into a book.  I have just over 70.

Editing:
This part is both hard and fun at the same time for me.  It's hard for me when the poem I need to edit is good as is, but I know it can be better.  In cases like this I will always preserve the original before editing a copy.  Sometimes, I end up with two poems when this happens.

Editing is fun for me because I like to look at something and try to make it better.  I recently took two of my formless poems and made them into palindromes or mirror poems.  These are poems that read the same forward and back.  When you read a mirror poem you get to the half-way point and the poem reads backwards to the first line.

Here's one that I just created by editing one of my poems:

Raindrop Patterns

October 12, 2010

By Kimberly L. McClune

Raindrop patterns

Random patterns

On the window

Pooling in the corners

Gathering on the sill

Small rivers creeping down my window

Gathering on the sill

Pooling in the corners

On the window

Random patterns

Raindrop patterns

To be honest, I'm still in the editing stage with my poems.  There are about 10 that I feel need to be gone over before I feel they're strong enough for publication or inclusion in a book or collection.  I may even try publishing a few of them individually before I finish this project.  

While I finish editing, you can take a look at the links below to read about putting together your own poetry book or collection.  These are the articles or sites I found to be the most helpful.

Next week I'll post on the next step, Sorting and Organizing Your Poems.  I'll also share another edited poem.

Enjoy the Spring for Summer is mere weeks away.

Leave me a comment so I know you were here.

Poets & Writers

https://www.pw.org/content/thinking_like_an_editor_how_to_order_your_poetry_manuscript_0

Long but thoughtful post. 

wikiHow

http://www.wikihow.com/Arrange-Your-Poems-for-a-Poetry-Collection

Writer’s Digest

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/assembling-and-submitting-a-poetry-collection

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

Nonsense Poems

It’s Poetry Month so it’s time I got off my, “I’m too busy with other things” high horse and did some writing.  If I’m going to write, it’s going to be fun because I am extremely busy, so it’s going to be nonsensical.  I enjoy writing nonsense and reading it too. 

If you’re not sure you know any nonsense poems or not sure what it is, may I direct your attention to the Jabberwocky or almost any Dr. Seuss works.  In these you will find some essential elements to a nonsense poem such as, made up words and silly story-lines.

For instance, the Jabberwocky is riddled with made up words that most can’t even figure out how to pronounce, let alone determine their meaning. 

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

As you can see in this first stanza from “The Jabberwocky” there are very few familiar to guide us.  There is some description of the location, and there appear to be creatures or things doing some sort of activity, or behaving in some fashion.  Reading more we understand that there is a creature called a Jabberwock, that a fight ensues, and it is slain.  I love how I can let my imagination take me in any direction it chooses each time I read it.

Dr. Seuss manages to use made up words and tell silly stories that can teach and entertain.  For instance, in the Lorax we have many made up names and words.  He tells us of  “Grickle-grass,”  “gruvvulous gloves,” and, of course, the “Truffula Trees.”  He weaves with language creating delicious worlds, and gently pulls us in to take part.

If you’re like me, you may not be quite clever enough to invent words or a language or even a different world for your poems.  So, I choose to write nonsense using the things around me.  Here’s a sample of a poem I wrote a number of years ago while sitting at my desk at work.  I remember I was trying to work out a problem on a file and let my mind wander to all the stuff at my desk.

Nonsense Poem

September 2011

Excellent educational teamwork brings clarity to rocking regional knots.

Spinning paper scribbles integrate quick mail monkeys s

Stacking plastic keys under tables.

Tinker Bell violence, after inspection,

Credits calendars with water trash before folders help index text.

To write poems like this you must be knowledgeable in the parts of speech and all the different ways a word can be used.  For instance, in this piece the word ‘index’ in the last line is used as a verb.  So, as I look around my desk now I can identify things whose names can be used as a noun or verb or adjective.  These are the words you can use to make this type of poem come together.  Here’s another example.

Whirlpool filters swirl around Arizona sugar

Silver magnets multiply root beer carafes

Please refill igloo hot pads.

I wrote this while standing in the kitchen of the office where I currently work.  Once again, I let my mind wander over the words and items I saw around me and put down these lines on a post-it note.

It’s silly and fun to write poems like this.  It’s also a good exercise for your brain to work out how the words for thing can be used to write out sentences. 

I challenge my readers this month to take a few moments to write or read some poetry.  Simply enjoy the words, let your mind wander over them as you read or create them.  If you write anything and would like to share, please leave me a comment.  Or, simply leave me a comment anyway.  I’d love to hear from you.  

First Day of Fall Birthday Writing Prompt

So, the convergence of things today makes it extra special for me.  It's the uncommon occasion when my birthday is on the First Day of Fall.  I woke to a wonderful breakfast with my daughter and we watched a special episode of a favorite show together before I left for work.  Then I decided to write something and found this writing prompt picture online.  Below is my short piece inspired by these two young fishermen.

>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>>

“Aww do I have to get up?!” moaned Dave as he hunkered further under his covers.  Only the glow of the digital clock illuminated the room. 

“Yes!” Jason implored as he shook Dave’s shoulder.  “It’s Mom’s birthday and we’re making dinner, remember?!”  Jason stood back as Dave finally peeked out from the covers voluntarily.

“This is the best time to fish. If we wait, they’ll all have swum away.  Now get up!”  Turning on his heel, Jason left the room.

Dave swung his feet over the side of his bed and reached for his pants.  Pulling them on he stood up and fastened them.  Wrestling a shirt over his head, he finished dressing by the backdoor where Jason stood waiting, tapping his foot. 

Down at the river, the sun was barely a glow on the horizon when they threw in their lines.  Now they wait.  And wait they did.  It seemed like forever ‘til one of them got a bite. 

“It’s as if they know how important this is and they’re not going to bite!” Dave exclaimed painfully.  “Why does this always happen?!”

“Just relax.  They’ll bite.”  Jason said calmly as he moved his line a bit.

And who got the first bite as the sun was now fully over the horizon? Dave.  He felt a great yank that jerked him forward.  “Wow, this is a big one!”

Jason dropped his line and reached out to grab Dave’s.  They both tugged and Dave started to reel in the big fish.  They both gasped as the fish jumped fully out of the water.  The sun glistened on its scales as it arched and dove back in, wriggling and pulling.

Excited, Jason grabbed their net and took a step into the cold water.  Dave pulled a few more times and cranked the reel. 

With one fell swoop, Jason caught the fish in the net, “Woohoo!” he hollered!

“We did it! No, you did it!  This’ll feed half the town!”  Jason yelled.

Dave stood there, awestruck.  He’d never caught anything that size before.  All he could do was stand and stare, savoring the moment.  Jason pulled out his camera and took a picture of Dave.  Then he tossed the camera at Dave.

“Hey, get a picture of this.” 

The camera almost fell, but Dave caught it on the way down.  Shaking off his reverie, Dave aimed the lens at Jason and snapped a couple, then put the camera in his pocket.

>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<

I hope you like this little ditty.  I've never fished before and that's kind of why I selected this picture as a prompt.  If you're inspired and write something out, please share it.  

Happy Fall!  Here's another lovely picture for your enjoyment or to use as another prompt.

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.

Back in the Swing in Spring

It's been a terribly long time since I've had the inclination or inspiration or time to put pen to page or fingers to the keyboard for the creation of a new poem, story or other creative writing endeavor.  

Recently, I was inspired by my westward morning drive from Arvada to Louisville.  The Spring in Colorado, along the Front Range, can create a beautiful tableau for one's viewing pleasure.  A particular morning a few weeks ago was spectacular, simple and inspiration for me.

Below is my final poem that will, hopefully, provide an insight into my experience that day.

Daily Masterpiece

By Kimberly L. McClune

May 26, 2016

Springs morning, a blank canvas on the western horizon,

Emerges from the night

Revealing Nature’s daily masterpiece.

Crystal clear blue water color tints the sky

Virtually transparent,

Polished and perfect, like a sapphire.

Clean white paper, cut

As if by a child with scissors

Pasted with sticky fingers,

Creates a rim of bleached peaks.

Dirt, leaves, rocks and sticks

Mixed in a puddle

Tossed by the handful,

Make layers of mottled, hills against the paper.

This, Nature’s daily masterpiece,

Frameless and unaffected by man,

The freedom of creation.

Writing this poem reminded of how much I like a good writing prompt to inspire me to write, even if what I write turns out to be junk.  After all, don't we learn more from making mistakes?

So here's a good prompt to put a spring in your pen:

This image gives me the creeps a bit and also pulls a few good story ideas out of my lazy brain.  For instance, is this the Invisible Man's girlfriend or sister? Take a gander at this and see what ideas you come up with.  Perhaps try setting a timer and seeing what you can come up with in 15 minutes. Or share this with a friend and challenge each other to come up with a 200 word story about this image.  Another good idea is to see how many genres of writing you can use to create different written pieces about this image, a poem, a short story, a caption, a slogan for an advertisement, or even the outline for a novel.

So, keep writing.  Maybe write something from this picture prompt and make a comment to let me know what you came up with.

Have a great day!

Writing Prompts ~ 3 ~

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then shouldn't we be writing those words down somewhere?  Every time I see a beautiful scene or picture of just about anything, my mind wanders.  A story forms or I become inspired to write about it or describe it. 

Writing prompts can be a way to trigger or inspire words from anyone, most especially writers.  It's a great way to practice or even try a different style of writing.  I like to use prompts to help me get started on stories.

When my daughter was very small, she would get a story before bed.  Most of these were made up and most were inspired by an idea or character that she would ask for.  Some things she'd ask me to tell a story about include, a particular Disney Princess, the board game Candy Land, and Strawberry Shortcake (from the children's cartoon show).  

Many of my poems have been inspired by images, nature, or pictures.  Others have been inspired by a person or a particular trait of someone I know, like my grandmothers laugh.  

I have been very lax in writing poetry lately because I was working on writing stories about my uncle who passed away recently. As my thoughts wandered to all the memories lurking in my brain and heart about my uncle, I decided that the best way for me to mourn him was to write them down.

The stories about my uncle are on my Wattpad account in a new work called "Choose to Smile."  Here's an excerpt:

CHOOSE TO SMILE

Every year, around Easter, my family would drive out to visit them. My brother Keith, my Grandma Bang, and one parent would go along with either me or my sister (we had to take turns).

New Hampshire was like a dream when I got to go. On my very first trip I slept in the spare room all by myself. That first morning I remember waking to strange noises outside my window. The sound was rustly and crunchy and huffy. I lay in bed listening for a while until my imagination and curiosity could not be held back another minute. I climbed up to look out and saw three horses wandering around outside my window. They were nibbling at the ground and pushing at each other. They huffed out their noses as though the air was too cold. Finally they sauntered out toward the street.

I knocked shyly at my uncle's bedroom door and said, in an almost unheard voice, "There's horses outside my window. Can I go see 'em?"

All I heard was excited voices from behind the door. In a flash, my Uncle and Aunt were both bolting out the front door in coats and boots.

"Louise, what's happening, honey?" My Dad asked in the dark hallway.

"Daddy, there are three horses outside! Can I go see 'em?" I asked sweetly.

The next thing I knew, my Dad was running toward the door with boots and a coat too. Apparently, the horses weren't supposed to be walking around outside the house.

HALLOWEEN WRITING PROMPT
So, writing prompts can come from anywhere and your response to them can take many forms.  As usual, I'd like to present another picture writing prompt.  

I hope this isn't too scary for you, but it is the Halloween season, after all.

How does this image inspire you?  Write 150 words story or 3-4 stanza poem from this image.  Hopefully you will post this in the comments below and share with me and others.  

Here is my offering from this image:

She’s finally left, thought the evil presence behind the wall.  Slithering toward the mirror, tap, tap, thud, thud, harder and harder it knocked on the wall.  One small crack was all it needed to penetrate the other side and escape.  First the wall, then the mirror gave way to the insistent efforts.

An icy chill emanated from the fractured hole with razor sharp edges.  Slowly, the image of evil appeared from behind the wall.  Staring out from an abyss of darkness, the grayish creature had a visage of resentment and hatred. 

Noises came from outside the room. 

Now’s my chance, thought the entity, slinking back into darkness.

Bursting into the room, a tall, thin and lovely woman dressed in a flowing organdy gown covered in lace and pearls fairly floated toward the mirror, humming.  Seeing nothing amiss, she placed a vase of flowers directly beneath it on a table.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

That was fun to do.  I hope you like my interpretation.  Please keep writing.  Use prompts if needed to keep you going.  Also, please share your writing prompt offerings in the comments so others may enjoy them.

Keep Calm 

and 

Keep Writing

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.