Hot Salt Sisters

Wow, what a weekend we had. I attended a women's wilderness weekend that included rafting, hiking, writing, painting and relating. The setting was incredible, nestled between Fishers Tower and the Priest and the Nuns formation in Utah. The blues in the sky blossumed above us while the red dust coated our feet and souls. A huge thank you goes out to Sandy Dorr and Martha McCoy - our guides to higher artist achievement. Kellie and Ashley were great boatswomen and cooks - thanks for keeping us on schedule.

An amazing thing happens when women gather, the core of the earth splits open and the truth pours forth, gently, compassionately, humorously, and a plume of hope rises to the wisps of clouds floating over the desert. I want to pay homage to the raw courage of the twenty-two who attended. You are amazing. I carry within me images of woman as survivor, creator, reviver, embracer, jester, singer, wordsmith... Because of you, I find myself rejuvenated. My energy soars in the hot salt sand and searches the horizon for another refueling station. May we meet again to share, sing, laugh, live.

As a writer, we need to refuel often. The bills, children, spouses, health issues, finances, agents, publishers, and our own inner critic all deplete us. It's important to find those opportunities to fill our cups and drink deeply. I recommend any writers workshop conducted by Sandy Dorr. Go online to www.womenswildernesswriting.com. I will also be conducting a writer's workshop in Ridgway, Colorado on June 2, 2007. For more information go to www.redcanyonink.com.

Writing for your Soul

The crud has still got me so I apologize for the gaps in blogs. I heard Russel Simmons on Oprah yesterday (yep, on the couch with the cold watching tv). He has a book out called Do You. The point of it as it was discussed is to find yourself and connect with that universal thread that runs through all of us. This is something I lose site of daily, weeklyl, monthly, yearly, etc. In learning to market my first novel I have become very frustrated because I get caught up in the marketing mind (what a tangled web of stuff). I forget to step back and inhale, look around, tap into that place in me where the truth lies and then act. I keep frantically implementing new "marketing ideas" and getting nowhere. I lose my passion for writing. I need to get back to the source. To that well inside me where wonder happens, where I sense the connectiveness to all things. Most importantly though, I need to give to the world and stop thinking about some marketing goal. I have used this positive approach previously in my life and it is so life-affirming. So today find yourself by giving to others and let the Tao loose in your life.

I'm baaaack

Well, a bit of travel and a whopping cold have left me speechless - literally - I lost my voice. That, of course, does not mean I can't blog but I had to clear my head first. I haven't said much about my book but I want to today. Threads is the story of Maggie Casey and her belief in something better out there only in the end she realizes it is something better in there. When we stop looking for validation from the outside we realize we have what we need within us. It takes a long time for human beings to see their own worth and maybe this is important. Maybe it's what keeps us striving. I am finally at an age where I feel calm and confident but like Maggie, I didn't start out this way, I had to earn this feeling. We all have to do the work - finding ourselves and getting comfortable in our skin is our job not a given. So go do the work. Get out there and test yourself. See what you are made of - take a chance and expand your comfort zone. Learn something about yourself today.

The whole truth and nothing but the truth

When I was a kid the truth was simple - if my mother asked if I had done something the only answers were yes or no. Now as an adult I see things differently. Intent finds its way into the answer. I may have done something with a good intent that unfortunately was perceived in another manner. I have also come to see that what matters is the perception and not the intention. I have had to do a lot of apologizing as an adult because of the gap between intention and perception. A friend once said a good way to evaluate an action or statement is to see it as a headline in a newspaper - if it doesn't look good don't do/say it. I think this is good advice. So my advice for today is to carefully examine your words and deeds and make sure they meet this criteria. However, for writing characters in a novel the lack of an inner monologue might be just the thing - this character would just blurt out what was on his/her mind - some of which would definitely violate the newspaper headline rule. So it's okay for your characters to exhibit poor choices in words and deeds but not for you the author.

Imus's comments

I agree with Al Sharpton, Imus should be fired. His comments were reprehensible. Those words are ugly and show a level of insensitivity unimagined. I grew up at a time when they were used in conversation and even at ten years old I found them disgusting. It is time to delete them from our language. We cannot heal wounds if words continue to reopen them. There is no humor in demeaning words. They are just not funny. Words are my tools and I understand that in using them I have a certain responsibility to use them carefully, like any other tool. Imus needs to learn this lesson.

Slow down and think

It's a strange world we live in, sometimes violent, sometimes kind, and all the time a moving target. In the world I grew up in things seemed different. Day after day brought more of the same. My dad went to work, sometimes my mom worked, we went out to play or to school and the cycle repeated itself. There were few options and people seemed to like it that way. In contrast, our world today, moves quickly and changes in a moments notice. It's like a tornado with little warning. Like the war in Iraq, we woke up one day and our commander in chief had tossed the middle east into chaos on a psychotic whim. No preparation, no forethought - just bam! What happened to careful deliberation? Has the pace of our lives so overrode our ability to make careful judgements? Is our instant gratification world pushing us to ever impulsive behavior? Is the world gone ADD? I think it's time to slowdown and consider our actions whether we are writing a book or invading a country - just slow down and let things happen instead of forcing things to happen. Let your characters reveal who they are rather than arbitrarily shaping them to some preconceived notion. Read the Tao te Ching - it makes sense. Practice "not being". Make no decisions until your mud settles. Retreat 2 steps rather than advance one in anger. Slow down.

Authors and Thick Skin

First off, I heard Anne Lamott read and discuss her latest book, Grace (Eventually) last night at the Tattered Cover in Denver. She was fantastic - very witty, raw and honest just like her books. I drove 4 hours across the mountains to see her. I am indebted to her because without Bird by Bird I would not be a published author. I am glad I did - it was well worth the cost of gas and my nervousness in driving in Denver.

On to thick skin - boy you better develop it if you step foot into the book industry. Having had a successful career in research, I am unaccustomed to rejection but am becoming more and more familiar with it each day. I am trying real hard to not have it reduce me to a puddle on the kitchen floor but some days I lose the battle. I spent most of the 4 hour drive yesterday fighting back tears from having had my book event rejected by a major bookstore. It seems since my book has not sold at this store they do not want to do a promotion to achieve that end. Its a catch 22 - I am just expanding my marketing plans to include this area so that the book will sell however since it hasn't, I can't. My marketing has been local until now due to the fact that I am a small press with limited funds. My book has been well received locally and so I thought it was time to expand - the catch is that since I don't have a regional or national appeal yet, so I can't get anyone interested in hosting an event. But if I don't host events, people won't hear about my book. I guess I will look to new venues to host my events. Anyone with some suggestions is welcome to reply.

Flying a Kite

The downs came for a visit today. Usually, I act like there's a religious affiliated person at my door and duck and cover, pretending I'm not home but today they caught me off guard. I not only answered the door, I invited them in. There they were sitting on my couch, drinking my coffee and reading my newspaper - quite comfy, I might add - too comfy. Had my dog not barked, I might not have noticed their tentacles slipping about my ankles. Just in time, I jumped and dislodged them. I quickly put on my sneakers and hurried out the door just ahead of their grasp. "So where to?" I asked myself. The answer came and I busied myself in the garage. Within ten minutes I was on the road. As I turned into Canyon View Park, I noticed the wind picking up nicely - good, I thought. I parked and opened up the back of my Highlander. I grabbed my spirit attached it to the string and sent it soaring into the rapturous gusts. After a few slams into the ground, a minor adjustment and a piece of torn sheet, I was flying again and this time I stayed up. My kite danced and played amongst the slivered clouds and last falls final leaves. The sun warmed and the wind cooled, such a nice balance and so it was that I was rebalanced. Moral of the story: when the downs come for a visit, go fly a kite.