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.

Feeding your muse

So hears what I'm thinking today ... long pause... that's exactly it - how do you get the words to flow when you sit down at the keyboard or with pen in hand. It's like you just announced that you are serving liver and onions for dinner and all your guests disappear. So how do you call them back to the table? First of all free yourself from a self-imposed menu and give yourself permission to try new foods. That is, write a short piece on something totally new to you - as Natalie Goldberg would say and I'm paraphrasing - have a conversation with a broccoli. Write something farsiful, ludicras, outlandish, silly and you may find in the middle of all the nonsense something that makes so much sense that it startles you. Now take that piece and open your mind to the universe and run with it. Don't edit, don't worry about spelling, just let the pen or your fingers fly.

Do you have a character who you have written into a rut? Take a walk and observe regular people going about their regular day - now add a twist - pretend they are all members of a Broadway cast and see where your mind goes. Now go back to your character and see if a new image hasn't popped into your psyche.

The thing is, is that you have to get out of your left mind and into the right where creative ideas abound. In the past I have used crayons and play dough to move my brain from left to right. Play is good, imaginary activities even better. Go find a three year old to converse with and see life through their eyes. A three year old asked me the other day if I was a "princess", I replied, "No, at my age, I am queen." Just saying it made me think and feel different.

Change your menu, add a twist, play and be the queen/king if you want.

TTFN