Writing – The Craft of

Try Again Tomorrow

/ Lisa / Leave a comment

I’m listening to a song called ‘Try Again Tomorrow’ by Audiomachine. It’s on my Creativity playlist on Spotify and it was the first one to start playing when I decided to come up with something to write about today. The title made me smile because, wow, what a temptation. Isn’t that the easy way out? Every photo here is a way I have found to put writing off lately.

I’ve been waiting for the next story to show up and tinkering in the meantime with what I call ‘snippets’. Little moments of dialog that a character is whispering to me occasionally. I don’t know what her story is yet but she has an intriguing voice and an even more intriguing question.

A visit to the rose gardens in Portland, Oregon

I’ve also been waiting for an idea to write about here that isn’t something I’ve already shared. I mean, it’s not like my life is fascinating and full of adventure to blog about.

So maybe I will try again tomorrow.

Except, putting things off is becoming an excuse. Which is why I laughed a little when the song started playing. All writers know if you want to write, you need to put your butt in the chair. Waiting for the muse rarely works as well as creating a routine and working on something, anything, to prime the pump.

A walk in the woods.

So what have I been working on? I’m learning to make journals. My excuse is that I’m still working with stories in a way, hands on paper, with just the pen missing. And the words. Also, the daydreams.

Last weekend I chatted with my son’s partner and she was telling me about a story she’s writing. We had so much fun talking about characters who suddenly decide they are going to take off on their own path and leave us following. It made me miss the excitement when that happens. Or when you are so sucked into the story that the world disappears until you suddenly come up for air and realize the whole day has also disappeared.

Driving to work this week, I thought about how long it’s been since I posted here. I don’t think I’ve had enough time lately to spend in my mind, if that makes sense. Too busy, too many changes, too many worries. Daydream time has been put off until tomorrow. Or the next day. Or next week. You know how it is when life gets busy and luxuries get forgotten along the way.

I don’t want to force a new story before it’s ready to come into the world. No premature book babies. I’ve learned that never turns out well. But I’m starting to feel antsy and missing writing, which is a good sign. I think the kettle of cold water is beginning to simmer.

So what song is playing now? ‘On the Nature of Daylight’ by Max Richter. One of my favorites on the Creativity playlist. But I think I’ll skip ahead to ‘I’ll Meet You Halfway’ by the Partridge Family, one of those guilty-pleasure songs you’re embarrassed to admit you still love to sing along to. And then I’ll put my butt in the chair. Maybe. Or maybe tomorrow. It’s getting kind of late in the day…

A Quiet World

/ Lisa / 9 Comments

I’m in that fallow period between writing projects. Waiting for Otherkin to move through the publication process and waiting for a new story to come to me. It’s like the winter season, quiet and dormant, cozy and gestating.

In the meantime I’ve made a few discoveries relating to hearing.

Several years ago I lost hearing in one ear. Three little bones that should vibrate, calcified. Surgery replaced them with an implant that didn’t work. More recently, my ‘good’ ear has been getting worse. So I gave in, got a referral, and found out just how bad my hearing actually was.

I didn’t realize how much hearing was related to context. When face to face with someone, in a conversation, able to watch faces, you can anticipate what the words are going to be. But when you’re in a little room alone with headphones on and a specialist speaking random words with no context, it’s a completely different matter. I couldn’t figure out any of the words. After a series of interesting tests, I left with a graph that showed where normal hearing was, and where mine was, way, way, way down at the bottom. I also left with an appointment to come back and be fitted with hearing aids. When my husband saw the graph, his response was ‘Sh**, you can’t hear f**k all’. Succinct and true.

This past week has been the trial, and I’m not adjusting well. The hearing aids are extremely painful, there’s a loud echo to everything, an odd high-pitched regular beeping like a miniature car alarm in my head, and, of course, noise. Most of this will be adjusted at the next appointment.

In the meantime, I’m startled by noise. Birds! So many birds. The squeak of the floorboards. The sound of traffic. It took me way too long driving home to realize the odd breathing sound I heard was cars passing going the other direction. Conversations and clanking and voices of strangers. It all sounds so exaggerated.

It’s made me realize how quiet my world has been. How muffled. I can no longer hear my own heartbeat. I’m no longer cocooned. Which has made me realize I’m not sure I want to be in a noisy world.

Hearing aids are going to be fantastic at work and out in public where acoustics make it impossible to pick out individual voices. I can see other benefits, too, such as the fact that music will play directly into my hearing aids and no one will know.

I find myself using the pain though, as an excuse to take them out. To return to that quiet place with just my heartbeat. I might choose to only wear them at work.

There’s something to be said for quiet, for the ability to remove hearing and step away from the noise. I suppose that’s why people use ear plugs, putting something in, to find quiet, rather than taking something out to prevent sound.

Though I think my husband just said something. He hasn’t realized I took the hearing aids out. This might actually end up being fun. Either way, it will be an interesting learning curve.

Otherkin: Merging Reality with Mythical Beliefs

/ Lisa / 6 Comments

Otherkin is an interesting subculture. It represents people, or a person, who identify as nonhuman. In particular, people who believe they are wholly or partially an animal or mythical being.

I’m not talking about people who dress up in costumes or people who feel they relate more to their dogs than to their family. Just as you know you are a human being, these people know they are not. They believe they are animals, mythical creatures like dragons or elves, or even aliens.

Whether you think of this as a psychological disorder or truly possible is open to interpretation and your own belief systems.

However, there is a lesser known interpretation. This aligns closer to earth-based religions, to paganism, etc., where they believe all things have life (or soul) and that the otherworld is all around you whether you can see it or not. These are people who believe in the kindred spirits of animals and nature.

That’s the interpretation I’m using for a story. Otherkin will be released soon. It’s taken me a long, long time to write, and it’s a sequel to This Deep Panic. How does the world look after mythical creatures have returned? How do we move on from a catastrophic earthquake and begin rebuilding lives? How do we do that when most creatures want to kill us, but some are…otherkin?

I am just starting the revising work and then it will go to the editor, then come back to me for more revisions. But I will have the first three chapters available soon for everyone to read. And in the meantime, here is the cover. Let me know what you think. I’m very happy with how the artist has rendered this.