Julia Karr

I don’t always have the time to read all the blogs I’d like to. But, I wanted to highlight a couple that I find really helpful when it comes to writing.

One of the two is Kristen Lamb’s blog, We Are Not Alone. She is so generous with her knowledge about many aspects of writing. And, she’s a social media guru, and funny, and honest, and I find her to be awfully REAL. I like that a bunch!

The other is Writer Unboxed. Posts are from a variety of writers, and the varied views of the writing world and biz are excellent! I always learn a lot from WU!

Are there particular writing blogs that you find useful? Entertaining? Not-t0-be-missed? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to find some others to add to my reading list!

There is no question that this bionic arm is wonderful for this man! And the possibilites for future amputees being able to live normal lives is awe-inspiring.

Here’s the article on io9. And the video from Youtube:

There’s one thing in the story that gives me pause. “… 2045 Initiative — an attempt to upload a fully conscious mind to an avatar by mid-century.

What are the ramifications of “…a fully functional, holographic human avatar, complete with an artificial brain chock full of your own thoughts, passions, fears, opinions, emotions and memories. Your total conscious — and, presumably, subconscious — being.”?

A form of immortality.

This is hard to wrap my brain around. Some questions that immediately pop to mind are:  What is the purpose? Is it ethical? Is it necessary?

I wonder, dear readers… given the opportunity to continue your existence as an avatar… would you do it?

Or – being published doesn’t make it all better.

Now, don’t get me wrong – being published is fabulous! Traditional publication is a huge validation of one’s writing. But, it doesn’t guarantee long-term happiness or satisfaction. Publication is just one step on a writer’s journey; at least that’s true for this writer.

Happiness in writing (or any worthwhile endeavor) could be defined as the continued striving for and achievement of your goals.

Along my writing journey I’ve set, and reached, such goals as finally finishing a first novel (that may never see the light of day), getting a poem published, finishing and polishing a second novel, getting an agent, revising said novel, getting a book deal, and having two books published. All cause for celebration! (Which I did!) Along the way, however, there was also disappointment and discouragement. The realities aren’t always what an onlooker sees – but they are what a writer feels.

So, what is one to do when your writing dream is beset by nightmarish angst? For me, the answer was to do what writers do – WRITE.

I’ve written through grief, anger, heartache, joy…the whole spectrum of emotions! (And, let me say, sometimes joy is the hardest to write through!)

A writer writes. If they can’t write stories, they journal. If they can’t journal, they write blogs, letters, cards, emails, tweets, or Facebook posts. If they can’t even do that, they make lists – a grocery list can count as writing!

What I’m saying is that all writing is writing. And by invoking the action of pen to paper or fingers on a keyboard, writers eventually find their way back to the form they want to write (or discover new possibilities along the way.)

Wherever you are on your journey – whatever the validation or discouragement – keep on writing! It’s what you do!

How’s your writerly journey going? I’d love to know!

This Caturday is all about Esmerelda. I believe she has aspirations of becoming a writer, or at the very least, she’d like to journal.

What do you think?

It’s been a long week, but I think I can eke out five random things…

1. Never count your squash before you harvest them. (something weird is going on in the squash patch – it doesn’t look good, folks!)

2. Not every lowering sky is going to produce rain! (hence the need for watering…)

3. Everything that needs to be picked is bound to come on at once! (Cherries and gooseberries and sugar snap peas – oh my!)

4. Cats always want to cuddle when it’s hot as a sauna and twice as humid! (trying to get cat hair off a damp arm or cheek is the pits!)

5. Cats always find the boxes – even if they’re flower ones!

What’s going on with your Friday? I’d love to know!

Not the hokey-pokey, as you may have been misinformed in childhood.

A few years back, when XVI was being shopped around, I bought myself some writing books to (hopefully) improve my writing skills. Among them was Robert McKee‘s, STORY.

I’d love to say that I dug in and applied everything I learned and became a fabulous author. But, that’s not what happened. The reality was that XVI was sold and I got caught up in editorial letters, revising, and then writing book two. My plans to become a better writer went by the wayside.

Now, two published books (and three years!) later – I’m no longer working a day job and have plenty of time to work on getting better at my craft. So, I took my copy of STORY off the shelf and started studying. Not just reading (I’d read the entire book when I got it) but this time really studying it. For me, this includes having a dictionary by my side, because Mr. McKee has already used a few words that I figured out contextually, but I needed to really understand what he meant. Thank goodness for The Living Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language! It’s an oldie – but definitely a goodie! My go-to word resource!

Back to STORY – I was nearly disheartened when I read in chapter one, “You must be born with the creative power to put things together in a way no one has ever dreamed.”

Enter Self-Doubt – stage right!

Fortunately, McKee closes that chapter by saying, “Rare as story talent is, you must have some or you wouldn’t be itching to write. Your task is to wring from it all possible creativity.”

That reminded me of basketball great, Larry Bird (a Hoosier, just like me ) He took the talent he had and made himself remarkable! Read about his practice routine here!

I hope by digging into STORY and learning the principles of good storytelling, I’ll be able to practice and practice and eventually get better!

What about you? How do you work on the craft of writing? I’d love to know!

Oh – and because I wrote “encyclopedic” above, and it’s from “encyclopedia” – I have to include this video, because I still sing this song in my head whenever I write any form of e-n-c-y-c-l-o-p-e-d-i-a!

I can’t seem to stay away from gardening and writing analogies! I’m sure that’s because everything outside my house is bursting at the seams! As that old show tune goes… June is Busting Out All Over!

Although the focus of that song has more to do with the figurative birds & bees (wink, wink), June is the beginning of the fruit here at the Karr homestead! I picked the first batch of ripe cherries (pictured below), the blueberries are blushing purple, the gooseberries are ready to pop, and the blackberries form a wall of busy humming from the bees and other pollinating insects.

What does this have to do with writing? Well… sometimes ideas take their time ripening, but when they do, you’d better be ready! Chances are (oh, musical interlude!)…

Now… back to our regularly-scheduled blog…  Chances are your ideas (like harvest-ready fruit) will come faster and more furiously than you anticipate!

In the same way as me having my canning jars, freezer bags, and pectin close at hand; when scenes, character sketches, and plot points are bombarding me from all different directions – I make sure that I’ve got notebooks, index cards, and/or my favorite writing program (Scrivener) easily available.

In making the most of the fruit harvest – I need to consider all options – some will get eaten fresh or baked into pies or muffins. Then there’s canning and freezing of fruit I’m not prepared to use right away. And, since these particular fruits tend to overlap in readiness – I need to decide which I’m going to deal with first, second, etc.

Writing-wise. if I’m working on one particular story and another pops into my head – I take the time to make enough notes on it (either jotting down a scene, a brief synopsis, whatever will jog my memory) so that I won’t forget the idea – but then I leave it and go back to what I was doing. Knowing that I’ve got that new story on ice (so to speak), I don’t have to fret… I’ll get back to it when there’s time. Which may be a long way away! (I’ve got many partials, notes, and other jottings of stories waiting to be written – some I’ve had for years!)

Later then – like going through the freezer and choosing from gooseberries, blackberries, and cherries to make a fresh pie in the middle of the winter – I can go through the “writing ideas” files on my computer. I have many ideas to choose from, because I “preserved” them when they were fresh and for me that works pretty well.

How do you capture your ideas that come at less than opportune times? I’d love to know!

I have always loved “ruins.” I remember looking for arrowheads in the cornfields when I was a kid. Even today I can’t dig in the garden without wondering what I might unearth. (So far I’ve come up with a few marbles, a couple of broken bottles & shards of pottery, some very rusty old hinges, and a railroad spike!) I must have been an archeologist in another life.

Yesterday on my Facebook page I posted this link to an article about an Egyptian city (Heracleion) that had been buried in the sea following an earthquake thousands of years ago! You should take the time to read it & watch the clips at the end – amazing!

That story, which I found fascinating, reminded me of a documentary I’d seen about the Black Sea and Dr. Ronald Ballard’s research work on shipwrecks. Although he’s most well-known for his work on the Titantic, I find his exploration of the Black Sea even more interesting. Here’s a bit of a glimpse into his findings in the Black Sea.

I am amazed & thrilled that we have the technology to explore and recover these shipwrecks!

When I was a teenager, Donovan was one of my favorite musicians. What is not to love about this boy?!

A mystical romantic with dreamy eyes and an enchanting voice – and a wordsmith extraordinaire! Perhaps this song of his helped shape my love of cities hidden beneath the waves.

Does any new technology have the key to the mysteries of your youth? I’d love to know!

*from Atlantis by Donovan

As I write this I’m listening to an early work by Mendelssohn  - he was in his teens when he wrote it.

I’m easily impressed by someone so young writing something so beautiful. Even more impressed by my favorite composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was nineteen when he wrote this.

Anyway… I was thinking how dabbling in creative outlets other than writing – such as listening to music, reading, going to the movies or a play, visiting an art museum or gallery, etc. – almost always leads to an increase in my own creativity.

In her seminal work, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron refers to this as “filling the [creative] well.

However, my well-filling doesn’t always involve the creative arts. I can find just as much inspiration from walking down a country lane, playing with my granddaughter, or planting flowers.

Inspiration, no matter what the source, fans creative embers into flame. We need all of the arts, all of beauty, nature, and other creative spirits so everyone can fill their wells.

Have you a particular well-filling activit or person that revitalizes you? I’d love to hear about it!

Of course, every day at my house is cat day – but on Caturday, I wanted to single out and share some of the besties from the week!

Today is Baxter, having a little bird’s foot soup! (Silly Baxter!)

Then again… what kitty wouldn’t love to drink some birdie-bathing water?!

Have a fabulous weekend, y’all!