wrestling images

Summer 2006 - Ray and I visited the Olympic facilities at Colorado Springs, in the shadow of Pikes Peak. Lovely city and facility. Here are some wrestling dummies lined up, ready for action. Eager for a tussle. Well, writing is a daily struggle and like these dummies, words are waiting for some commotion. They are waiting for me to do something creative - align them in a formation that makes sense, that draws in the reader, that paints a picture. It can indeed be a strain or endeavor, and yet it's worth the effort to pummel, to strike, to beat up the English language, and end up with a sentence worth reading. Whew! Where's the Gatorade?

Joanne

Look up

Splendid Saturday in Fort Worth, TX. Lunch at the Modern overlooking their reflecting pool. Normally this is a calm oasis, however, last Saturday thanks to the wind it was whitecapping.

A stroll to the Kimbell to revel in classic art. They are currently preparing a new exhibition on the Renaissance Period, so the large main galleries were closed. Guess I'll have to return.
This picure, courtesy of Ann Summerville, is the vaulted exterior of the Kimbell. She was taking some pictures and I said, "Look up. Such a clear blue sky, cool arch, amazing architecture. Snap it for me." Thanks, Ann.

Indeed, it's good to look up. Gain a new perspective. This concept was brought home at the Amon Carter Museum's featured exhibition, Barbara Crane Challenging Vision. This woman's 40 year retrospective is fabulous. She truly does look at the world in a unique way, and I came away from it with an enthusiasm for my writing. Keep the thesaurus handy and compose. Twist words. Overexpose. Have fun with creativity. (And get out to museums. Support the arts!)

Joanne

colorful high jinx

this stained glass piece, a gift from friends, hangs in my office and even on a gray day offers variety and contrasts to inspire. On a sunny day it practically shimmers. Even cooler are the dots of color splashed on the floor. Creative Soul's blog (follow the side link) discussed winter blahs and the need for a jolt in February. That's true of writing too. Sometimes you have to pull out fuchsia or lapis lazuli when red or blue won't do.

Joanne

Take a Dive

Yes

this

shark

repre-sents the publish-ing world - eager to swallow writers whole, shred egos to pieces, and leave a bloody mess.

Or perhaps it's just another day in Belize where my husband dove in September. The sharks circle. The divers are wary. Fortunately, neither choose to bare their teeth. I stayed home, had use of the big screen tv, and awaited the tales of adventure and the pictures. These are courtesy of Pelagia, the boat Agressor's film team. I am inspired by Ray's scuba tales:

Belize

hold my breath
coral beauty
intense color
tentacles wave
bubbles waft
barracuda above
shark below

exhale
fast forward
scuba diving hubby
floats away
thumbs up

dvd dive
relive adventure

dry land

I exhale

See, I can write about the experience without getting wet.

Joanne

Don't set yourself on fire

Fan the flames of creativity - read, listen, take notes, observe. Zoom in or zoom out. I nearly set my sweatshirt hood ties on fire as I leaned in close to this candle for a picture. Now that would have been quite a story. Sometimes, look straight up; sometimes look down. It's okay to stumble along the way. Distortion, contortion, rhyme or rap. Catch up with an old friend, or eavesdrop on a conversation at a restaurant. It's amazing what can happen as words heat up.

Joanne

soar higher

This little bronze piece, sculpted by Dave Rizzo, sits atop my writing desk.

She flings into space. Arms outreached. Full of trust, hope, abandon. The interplay of shadows on the wall offer depth and contrast.

As I place a stamp on an envelope today and entrust my words to the post office to deliver them to an agent, editor, or literary journal, I fling my writing into the world.

Hope someone catches me.

Joanne

Sooner - word choice, not a person from Oklahoma

As I edit and re-edit my NaNo novel, I contemplate word choices. In the rush to crank out 50K words back in the month of November, style and content flew out the window. Now I ponder each page. Pithy bon mots should flow from the mouths of my characters. Settings should not involve mere blue or tan couches or a boringly beautiful day. I need to draw a picture that pulls my reader into a sense of place.

Time designations should not be vague. Hence, this discussion of "soon". My black Pontiac GT zoom-mobile appears to have a persnickety catalytic converter. The whole fuel system dumped a year ago and I poured money into my baby. Six months ago a light beamed from the dashboard and I panicked. The converter was replaced for free and the angels sang. Then, the LIGHT - the dreaded "Service Engine Soon" light re-appeared. Huh? After tests and consultations, nothing is wrong with the converter. It happens to not agree with the car computer and thus chooses to signal its discontent intermittently. This morning it said "soon". This afternoon, it turned off.

I need a better description from my dashboard. The light should say "three minutes" or "ten days" or "six months". SOON enables procrastination. SOON is much too vague. Think about word choice. I will, sooner or later, when I'm stranded in my car on the side of the road in Oklahoma and a kindly Sooner stops to help me.

Joanne

super sunday scattered thoughts

Four days ago, ice layered our fence outside as I slip-slided about taking pictures. Today, I"m in jeans and a t-shirt, enjoying Super Bowl Sunday on the patio. It's early in the day and I attended a matinee of "The Reader". Actually enjoy is probably not the correct word. Like the book. the film is quite intense, serious, and thought-provoking. Kate Winslet's performance is worthy of an Academy Award. Excellent film. Now I bask in the sunlight, watching birds flitter about and chatter. I should be reading, but nah....sometimes it's okay to let the world cruise along.

Super Bowl Sunday is the epitome of American excellence in sloth, junk food, and sheer waste of time. Ain't it grand! I shall have a magazine in front of me during the game, but even then I can't truly concentrate because the commercials are generally better than the football.

It's been a week full of rejections (6), but I watched Dinara Safina persevere as Serena Williams kicked her butt in Aussie Open tennis. The kid didn't give up, and I won't either. More writing and mailing next week!

G'day

Joanne