The Wabi-Sabi Writer

When I was at the retreat a couple weeks ago one of my colleagues Hallie stated she could not avoid the orange in her life.  This plagued her - orange is her least favorite color and yet it was showing up everywhere, in the intention stone she chose, in the mandala she created, even in scarves she danced with.  This became synonymous with getting "called out" by the universe.

Now orange happens to be my FAVORITE color - I seek it in the glow of a sky blue pink sunset or the blush of an early autumn sunrise.  I pick out all the orange gummy bears from the squirmy pile of gelatinous goodness and devour them all (those who know me expect this).  My good luck t-shirt that I wear race morning in Nice is a vibrant pumpkin statement to the world - It reads:
Je fais ce que je veux - I do what I want.  It is the color of happiness and creativity.

Which brings me to the current state of affairs.  I am day four into the NaNoWriMo and after a ball busting sprint the first night (3500 words, two novels) I am finding myself gasping for creative air, hoping the burning sensation in my fingers and bottom will pass.  I am being true though - and like a lover I am not keeping my muse waiting.  I am showing up.  Now if the words would just flow.

I am thinking I need a talisman, a something that will put me write (pun intended).

Like with Hallie, this morning I was being called forth, chasing and being chased by orange.  Neon orange to be specific - the race t-shirt for the US Half Marathon that I competed in is a vibrant day glow garment that most of the women wore during the race.  I am a tad supersistious - I wear my Training for Ironman France shirt for my running races, and even if I wanted to wear something else I adhere to the #1 rule in athletic competitions.  Nothing new race day.  So my t-shirt was folded neatly in the drawer waiting to make its maiden voyage another day.   But when I returned home (after a fantastic race, with stiff legs and sweaty braids threatening to evolve into dreadlocks) I pulled it out to take a picture of it with my race number and medal.  Spying the color if it instantly warmed my heart and ran a chill down my spine.  I know this shirt will have more uses than just a run along the bay.  I will be pulling it on to evoke the muse and when it is just too damned hot to wear (November is when SF has its Indian Summer) I will hang it by my desk to draw down some of its zing.

It is the write thing to do...


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Check in:

Faithful morning pages - except for today since I had to leave the house at 6 am for the race.  I will return to them this evening and resume tomorrow morning,

NaNoWriMo - since I could not decide on which storyline to go with, I decided to do both.
As of right now, I have written 3800 words for Louche (working title) and 1800 for Kraig's List.  A little behind schedule.  The day is not over yet though!

Wabi-Sabi - have not written up the poems into the blog yet..  Will see if I get to that this week otherwise I may opt to revise some goals to just focus on the novel efforts

This upcoming week I plan to read more of the other participant blogs (as well as others) and comment.

Orange you glad?

So I find myself here, on the eve of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo as we like to call it) still pondering which story I want to go with.  Nothing like the last minute, right?  Truth be told, I have been thinking about this for a while.  I dedicated many a feverish night while I lay awake flu ridden on the subject.

During the day however, I was only able to sit sideways in my large marshmallow chair and mindlessly watch hours of Dexter, Special Victims Unit and the occasionally cooking show with tissues stuffed up my nose to stave off the relenteless nasal drip.  Research, reading or writing was out of the question - my  throbbing head would have none of it.

A week later I am able to breathe (most of the time, though still battling the phlegm and bronchitis demons) and take tenuous steps towards the Rubicon that calls me.

My two novel ideas in essence are either one that follows a young man into adulthood and psychosis or one that finds a young woman in an arranged relationship that completely tests her boundaries.

Basically, I have to decide if I want to spend the month in madness or in bed (though I suspect both will have a touch of the other).

Any intriguing prospect...
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My check in (I missed Sunday's check in)

My daily morning pages continues tirelessly - thankfully writing in a notebook did not affect my headache so was able to stick with this.

Fences - remained only a desire for completion.  I am not going to make the goal of getting to a first edit state by the end of October.  I am planning on adjusting the ROW80 goals to include spending some of my time this upcoming month on it so long as I do not lose traction on the "Louche" (NaNoWriMo)

"Louche" - fed two birds with one seed by reading a novel (4 to go) for research purposes.  Also watched a couple of movies that provided some character and context.  If I go with this story line will be changing the title.

Wabi-Sabi - handwote some poetry and prose that will need to be entered into the blog.

Read November Writer's Digest.

This past weekend I attended a creative art retreat as part of a coaching certification program.  Three days filled with many different processes - writing, meditation, jungian sand play, labrynth walking, mandalas, dance, claywork, and lastly creating a joy altar.  All of this shared with a small cohort of fellow travelers who were exploring their inner terrain and outer possibilities.  

The first night we were passed a basket of stones from which we were to select one that called to us, that we would use to set our intention for the retreat on.  I spied an orange one as others were making their choice but soon that was claimed.  I glanced into the basket to see a slight heart shaped rock beneath a smooth flat ivory quartz.  I picked up the flat stone wanting it to be the one for me - it was bright, and perfectly oval.  But the beat of the one beneath it could not be denied.  I picked up the charcoal heart to find it more a smooth seed with a notch in it.  I knew it was my heart-seed that would hold my intentions.  

We were then guided through a meditation to set our intentions - the word that pulsed through me was trust.  Trust myself, the process, the growth - the teacher, the fellow students - everything..

I found myself struggling caught up in old patterns, in comparisons and judgement.  My art was not flowing.  Just before noon, the instructor took us outside to the labrynth where we would walk at our own pace, observing.  A heart stone marked the entrance where we were to call into rememberance - our intentions, our struggles.  Release, resolve and renew as we walked the spiral paths.  Along the way, I took note of the plants, the statues or hanging feeders with hummingbirds flitting about.  And then I turned the corner and before me a stone along the border which read radical trust.  I stopped in my tracks, to breathe and to absorb the message.  

(I plan to write more of the retreat experience in a few days.  I need to sit with it for a while but wanted to share small bit as part of my Sunday check in)

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I officially signed up for the NaNoMo coming up (soon!!) and started on plot research.  I did come up with a working title of Louche but after this weekend I am feeling that may need to change.

Wabi Sabi - the retreat was rich in writing opportunities.  I have used the freewrite, poetry soup and distilled poem for this. (*please tell me your thoughts)

Freewrite - Walking in the Dark
Poetry Soup - Dark Hours
Final Poem - My Darkest Hour

My Morning Pages the past three days have been spotty - the retreat taking over for this.  I am returning to them first thing in the morning

Fences has been neglected. I am going to spend time tomorrow mending, painting and weeding - so that I can reach the goal of 1st edit before NaNoMo.