My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2025 the theme is a random assemblage of things that are on my mind--or that just pop into my mind. Whatever! Let's just say I'll be "Tossing It Out" for your entertainment or however it is you perceive these things.
I don't have any skeletons in my closet--there isn't any room for them...
The Insecure Writer's Support Group
Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh'sInsecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog.
February 6 question - Besides writing what other creative outlets do you have?
There are so many creative directions that I could go that sometimes I become overwhelmed. That's the story of my life though: My sense of focus often splinters in many directions. At times I might juggle, play one of my instruments, or sit down and write. I'm pretty good at mapping things out like trips. I love planning trips. I like taking the trips even more. Travel can be very creative as well as inspiring creativity.
Mostly if I'm doing anything that is creative, it's thinking about stuff. I'm pretty good at thinking. Unfortunately most of my ideas over the years never panned out to become anything significant. And I've come up with some pretty good ideas in my life.
I've always been a dreamer more than an action man. Some of my dreams might have seemed outlandish to some, but oddly enough many of those dreams have come into being. However, dreams and ideas are different things. Dreams are ignited by ideas and fueled by the will to succeed. Sometimes dreams just happen and I just enjoy the ride.
Creativity can be a spiritual tool that we use to tune up our inner selves or a bag of tricks that we hope might dazzle others. Creativity can be a solitary experience or something to be shared with the masses.
There are so many creative pursuits we can turn to in life. If nothing else then let me be creative in my honing the organization of my home and my life. Finding creative ways to reorganize my closets has been a recent project of mine. Life has been good. And my closets look much better.
Do you try to be creative with everyday typically mundane things? Has blogging been a force to enhance your own creativity? What is an unfulfilled dream that you'd like to pursue?
In my previous post I touched upon the topic of how loss or adverse personal circumstances influence creativity. That post included my entries for the Lost & Found blog hop, the Question of the Month, and the Battle of the Bands. If you haven't visited this post I hope you will now and please vote on your favorite BOTB song version while you're stopping in. You can find the post at this link.
Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh'sInsecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog.
What Is the Best Source of Creativity?
I don't know why--and I know I'm not the only one--that times of sadness, anguish, loneliness, dejection, and despair often results in periods of intense creativity. That's the way it's worked for me in the past. Not that I've scientifically measured this theory to prove its accuracy, but that's the way I remember it.
I certainly don't want to experience any extreme negative time just to prove my supposition that it would result in greater creativity. My theory is that when we lose someone or are waiting or anticipating some person, we have an idleness of time that leads us to write or create in some other way. On the other hand when we're with someone we love or in a state of contentment we are too happy to do the creative things as much. I will find myself doing more things away from home.
Lately writing has been more of a struggle for me. I still manage my blog posts, but many other things are neglected in exchange for spending time with my spouse, watching movies on occasion, and traveling. Life is good and I'm trying to enjoy it to the max.
Creativity is mostly based on power from within us that thrives on all that we experience and imagine. Since we all are unique and have equally unique experiences, the sources of creativity vary from one of us to the next. So what is my best source of creative inspiration and drive? I'd hate to think it was sadness, loneliness, and depression.
Would you be willing to sacrifice creativity in order to be happy? Can you be artfully creative when you are angry or glum? What are your greatest sources of creativity?
This post is my entry for the Lost & Found: Valentine's Edition blog hop hosted by Guilie Castillo-Oriard, Alex J Cavanaugh, Denise Covey, Yolanda Renee, Elizabeth Seckman, and me. Be sure to visit all of the hosts for this event. To find the full list of participants visit the list on Tossing It Outor any of the host sites. I'm combining my Lost & Found post with two other blogging events--The Question of the Month and Battle of the Bands.
This month is a special one for Question of the Month – we’re joining forces with the the Lost & Found: Valentine's Edition. In honor of an upcoming Valentine’s Day, we want you to write about love lost or found. Share the highs and lows that only matters of the heart can bring. As such, our question for this month is just that:
“When have you lost or found love?”
Let me answer this way: In all my years I've seen love come and go on several occasions. In some cases that love seemed more serious at the time than it really was--I guess I could say they were more like infatuations or love false alarms. A few were marriages and those were the most significant found and lost loves. I'd always thought that marriage was a forever kind of love, which in some abstract way it is, but the reality that I've experienced is that sometimes love gets a bit derailed along the marriage journey resulting in that train wreck called divorce. I'm no fan of divorce, but sometimes things break and no amount of effort can fix that which has been broken.
I prefer love found, but love lost has had some upside in my life--especially when I consider what I've found after having lost a love. My Tossing It Out post for the Lost & Found blog hop is not a story. If you want to read one of my stories about this then check out my post at Wrote By Rote. Instead of a story, this post is about the impact that losing or finding love has had upon my own creativity. Love has inspired many a person throughout the ages. The ways that love has affected my creativity is probably similar to the ways it has affected some of you. For my Battle of the Bands song pick I'll offer a bit of evidence that I see in the lyrics of said song. On Wednesday my #IWSG post will deal with creativity with more specificity, but today I offer you a song with some lyrics that illustrate how love lost has affected me.
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event hosted byFar Away SeriesandStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
"Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos" ("My Story Between Your Fingers")
This a song that I heard frequently on the Los Angeles Spanish rock station that I was listening to back in the 90's. I was immediately captivated by the beautiful melody and plaintive lyrical content. Despite my limited understanding of Spanish, I was able to grasp much of the sentiment of this song and I related to it. This has become one of my favorite songs of all time. In fact I'll make a bold claim that this is among the most beautiful pop songs ever written. Considering the hit status of the song in Europe and Latin American countries I think many might concur with my statement.
Now here's a puzzling mystery about this song. It was written and first recorded by Italian artist Gianluca Grignani. However when it was played on the radio I understood the artist to be the popular Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti. In fact I liked "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos" so much that I went and bought every Ramazzotti album that I could find in hopes that my song would be included on one of them. To my disappointment the song was on none of those albums that I bought. In my recent research I cannot find the song on any Ramazzotti recording or any indication that he had ever recorded it. I might have said that I had misunderstood what I thought I heard on the Spanish language radio, but then I found more than one YouTube video attributing the recording to Ramazzotti. Somewhere a confusion developed not only with me, but with many others.
I'm offering one of these recordings--although I'm pretty sure now that this is actually Grignani's recording--for you to listen to if you are interested in the version that enthralled me so much when I first heard it. Please don't vote on it! I think this is the best version out there so I feel like putting it up against any other version would be unfair. If you wish, take a listen to "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos". If you can solve the Eros Ramazzotti mystery I'd love to hear about it.
This Song Is My Story Too
Thanks to my Lost & Found Co-host Guile Castillo-Oriard here is the English translation of the lyrics of "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos":
I think they’re not so useless
the nights I gave you.
You’re leaving, so what?
I’m not trying to argue,
you know as well as I.
At least stay just tonight,
I promise not to touch you — are you sure?
Maybe I’ve begun to feel alone,
because I know that smile, so definitive,
that smile of yours that to me
became the gateway to your paradise
It’s said that for each man
there’s one like you.
But my place—later—you’ll fill with someone
just like me (or better, but I doubt it).
Why do you look away this time?
You ask me to stay friends.
Why friends, dammit?
A friend I forgive, but you I love.
They might seem banal, my natural instincts.
There’s something I haven’t told you yet,
That my problems, you know, are called “You”
That’s why you see me act tough,
To feel a little safer.
And if you won’t even say where I’ve failed,
remember that I’ve forgiven you, too.
Instead, you say “I’m sorry, I don’t love you,”
and leave, taking this story between your fingers.
What will you do?
Look for an excuse and go.
Because about me you shouldn’t worry,
you shouldn’t provoke me.
I’ll write you a couple of songs
doing my best to hide my emotions.
Thinking, but little, about the words,
and I’ll speak of the smile, so definitive
That smile of yours that, to me,
became the gateway to your paradise…
I've said these similar things in my partings with past loves. My times of loss have become times of great creativity when I'd write poetry and songs expressing my sentiments and desires. Maybe this was an action performed too late--my sad songs and poetry never resolved my break ups. Still I tried to fix the broken relationships with words such as those of this song. My guess is that the songwriter of "Mi Historia" went through one of those losses that inspired great creativity. There are many interesting recordings of this song to be found on YouTube (more evidence to why I consider this song to be so great). The recordings come in a wide variety of styles. I avoided the heavy thrash metal version (which I actually like especially because a violin is included in the instrumental line-up) but I thought it best to avoid that version. If you're curious check out Titanium for a rocking version of this song.
In this round my choices for the Battle are two live versions that are in similar performance settings, but quite different in their stylistic approaches.
This is a reggaeton/cumbia group from Paraguay. They give the song an uptempo flavor that makes me want to get up and dance.
Time to Vote! Even if you don't understand what the artists are singing you can still judge whether you like the sound of a song or not. If you're visiting a Battle of the Band post for the first time then let me briefly explain. Please give each song version a fair listen to decide which one you prefer over the other. If you don't like either then at least tell us which recording was least innocuous to you. This comes down to your preference and it's as easy as that. Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts: ‘FARAWAYSERIES’ StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands ‘YOURDAILYDOSE’ 'MIKE'SRAMBLINGS' 'Curious as a Cathy' Sound of One Hand Typing DC Relief Battle of the Bands The Doglady's Den Angel's Bark Cherdo on the Flipside Jingle, Jangle, Jungle Janie Junebug Righting & Editing. J. A. Scott Quiet Laughter
Be ReInVintaged Results on Monday February 8th You've got a week to cast your vote, but try to do it soon so you don't forget! On Wednesday I'll be discussing the topic of creativity a bit more as I post for this month's edition of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. In that post I'll explain some of my thoughts on losing or finding love or any other circumstances that might cause our creative juices to flow.
Blogging is a creative process that can serve well in highlighting the creativity of the blogger. Whether it be writing, visual arts, crafts, or music, a blog can be an excellent way to showcase ones creative talents.
Many of the authors who blog entertain us with book excerpts as well as original short pieces written especially for their blog readers. What better place than a blog to show off writing in order to entice readers to seek out books that an author has written.
A number of photography and art blogs are to be found exhibiting work that is worthy of magazine or book publication or display in a gallery show. I'm frequently amazed by the creative talents of many of these types of bloggers.
Craft blogs can be found in abundance with how-to posts as well as photos depicting some of the fine work these kinds of bloggers do.
For anyone who has a creative talent, blogging can provide a way to show others what they can do. Whether your ability is what you do for a living or just a hobby that you enjoy, a blog can put you in connection with a wide world with which you could not easily access otherwise.
If you've got a talent, share it with others. Blogging is one of the best ways to let others know about what you can do.
What creative talents do you share on your blog? Do you use your blog for business? Are there any creative bloggers that you would like to introduce to us?
It's that time again! First Wednesday means insecurities as we join Alex J. Cavanaugh'sInsecure Writer's Support Group. We always manage to come up with something but maybe it will just eventually be a matter of rehashing the same old anxieties. Hmm! Do I sense an idea coming my way? So what insecurities to bring up today? Let me delve back to my post from February 25thof this year. At that time I announced my intent to start a Wednesday series called "Ask Arlee" and requested that readers submit questions to which I might offer my solutions. Again I'll look at a question that I get a bit insecure about myself.
Ask Arlee:
The question I'm going to address in this #IWSG installment comes from my blog buddy and highly creative A to Z Teammember Jeremy from Retro-Z:
How to keep fresh with ideas, when your brain is on overload... because of life stuff?
I think this is one of the all-time common insecurities that many creative people have. How do we keep coming up with new ideas? I think this is especially a challenge for anyone who has a big time success in some creative field from the onset and spends a lifetime trying to live up to their early success.
Most of us probably don't fit that situation, but if we're trying to come up with regular blog content, how do we keep it original and interesting?
Andrew Leon offers one aspect to the answer to this question in one of his recent posts. He recommends that we capitalize on who we are. Write from your inner self and use your personality. Even the most boring people can be interesting some of the time. Write about what you love and what you know best and you're starting from a good place.
But you say you need content that will keep readers coming back? Find ways to mix things up a bit and tell the old stories in new ways. One theory of writing fiction states that there are something like seven basic plots that writers can write about. Some theorists may vary on the number, but I think we can safely say that there are a limited number of general plot lines that we can use. Freshness comes with presentation--interesting locales, characters, and situations.
Here are a few suggestions about how to come up with fresh material that can make your writing stand out:
Keep informed with current events and trends.
Learn new things--read and research to stimulate your creativity.
Listen to others--eavesdropping is great for helping develop better dialog and the stories and facts you may pick up from others can prompt good ideas.
Use the "life stuff"--Develop what's happening in your own life into stories, articles, and blog posts. If you've got a problem undoubtedly someone else has had or will have the same problem and might learn from your experience.
That's a start, but this gives you a general idea. In fact I don't think there's a whole lot wrong with using the same idea more than once and just making it seem different. How many writers do this? I'd say more than a few.
And if the ideas don't come and nothing seems fresh, maybe you need a change of scenery for a while. Nothing wrong with taking a breather from what you've been doing or even making a career change. I guess that's what hobbies, vacations, and volunteer work are partly for.
Yeah, this is pretty simplistic, but Arlee is a simple kind of guy.
In Case You Missed It:
One of my recent blog posts was featured at NewsOK, the digital edition of the Oklahoman newspaper in Oklahoma City. My thanks to Darla Lindauer for the recognition.
What do you do when you're stymied for new ideas? Do you ever get sick of what you're doing? What would you do with your life if you could do anything you wanted and not have to worry about your "life stuff"?
My dad was always coming up with ideas to try out for the juggling act that my family did as a sideline. He wasn't afraid to try something different to see if it would work. Sometimes his ideas did work and sometimes they ended up being something we could tease him about. A lot of my dad's thinking rubbed off on me.
When we moved to East Tennessee from the Chicago area in 1966 our show business market became rather spare. Our Chicago agent didn't have much that we were close enough to take and the agents who booked shows around Tennessee didn't have enough to keep us working regularly.
Not one to wait idly for something to happen, my dad gathered up some business directories and began contacting every company in a 200 or so mile radius. He put together a promotional package with a form letter describing our show and sent out hundreds of them.
After a while we started getting so many replies from companies that were having parties and picnics that we were working with fair regularity. Not only was our act working, but my dad started up his own theatrical agency and started booking acts from all over the country.
My dad opened up his mind and started thinking up ideas that seemed workable and then he tried them. He tapped into a market that no one had previously contacted in this geographical area. He built up a clientele and he made money in his sideline show biz job.
If nothing is happening for you in what you've been trying to do then you have to take action. You can't just wait for someone to contact you because you have a good product that you're sure people will want. Sometimes you just have to take the initiative and do what is necessary to tap into the existing market or create your own.
The main thing beyond the action of getting something done is having an open mind to allow you to come up with novel approaches to do it. Don't blow a lot of money that you don't have, but test the waters first. Bounce your ideas off of friends or family members who have adventurous spirits. Avoid negativity. Allowing those with closed minds to influence you will make you afraid and doubtful and then nothing gets done.
Successes start with dreams. If you open up your mind to the realms of possibilities, dreams can become realities.
And now for the letter 'O':
She's from a place exotic to many of us and shares many a dream with her readers. Most of us know her as Oceangirl from the blog Live High.
