The Pursuit of Creativity (#IWSG)

        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's Insecure 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. 

The co-hosts for the February 6 posting of the IWSG are Raimey Gallant,Natalie Aguirre, CV Grehan, and Michelle Wallace!

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? 

Limits of Accumulation ( #AtoZChallenge )

        If we could play a good game of hide seek in my house based on the amount of stuff stored in it then I'll deem that a limit of accumulation has been reached.   Likewise if my stuff is piled so high that I fear one day being buried in it...

Out of bookshelf space for books and out of house space for more bookshelves.

Limits of Accumulation

          In 1980 I took most of the year off from traveling with a touring show.   A divorce situation had come up in my life so I was working a regular job in the same city where my ex was settling with our son.  My situation at work was such that I could take off time when I wanted to work short show biz gigs.   Almost a year in one place meant that I accumulated furniture (mostly purchased from yard sales), stuff that I brought along with me, and the stuff that my new girlfriend brought with her.

          At the beginning of 1981 I secured jobs for myself and my girlfriend with the show with which I had previously toured.  Before leaving for the road life, we moved all of the stuff in our apartment to a storage unit.  At the end of that tour year we decided that since what we had spent on storage probably exceeded the actual cash value of what we were storing, we should get rid of most of it and store what little must-have keepsakes at each of our parents' houses.  We had reached our limit of accumulation. 

            Now, after being off the road for over 25 years, I have a houseful of space to store possessions.  As much as I like warehouses (I've worked in various warehouse situations), our house is not a warehouse.   This is a place to live and not a giant storage unit.  Fortunately I am nowhere near capacity stage other than a few corners and closets.  My books runneth over as the overflow goes into piles and boxes.  But they are books and by my estimation books deserve special consideration.

          Oftentimes, good organization masks a hint of over-accumulation.  That's been one of my main focuses:  I've been tackling potential trouble spots where amassing great quantities poses a threat.  I've been sorting, boxing, labeling and re-stacking wherever this has seemed appropriate.  My garage is far neater with everything more compact.   My office closets come next.

         Do you have things that you rarely see, stored in closets that you rarely open?   Have you ever rented (or do you now) a storage unit?    What would you deem worth storing in a space that you rented?   

I'm Working On It ( #AtoZChallenge )

           If thinking got things done, then I should have built great kingdoms...

Thinking about it is still doing something.

This Project Life

          I've often used the line "I'm working on it" because it was true, but also as a flippant avoidance of the subject.  Actually I've been working on it--the stuff of life--since I was a kid.  Back then my stuff was mostly confined to my closet or drawers.  It was not that much overall, but every now and then I'd organize things better and get rid of things.  That's the way it's been for my whole life and it seems like that's how everybody I know is. 

           My work will come in bursts.  I'll do a lot and then wait a while--rest you might say or I might say a retreat to do something else.  There's no specified deadline to get this cleaning the clutter job done so I'm not stressing out about it.  But it will need to get done.  When I feel like it.

          This project has taken a lifetime and this lifetime is not over yet.  My past, present, and future are all of the chapters of my project life.  There are so many life projects going on at any give time on this Laboratory Earth.  So many different projects...lives.  Like grains of sand on the seashore or stars in an infinite universe.

          Life is like a never-ending coal mine that mostly has been lit up in a miraculous way.   Gems embedded in the walls along certain parts.  There are periods when the digging is good, reaping great rewards, while at other times there are dreary stretches of dark coal stuff.  Fortunately it always got better for me and those stretches weren't all that long anyway.  I hope it was that way for you too.

         Do you feel like your life is an experiment?   Do you have projects that you walk away from to return weeks or months later?    If you were one of the Seven Dwarfs from Disney's Snow White, who would you be?   

History ( #AtoZChallenge )

        To what extent do our possessions reveal our pasts?   Does what we own tell the story of who we are or were?   Or does our life accumulation only deepen the mystery?

History and What Our Possessions Tell About It

        At times I feel like an archaeologist or historian digging down into the strata of the past as I'm rummaging through my accumulation of possessions.   As I continue digging I come to the realization that time does not necessarily correspond in any logical chronology in the way things have settled.

         My previous forays into sorting and organizing have caused a commingling of the older with the newer.  Like things have been placed together in some instances, while at other times, for the sake of expediency perhaps, things might have been boxed together because of size, shape, or some other non-historical criteria. 

        There is usually no great mystery to me concerning my possessions, but to someone else coming upon my trove of material things, perplexed head-scratching might a common reaction.  There is a lot of history confined within the walls of my home, but unraveling the past through my possessions might take a lot more research than anyone might care to put into it.  My history is probably not important unless it somehow affects the one examining my history. And even then would anyone care to invest that time?

        We each have a history that is meaningful to ourselves and not to many others.   Unless we are famous or with some significance to the greater history of humans and the world in which we all live, we and our possessions might be meaningless.  Looking at a city, a neighborhood, we see many microcosms of personal histories.  No one person can study all of those histories, especially when it takes the detective work of piecing together clues by studying the possessions of each individual.

        No one will care about my history like I do.  And no one will understand.  If I get around to it, I will try to categorize and label as much as I can.  That is, if I get around to doing that.  Then, even if it is all neatly sorted and tagged with identifying descriptions, who will care? 

        Do you try to identify things you own so that others will know what it had meant to you?  If you've ever had to sort through an estate, did you ponder the personal historical significance of items?   Have you ever found something in left behind possessions,  in a second-hand store, or elsewhere that had an interesting background that you were able to discover?




     

Columbus Day Sale!

If you think you've lived your life without offending anybody then apparently you haven't lived...

Christopher Columbus, was an explorer and one of the first European founders of the Americas. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Happy Columbus Day!

        Yes I said it even though here in Los Angeles what used to be called "Columbus Day" is now "Indigenous Peoples" day.  Somehow the new day seems more impersonal with an overgeneralizing of all the many peoples who lived in the Americas before the "evil white men" came to destroy paradise. 

        Frankly I'm glad things turned out the way they did because I'm happy with my life and with my country.  Stuff happens and when it comes down to past history there ain't nothin' you can do about it when it's all behind you. 

         So I raise a glass to say, "Thank you Christopher Columbus!"  Without him then someone else would have come along and discovered America.  Mankind is restless and always in search of new ventures and adventures.  Enslaving the indigenous peoples the 15th century Spaniards encountered might not have been what you and I would have thought of doing with our 21st century outlook, but people back in those days thought differently than we today think.   The past is what it is and that's that.

         What Christopher Columbus achieved was by any account pretty amazing and something that few of us would dare try.  Personally I'm going to give acknowledgement to the driving curiosity that drove those men of the past to do what they did.  I'm not their judge and nobody--absolutely nobody--living today is worthy of casting judgement on Columbus or any other from the past.  Our judgement over past humans amounts to intellectual exercises that have no real consequence to the world other than bantering about in intellectual fantasies.  The more important thing is to learn from the past to become better ourselves.

         I will continue to think of October 12th as the actual Columbus Day.  And I will continue to think of him as a hero of his time, though a flawed hero as heroes often tend to be.  Please leave his statues be and please don't start changing names of all of the cities named in his honor.  That would really be a big mess.

Garage Sale Days Are Over

        Though I don't like to say I'll never do something, I'll say in this case that this past weekend was my last garage sale.  It was a lot of work for about 3 hours in the hot sun before I started packing it all in.   The $60 that I made from the sale seemed hardly worth it and I barely made a dent in all the stuff in my garage.  And now I have a huge mess to continue to organize and put back. 

           Hopefully, in putting everything away, I'll organize it all better so that it will be easier to find stuff for the next garage sale.  I mean, I don't plan to do another sale, but you know how that can go sometimes.   Never say never.   But I think I am going to say it and probably stick to it.  Standby Goodwill--I've got a load coming your way.

           Do you think Christopher Columbus is worth remembering and honoring?   Would the Americas be a better place if the Europeans had never come here?   What do you think a world without the influence of "white people" would be like?  

Garage Sale Time! (#BOTB results)

If you are looking for my #IWSG contribution for October then scroll down to my next post.  Otherwise, keep on reading for BOTB results after an opening word from our blogger...

Out of Control

       How can I rule the world if I can't keep my garage in order?   Forget about wanting to run the world.  I don't need that headache.  So next best thing is a garage sale, right?

       Our community has scheduled a neighborhood sale this coming Saturday.  Since this is a gated community we all have to do sales at the same time, which is good if a lot of home owners participate.  For the most recent sales it doesn't seem like there were many participants.  Consequently browsers and buyers have decreased over the past few years.  But no matter.  Being the community minded guy that I am I'll participate.

       Really it has nothing to do with my community spirit.  I just need to get rid of stuff in case I move in the coming years.  I sense that a move is imminent so I want to start getting ready. And if it's a matter of something else then I want to be ready for that as well.  Whatever the case, I've got a lot of stuff in my house that my wife and I don't need.

         I've also been running across some things that are making me think about my life and also my blog.  Maybe I'm going to take a detour with my blogging in the upcoming days or weeks.  I'll just have to mull this around a bit and see what I think next week.  After that stupid garage sale.

         At least I've been finally cleaning our garage.

Battle of the Bands

 

         Speaking of ruling the world, my October 1st Battle was two artists with their versions of the Tears for Fears hit "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".   First up was the version by Lorde which a good many concurred as being dark.   Since this version came from the Hunger Games soundtrack I figured some fans would lean toward Lorde.  But it was the perky version from Christian group Relient K that won most voters over including me.  I also think that version stepped things up from the original version.  Relient K does some excellent music.  And we needed some perky music this past week.

Final Vote Tally

Lorde                 6   votes

Relient K          15 votes 

Next Battle on Sunday October 15th                                           

        I'll probably have more posts before then.  Most likely I'll post again this coming Monday the 8th.   Let's see how this garage sale turns out.  It's supposed to be hot on Saturday so I'll likely only stay out until ten AM--or at the most eleven.  No point in wearing myself out selling stuff.  It's going to take a week to get that darn garage back in order. 

         How often do you have garage/yard sales?   Do you ever shop at such sales?   Do you think you are capable of ruling the world?

Organizing (Elements of Blogging) #AtoZChallenge

       Organization is a topic we often see bloggers discussing.  A blog can easily be devoted to getting organized.  There are many aspects to organization that can be explored in an endless variety of ways.  Organizing home and business in general can keep a blog continuously filled with posts.   Focusing in on organizing closets, drawers, shelves, garages, or the general space around us is information that many people are looking for because they need the ideas to help them better organize their personal world

      There are also less tangible topics regarding organizing.   A blog might find ways to organize one's mind, thoughts, schedule, or family life.   Many of us find time in such short supply that we welcome tips on slotting things into the calendar and the daily schedule so we can be sure to get everything done that we need to do or want to do.   Time saving tips can be a huge help to any of us.

       Those involved in the writing game might look for better ways to organize their writing.  Tightening up writing to prepare it for the editing stage can save time and money.   If you're good with teaching writing skills, a blog aimed toward getting writers organized to ply their craft more efficiently can be a big help to them.

        Some other blog topics in the "O" category are old age, ornithology (the study of birds), optical illusions,  or open forum (varied discussion topics).

         Can you think of some blog topics that start with the letter "O"?    Do you tend to read articles about getting organized?   Are you a fan of birds (the feathered kind, but I hope you're a fan of mine as well)?   

organization blogs:

Organization and Inspiration for Fellow Writers

iHeart Organizing

I'm an Organizing Junkie

A Mom's Point of View

Getting Organized for the #atozchallenge

 

      Todays post was inspired by a post by Lynn at Connecting Stories.  That post is actually a few years old, but just as relevant now as it was then.  Take a look at Lynn's post and see if you suffer from "Organizationitis".

Getting Organized

       I'm one of the worst people in world when it comes to being organized.  I've got my systems, but they don't always look so good.   My office is chaos and I don't even want to talk about my garage.  I do have my moments of organizational genius, but things in my everyday life are often in shambles--or would at least appear so.

       One area of my life where I tend to do pretty well organizationally speaking is blogging.   My last few A to Z efforts have come off very smoothly due to structure and planning.  Since the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is an event, I plan it much like I would plan a trip, a party, a meal, or anything else you are expecting to happen within a designated time frame.

        Trip planning is something I've always been meticulous about.   In part this is due to my years of travelling.  I like for things to go without a hitch so I can enjoy the scenery and not worry about the trip details while traveling.  When I've planned well I'm better prepared for surprises if the unexpected awaits around the next bend.

         In the same way the A to Z April Challenge has a destination and a schedule so I start with a roadmap and a calendar.   I'll decide on my theme in January or February at the latest and then wait for the ideas to come.  When those ideas start popping into my head I'll start a post prescheduled for the date on which it will appear.

         Another way to start ahead is to put placeholders for each letter on the designated day on your blog composition pages.   If you happen to get inspired you can go ahead and write posts in those reserved dates as they come to you.  Or you can set aside a portion of each day to come up with an April post or at least part of one.  Sometimes I'll sit down on a Saturday or Sunday when I've got time and write several posts.   I don't know about you, but when I get on a roll I can sometimes crank out several posts at a sitting.

        Once you've got a post that's completed then go ahead and schedule it to post automatically on the day you want it to.  If you've started this process in February or even before, you'll find that prior to April's arrival you'll have all of your Challenge posts done.    When your blogging chores are already finished come April then you can cruise through the month and have plenty of time for networking and visiting the other participating blogs.   It really takes a load off when you do it that way.   How else do you think I managed to manage four blogs in the previous two years' Challenges?

        And one of the many positive benefits of participating in the April Challenge is that you'll likely establish the habit of preplanning posts in your regular blogging.   A to Z can make you a better--a more efficient--blogger and writer.  If you're using the excuse that you can't participate in the A to Z Challenge because you don't have time, scrap that poor excuse and just sign up to the list.  Start your posts now and you'll find that you have more time than you thought.   Getting organized to blog through the alphabet is your key to successfully winning the Challenge.

         Have you decided on your A to Z theme yet?   Do you set up your letters ahead of time and fill the posts in prior to April?    What are your organizational strategies for making the April Challenge go more smoothly?


     

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NaNo: Running on Schedule

             Yesterday marked the half-way point for the NaNo nuts and I barely made it across the line with 25,239 words as of last night.  I had really hoped to be a good bit further than this to take the pressure off some, but I suppose I should feel good that at least I'm still on schedule. And the train keeps on chugging.

          I'm still managing to keep up with my blog posts, comments on other blogs, household duties, and, well heck, I've even been reading a novel which I hope to review on next Tuesday's posting.  Guess I'm keeping my plate too full maybe and I almost feel like I need to go on a diet, but I should probably keep getting fatter in a literary way.

          But yes, my novel, A DESERT PLACE, is shaping up but there is still a lot that I need to figure out.  And the way it's going, I think it's going to be well over 50,000 words in the end.  Guess I'll worry about that later. 

          I still need to take the John Irving advice that Carrie presented in the Heim Binas Fiction blog . The suggestion presented in that post was to write the last line of the novel first and use that as a touchstone.  Well, I've been thinking that I should write the last scene or even the last chapter so I can get a clearer picture of character motivations and the over all tone of the novel.  I basically know where the story is going, how, and why.  But maybe I should write it down. Instead I keep pushing the narrative and trying to meet that crazy word quota, which really is what NaNo is about I guess.  This pushing, and lack of thoughtful planning, makes me feel like I'm rambling at times, but actually I do think I'm managing a good bit of coherence so far.

         One big problem is keeping track of characters--kind of like I do in real life.  I'm one of those people who has a hard time remembering names and sometimes even faces.  I should write down the names on a list to keep beside me,right there with my time line which continues to be a big help.  Why, just last night I was having my main character remeet a character who had been introduced earlier.  I had forgotten that I had already given him a name in an earlier scene and almost renamed him with a new name, but fortunately I remembered  that I might have done this and had to go back to see what his name was the first time.
A list, a cast of characters--that's what I need.

          I have always admired those people who have a good system.  Like the system they teach you in the Dale Carnegie course.  I once had a professor who extolled the merits of this course and would demonstrate by going through the entire class of about a hundred students asking their names and then going back and reciting everyone's name correctly.  I'd make a lousy politician I guess.  Just so I don't ever forget my wife's name--I don't guess I'd ever hear the end of that one for a long time and maybe never.

         It makes sense to keep notes but who has the time.  I guess I'd rather just plod along and then just waste a lot of time looking for something that I should have kept a note about.  Maybe I'll make a note to myself to start keeping notes about things I want to remember. So there, I've done it, I wrote a note to remember to start keeping notes about things I need to remember and I put it on my desk with all of the other notes about things I need to remember.

        You know maybe I should just forget about it and just keep on writing.

       When you are writing or just trying to keep your life organized, do you have any special system to keep everything straight?  What about remembering people and names, what is your method of remembering somebody and placing a name with a face?  If you're a NaNo nut, how's it going and what problems are you facing?  Or are you just so darn organized that NaNo isn't driving you nuts at all?

         Smile and be happy!