This is what I’ve been struggling with a lot lately – that good ol’ writer’s fear. Here a great blogger here on WordPress tells it straight: write for yourself!
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About this blog – update
Tweaked the About this blog page a bit for the new year! Trying to set myself goals so I post each month.
When will I post?
The 1st of each month, although if I have the time twice a month is also possible!
Here’s a link to check it out: About this blog
Inspiration in the dead of winter – the beauty of old things
It’s snowing here in upstate New York, (which isn’t surprising) and I’m ringing in the new year slightly hung over, but with a positive spirit. This is going to be the year that I’m going to get published! Doesn’t matter what, and doesn’t matter where or when, I will see my name in print in some form of publication and that’s that!
And despite the cold, the winter reminds me that a writer can find beauty in the most stagnant things. I often chaff at being cooped up inside and whine about the air that bites and dries the skin, but some days the sun does come out and you see the snow, white against the trees…
You notice the blue of a frozen lake or pond…find the joy in a bit of gurgling water in a creek…and you wonder why it always sounds louder when icicles are dripping nearby, as if the rest of the frozen woods are holding their breath…
The sun came out the other day and I was able to go out walking and took these pictures. In the ravine next to my house, there is an old junkyard. And where there is an old junkyard, you will find old things:
Like the hood off a 1950 green Buick that my father says he remembers having as a child.
I was inspired by an article I saw that showed the beauty of abandoned places, how old things feel haunting, have a sense of mystery, a story of their own to tell.
Walking in the woods, I often find inspiration in the beauty around me, the sights, the sounds, the fresh air and blue sky. (This might also be why I love fantasy novels so much.) But inspiration is all around us – even in the dead of winter! You just have to open your eyes and see it!
What inspires you? Share something if you got it! Any New Years resolutions anyone?
A kaleidoscope of Love – show your holiday spirit!
There’s been something on my mind lately and that is Love.
Art done on Paint; by AJM
What is it exactly?
A discussion in one of my college classes about love suggested that love can be varying. We were talking mostly about the love that you feel towards someone – how someone described as being in love as a sacrifice of themselves, to be so consumed by another person, you forget who you are.
To love someone is to put that other person before you, to care that they hurt, to want to make their passage in this world as easy as possible.
So, the question on my mind is: How do you know when it’s real?
Even as I write this, I find it ironic that every other song on my Pandora station has to do with love, or even has the word in the song. Love is everywhere. It is in the very fabric of our being; to find that place where we belong, where we are appreciated, where we are needed.
In my opinion, it is simple, really. We seek to define love to understand it. We give it different meanings and write different definitions for it. But real love shouldn’t need to be defined, it is only felt. Whether it makes sense or not, is beyond the point.
With real love we risk real heartbreak, but it is a sacrifice that everyone must accept to find where he or she truly belongs.
Me and my cat Milo, when he was a kitten. What a goofball!
On that note, I’ve decided to focus on something else this holiday season…and that is giving gifts to show the ones I love how truly thankful I am to be known by them, to love and be loved.
Every year I struggle with Christmas and the fact that it is so commercialized! (I blame the years I worked in retail. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday!) I’d decided to do a few things to bring myself back into the holiday spirit and to focus on the love and selflessness that the holiday is meant to show:
- make my own gifts this year; instead of focusing on buying, buying, buying
- bake more!
- cherish the memories, never miss a photo opportunity!
- try more outdoor activities
What are you doing to get into the holiday spirit? Thoughts below if you got them!
Happy Halloween!!!
I know it has been a while since I posted last and I’m going to try to make up for it in the next coming weeks…
On another note, I recently acquired Photoshop again and I thought I’d do up a little something to celebrate. It’s amazing what you can do with just a picture, some paint tools, cut and paste, and filters. (Gotta love those filters!)
Anywho, enjoy!
The black cat in this picture actually belongs to a friend of mine. Believe it or not, the cat really is about the size of a big pumpkin, he’s HUGE. He gets mad whenever I pick on his weight. It’s hilarious though, if you could see this cat waddle…
Anyway, hope everyone has a safe holiday!
And go crazy!! 😉 Have a good one!
Between the raindrops
I sometimes forgot how much I love to lose myself in the setting of a book or a movie, the way it feels to lose yourself in a different world, a character’s emotions – to be swept away and return only when you need to…
when its time to face the music.
But this also reminds me of dreams, which brings me to the point of this post: Last week I had a dream…
No, really I did.
I had a dream that…well, I don’t remember much, but in the dream was music. There was a girl running from something, she was full of emotion; longing, fear, desire…she was running to something and she couldn’t get there fast enough and she was worried that she was going to be too late.
Too late for what? I have no idea. I woke up with a song in my head that matched the beating of her heart and I could not figure out where I had heard the song or even what it was. I had a tune in my head, and didn’t even know if it was a real song.
Well, I heard that song on the radio today, jotted down some lyrics and through the power of google, the song has a name.
It is Between the Raindrops by Lifehouse feat. Natasha Bedingfield.
It always amazes me how a good song can sweep you up just as much as a novel, or a great movie. It is where I find some of my inspiration…and why I don’t always like to watch the music videos that go a long with songs. I like to create my own story.
There just might be something here, too. I can still see the girl running, the mud flying up on her t-shirt as her legs tear across the ground, as cold, water dribbles down her bare legs and her cheeks and eyelashes, mixing with muddy rain and tears.
Ah, Summer…
Well, May passed by in a blur! Can’t believe that it is June already! But, as I am a June baby (my birthday is next week, June 7th! Yeah, baby!) I love that Summer is just about here and all the things that come with it!
I love the heat, the lightning bugs, the sound of a screen door slamming shut; the hum and croak of bull frogs in the pond next to my house, the crickets singing in the grass.
Pine Cradle lake. A camping trip a few years ago…
Ah, Summer…
I love that it is the time of flip-flops and tank tops and shorts and sun-glasses. A time where sweaty socks are forgotten and tucked in the back of an underwear drawer somewhere, and you can slap, slap, slap, your way through cold, air-conditioned super markets. There’s something satisfying about the feel of feet slapping across a smooth, solid floor…
I love the food of summer time: hotdogs, and jello, and pasta salads; pies and watermelon, strawberry short-cake, ice cream, s’mores and iced tea.
And with all these delicious foods come the outings: picnics, cookouts and camping and trips next to the lake…
My girls! ❤
Nights out on the town with girlfriends in the sweltering summer heat, drinking rum-and-coke, and moving with a freedom that doesn’t happen in winter. Your body is like liquid and moves where you want it to, finally released from the burden of bulky winter clothes…a summer breeze that caresses bare shoulders, like a soft blanket…
Everything is life, life, life and the world is humming, waiting to be explored!
Summer is exciting! I love it when everything comes back to life again and myself with it! Although I have been rather busy with work lately, I look forward to the time spent with friends and the mini-vacations that we have planned! (Still need to post updates on past trips!) Exciting days ahead! 🙂
Went to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon with one of my girlfriends memorial day weekend! 🙂 So Beautiful!
My goal is to post here at least once a month, although I certainly want to post more with pictures of trips and adventures and such! Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather! Got any exciting plans?
Happy Summer y’all!
Spring Continued
Went for a walk this evening – I am enjoying this warmer weather so, so much! 🙂 Took a few pics that I thought were cool, so thought I’d share. Enjoy!
Went for a walk in the woods next to my house…looked up and thought the trees looked pretty neat, the shapes of the branches and the twisty vines.
Blue sky peeks through the dusky cloud cover and adds more color to an already beautiful sky, as a plane streaks through and leaves a trail of white.
Taking a rest on a fallen branch at the edge of the ravine. Yep, that’s my shoe. Was thinking this would be a great place to do that writing thing that I like to do. 😉
Over all, had a great day. Hope everyone had a great Sunday! Here’s hoping the rest of the week is just as warm and goes by just as fast!
Spring is finally here!!
Well, it’s already April and I realize its been almost a month since I posted last! Holy crap! Where does the time go?
Thought I take this lazy time on a Saturday night to do a quick update. Tired myself cleaning and doing errands today, so naturally it is time to relax, get on facebook, and write (theoretically). :p
Me in Tampa, leaning against a palm tree. (From my trip earlier this winter.) I kinda wish I was there now!
Long story short: I started a new job, which has kept me occupied for the past month or so. It pays much more than the other job I had this winter, so here’s hoping I can start saving money this summer. I am basically a Collector, so if you have defaulted on your student loans – beware! I’ll be like: Give me your money, fool! 😉
It’s great to have a job where I can start saving money, but I haven’t written anything in about a month. (sad face) This new job has taken up all my energy and my focus. I’m hoping once I know what I am doing, the stress factor will go down and I won’t be so exhausted at the end of the day. 
More beachy scenes from pretty Tampa.
In the back of my mind though, I still dream and I still plan. My characters are still there waiting, the story still yet undiscovered. And then I remember all the short stories that I have started and have yet to finish. The short stories that I hope to see in print someday…Spring is all about new beginnings though, right?
Spring has arrived finally, even if there is still a chill in the air. And I’m thinking: Move out of the way winter, it is time for the fun stuff to happen!
My first post on my new site. Check it out… 🙂
A. J. Morse 