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Sunday, December 5, 2010

WHERE THE MAGIC LIVES


There is a land not too far from where you sit right now.

Its velvet grasses miss the press of your feet. The billowing clouds strain to see your body walk slowly up the rising hill.

The fragrant winds blow through the lonely tree branches, whispering your name as they seek some trace of you.

It is where the magic lives.

That realm is lonely, wondering where you have been.

And where have you and I been?


We have been caught up in the drudgery that writing has become. Burdened by life's duties and our own doubts, we have lost our way.

We have lost the magic.

Did we lose it straining for that first perfect sentence in our new novel?

Looking at the blank, impatient computer monitor did we forget the simple wonder of just writing the first simple sentence that occurred to us?

That creative power which bubbles so tingly at the beginning of our book quiets down after a time. The journey becomes slower and slower, the inertia of doubt steadily dragging our steps.

Do we continue doggedly on or do we stop to refresh ourselves?

The answer to that question determines whether we find our way back to the magic or not.

How do we refresh ourselves?

How do we refresh ourselves on a long wilderness walk? We stop by a stream and drink.

Drink of those poets and writers who sparked that love of the written word spoken in the lonely heart of the reader.

As a hiker takes shade under the canopy of a huge oak, listen to the music of those artists who stirred you to imagine images that you just had to write and make live in your own way.

Then, you shall write as a child writes ... not thinking of a result but thinking in terms of discovery as if you were hiking once again where the magic lives.

It is the Zen of writing : the creation takes place between your fingers and the keyboard, not before in a thought or afterwards in a recasting.

The magic is there waiting for you. It will come if you but get out of its way and let it in.

***
Give yourself a treat. Watch and listen :


16 comments:

  1. Hey, I have that song! Love it, thanks for reminding me (now I have to go find it).

    Yep, we do need to take some time and refresh or we get burned out, no matter what the subject is. Writing, teaching, mentoring....if we don't fill up, what can we possibly offer but eventually a worn out husk of ourselves?

    Loved this post, the imagery, and the music....

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  2. Hi,

    Strange as it may seem, what came to mind whilst reading was the pleasure of being first on a beach when the tide has receded. It's amazing the pleasure of looking back at one's footsteps and anything else one chooses to write in the damp sand for the next person walking by! It's great to do this, then go and sit on a rock and watch peoples' reactions as they pause to stand and stare and puzzle what or why (?).

    Fantastic imagery and gorgeous song, though from a onetime wannabe opera singer's POV there were a few bum octaves in voice. ;) But cute, all the same.

    best
    F

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  3. Words Crafter : Yes, we do not want to write a NSF check on our muse, do we?

    Francine : I was impressed that the young boy just went for with all his heart, bum octaves and all. I can forgive a lot if the artist gives it all he has -- especially a child. Have a great Sunday.

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  4. Great imagery, fantastic song! Thank you, thank you! I think the holidays are coming at just the right time for all of us to refresh, then slug onward in the new year.

    I've got a LA story up, about Remy Broussard.

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  5. Kittie : Your story about Remy's Christmas was touching and evocative. My own comment to your story was flawed due to me trying to ignore a migraine -- never a wise thing to do!

    You have a great talent. I hope your writing finds a larger home than merely your blog. It deserves to be housed in a novel.

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  6. Hi Roland. Just popped in to see how your writing is going. What are you working on? I'm just about finished with a draft of one book, then Tim will get it for awhile, as I start a brand new one. Pretty exciting, for me.

    Regarding your post, I don't get burnt out very often, with regards to writing. I take days off to play in the kitchen, hang out with Tim and visit the bookshop cafe.

    Hope your migraine has long passed and you're back to writing.

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  7. I've never heard that song before. It was exactly what I needed when I needed it. Thank you!

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  8. The Happy Whisk : My migraine is thankfully gone. I'm shaping the sequel to THE LEGEND OF VICTOR STANDISH in my head. I've finished writing the prologue in my head and notes. Now, to do it up proper. I know some places where Victor ends up. The trick is to figure how to get him there.

    Robynn : Isn't that song beautiful? I first heard the version done by Nightwish, a goth heavy metal operatic Danish rock group. Isn't that a mouthful? I particularly like the version I posted here today. I'm glad it made you feel better.

    Ann : I wrote this then considered not posting it since I didn't know how helpful it was. Thanks for making me feel like I did indeed help someone feel better and refreshed. Have a great Sunday, Roland

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  9. Hi Roland: Great to hear about your work. Do you write long-hand first or on the screen?

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  10. The Happy Whisk : I take research notes long hand and on the screen. When I'm writing at breaks in work or waiting to pass off rare blood, I write long-hand. But usually I write first on the computer screen. I try to be adaptable to get as much writing done as I can. How about you?

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  11. Love love love, writing on my Internet-free laptop. Tim got it awhile back for 300 bucks at Best Buy and it's got the most comfortable keyboard.

    I fancy writing on that the most, for the book.

    Notes, I'll do by hand. Journal entries, by hand and on the laptop. And sometimes rough drafts of a chapter, will be done by hand.

    Also, I've had an AlphaSmart for a long time and I like taking that to the bookshop cafe.

    What is, waiting to pass off rare blood?

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  12. Flying High In The Sky : Thanks for the praise. It made my evening brighter ... and warmer.

    The Happy Whisk : I am a blood courier. I transport rare and needed blood to rural and local hospitals. Sometimes I meet at a midway point (using an interstate rest area) to hand off or receive needed blood to minimize the wait time for the ailing patient. While I am waiting, I either read my Kindle or write on a passage I've been mulling over.

    I also filter the donated blood, send in to regional labs samples of my Quality Control work, bacterial sample platelets (blood products that help control bleeding,) and enter donor data into the center's computers. Whew!

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  13. Whew is right. Thanks for explaining. Have a most excellent day and Happy Writing :-)

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  14. Ah, nice, the magic of writing! Sometimes easy to forget if I read too many "how-to" articles while I'm writing my WIP...
    Enjoyed the song; what a lovely vibrato and voice!

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