Expanding Your Boundaries as a Writer

Whew. Thanks 2014.

Life is an exciting ride and as the calendar flips, I like to reflect. New Years is always an interesting time for me. I usually have a lot of emotions; gratitude, relief, anticipation, excitement. 

I wrote my longest book to date this year, and am now expanding it further. It reminds me of what it must feel like holding the reigns of one horse vs an eight-hitch team. There is beauty and purpose in both, but the two experiences are different. That is a lot of power in your hands, waiting to be channeled.

I'm really loving expanding my boundaries as a writer. Not only in story length and all the plot and character adaptations that entails, but also including more of my environmental/nature-loving side. I'm also exploring going deeper with my characters and their emotions. Let me tell you, that's a trip. Characters are as rich and deep as you take the time to explore. They are there, patient, waiting for you to get to know them more. Waiting for you to then share that with the reader. 

The more confident I become as a writer, the more I am able to push those boundaries, to get to a place where I feel comfortable taking myself beyond my previous comfort level. Writing is dynamic stuff. :)

How do you expand your writing boundaries?

Writing: as dynamic as a shoreline
Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, Canada

Writing Ideas: Where Your Flow Comes From

I was at the grocery store the other day and feeling marginally bad I hadn't changed out of my yoga pants to make the trip (** definitely in Holiday mode**). But as I stood in the produce department, checking out fresh dill and basil packages, SHAZAM! A scene pops into my head to write. I love when that happens. I can't say I know exactly what set off that scene, but I'm sure glad it came.

Holidays are often a good recharge for my creative mojo. I stop pushing, stop the frantic pace. Holidays provide room to breath and play. Room to Be.

I write year-round, but clearing out the stress cobwebs from the day-to-day push sure generates sweet results. I am so grateful to have this Holiday season to do just that!

Where does your writing flow come from? How do you generate the flow?

Kings Creek, Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada

Writing More: One Foot in Front of the Other

The Christmas Season brings with it a lot of joy and merriment. And for this writer, it also brings a chance to log more minutes/hours writing! This is a gift I give myself and let me tell you, it fills my bucket. :)

I'm working on expanding a story. I love this story and what I'm adding I really resonate with and dig the direction it is taking the story. But as I carve out writing time, the road to completion sometimes feels a long way away. Ever get that way? The project is cool, but man, sometimes the journey feels like "are we there yet?

But like any journey, you get there by putting one foot in front of the other. So as I navigate my way through this writing experience, I am getting there one word/sentence/scene down, and then another. And as I go, I am learning more about this story, myself as a writer, and what direction I want my writing career to go in.

Dang, that sounds just like what travel does; learning about yourself, your world, and putting life into perspective. Clever Universe and all its parallels. Double dang, now I want to plan a trip.

What are you working on? How are you putting one foot in front of the other?

We get there by putting one foot in front of the other.
Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada

Happy Christmas and Reindeer Sparkle Confetti

It is Christmas Eve night. For some it preludes a religious day, for others a family day, for others just another day. But for me it is a day of magic. When I was a kid Christmas Eve was always The Day. Santa came when we were at the 5pm Mass. How clever. Now days, my spiritual path runs more along the forest lines. Still, I celebrate Love in all her forms. And that is what Christmas is to me. A season of loving your family, friends, colleagues, community, the world. And on Christmas Eve night, it feels good to celebrate the magic and Love all around us. *Happy twirls and reindeer sparkle confetti*

So Dear World, Happy Day! 

May we all have a beautiful day filled with extraordinary Peace and Love. 

a magical winter wonderland...
Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada

Happy Winter Solstice

Celebrating the Seasons

I love celebrating the seasons, including the turn of the seasons. Although we had a doozy of a snow dump in September, the rest of fall was actually pretty fall-ish. Calgary's seasons have their own rhythm and the calendar date seems to have limited influence. That can be said about a lot of places. Getting to know the nuances of the seasons of a particular place is one of the great relationships we have access to.

Yup, I called it a relationship. That's what it feels like. Knowing a place well, knowing it's moods, knowing you are a better person for having experienced it and swearing the feeling is mutual . . .  To the average conversation, sharing that a landscape noticed you might sound odd, but, well, welcome to my world. Sometimes you just feel a place. 

In celebration of Winter Solstice, or Yule as many call it, I've included some pics of a few of my happy wintery places. 

How do you celebrate Winter Solstice?

Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada