Falling into ideas

Ten years later, I look back at this post with fondness and a little chuckle...maybe even a ha-ha! (You'll get it when you read it.) And yes, perhaps a bit of nostalgia. I've fallen into many ideas since then, but perhaps not as many as I would have predicted back then. Why not? The caution to "watch your step" that comes with growing older? That may seem possible when you read the reflections of this "young" college student, but I was in my mid-forties at that time, which makes me now...well, never mind. 

The advice imparted though, I think, is sound. Embrace the ordinary and turn it into the extraordinary! 

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Did you know...a landscape feature that is a deep trench abutting a wall is called a Ha-Ha?  I didn't know that, but I read about these "sunken fences" recently in this wonderful blog post at the site Jane Austen's World: Maintaining the grounds of a landed British estate.  Apparently, as the post informs, it is so-named "because, as the myth goes, this landscape feature was so well hidden that an unsuspecting visitor would blurt out “ha-ha!” before falling into the trench." 

Hmm.  Really?  That's what he (or she) would say?  Oh, I think not.  I imagine I would say something other than "ha-ha!" if I fell into a trench!  In fact, I know exactly what would be said because...well, trust me, I just know.  Not only can I identify with that "unsuspecting visitor," I am that walking (and then not!) disaster who would fall into a trench. 

A Grab Bag of Miscellany

Grab bag:  1) a collection of miscellaneous things; 2) a bag from which gifts are drawn at random.

It's fun to shine a little light on the bits and pieces we love, especially if they are incomplete. We love the potential. In between the milestones we all have amassed a collection of miscellaneous things -- a grab bag of advice we strive to remember and follow, as well as ideas and projects that have been started and stopped, or perhaps regretfully discarded along the way. In the end, these discarded ideas are like handfuls of mismatched costume jewelry. They are pretty to look at and sparkle like the real thing if the light catches them just so.

This, in fact, is how I wind up with many unfinished blog posts!  The light catches the idea and then it fades before something else catches my eye.  But maybe, just maybe...you might catch a glimmer.

Grab Bag Item # 1:  A dose of positivity. 

We pretty much know that writers need a regular dose of positivity.  Who doesn't, right? But you know what I mean -- writers, in particular, need special care. Here are lots of ways to assure and reassure ourselves we can and will manage both the must-do and want-to-to items on the horizon.  These are soooo easy, you might not even realize you're doing them.  But stop doing them and there might be trouble.  So, for a dose of stating the obvious...

1.  Think small.  Whether you have a physical list or a mental list of what's coming up, break it down further. I've heard this before, and  this is item #1 in a great post at The Positivity Blog: Mark Twain’s Guide to Living an Awesome Life: 7 Essential Tips by Henrik Edberg, who suggests remembering Mark Twain's advice:

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”

The other six tips are pretty good too. 

For thinking small, I tell myself it's like folding my entire "list" like an accordion to show the first item and "hiding" the rest from my view.  The week ahead or the whole project will unfold.

2.  Sleep.  Yes, really.  It sounds obvious, but it's hard to think of one thing that will slow you down more than lack of sleep.  Try for that eight hours a night. 

3.  Let your dreams do some of the work.   This one's a little less obvious than sleep.  You'll either be on board with this idea or think it sounds kooky. But give it a try. If something is not coming easy, tell yourself to "sleep on it."  Sometimes when I am frustrated with trying to memorize or grasp concepts (or work out plots) I just give in (not the same as giving up).  After sleeping on it, I'm often amazed at how much is within my grasp the next day of what confused and/or eluded me only yesterday.

4.  Double-dip.  This is the best one.  You can't not like getting a 2 for 1 deal.  Like sleeping and dreaming.

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Grab Bag Item # 2: The Power of Page 18, Line 4 - Writing Prompts Found in Random Places

Recently, I stumbled upon a Facebook post that said, "this should be fun, pick up the nearest book, page 18, line 4."

Right. Yet another little game on social media. And yes, part of me had to roll my eyes at the cryptic nature of these instructions. I get a little annoyed, you see, with the fragmented nature of communication made up of posts and texts. I blame it on the writer in me, of course. As a writer, I always I crave more. But I tried it and yes, it was kind of fun. In fact, it prompted so much more, as I found with my first random Page 18, Line 4, taken from one of my nearest books:

"Emma was relieved by his absence, and after an hour or so of..."

Of what? Why was Emma relieved by his absence? 

Hmm. Already there are questions from this. It did strike me as a great writing prompt for a story. The book, by the way, was Liar Temptress Soldier Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War, by Karen Abbott.

So yes, there's power in Page 18, Line 4. Give it a try! And yes, you can cheat. I know I did! Because, although it seems like I got lucky more times than not, not every example I found was all that inspiring or thought provoking -- at least not to me. I'm also thinking this little exercise might work best with non-fiction books, but that's just a guess. 

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Grab Bag Item #3: Update to the blog post Pre-made Romance Covers and Where to Find Them

This is as good a place as any to announce an "update," of sorts, to a popular post. Your search for a book cover, after all, is an activity to match your great ideas behind the cover with something that catches your eye with the right sparkle. As with any post that has links, it tends to get out of date. While I did not take the time to search out new information, I did test what was there and removed the broken links. Happy browsing, if you're so inclined to do so!