The HEA Cafe

I’m a writer. Does that make me an artist? Or is the term confined to sculptors, painters, music, dance and drama? I think not. I think it includes writers. So I am a writer AND an artist. Or at least I’ve thought so on occasion.

However, I’ve been working on a fairly major revision and it’s forcing me to deal with the limitations of my ‘talent’. It brings me full face with the question am I an artist or a hack? (I haven’t answered that and don’t need an answer from anyone else, thanks.)

Creating is hard. Or at least, I can attest that creating story is hard for me at times. How do you take an idea, some imaginary characters and shepherd them on a satisfying journey? It might look easy to some, but give it a try and you might well change your mind. What I see in my head, how I hear my characters and watch them act and react falls flat on the paper. Where are the words that paint the picture? How can I make the story dance and vibrate like it does in my head? Is there a way to do it better?

In an attempt to learn how to make my writing closer to what I want it, I take courses. I read. I get critiques. I listen and read and watch in order to learn the craft but there’s so much to learn and learn and learn. And the more I learn, the more I see there is to know and understand about the whole process. It’s gone from simply writing down a story to thinking about Aristotle’s 3 act structure, the mythical Hero’s Journey, enneagram types, scene and sequel, motivational-reaction units, yada, yada.

The mechanical stuff is great and I need it, but the challenge is still to find a way to combine it with the creative part of story telling. Some say lock the internal editor away until the first draft is done. But no one has told me how. Besides, I appreciate that annoying little voice that whispers, ‘you really think she’d do that?’ It keeps me from chasing down paths in the wrong direction.

So I simply do the best I can. Never quite satisfied. Knowing I haven’t told the story as well as I wanted to. But there is something that gives me courage—I am not alone. Many artists (writers too) share the same frustration. In fact, Leonardo da Vinci said on his deathbed, “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not achieve the quality it should have.” It’s nice to know I’m in good company.

Where in the world did 2007 go? It sure did whip by for me. I hope that everyone has a blessed 2008 filled with good health, good fortune and good friends. Today, I’m here to celebrate the release of my futuristic novella, Doorway to the Stars! I had so much fun writing this sexy adventure! I’ve always loved writing futuristics because it’s incredibly exciting to play around with the ‘what if’ scenario. So, sit back and enjoy the cover and blurb for Doorway to the Stars! Thanks for reading it!
Aries D’Halen is an Outlander from the far reaches of Space, Freya Kirkland is a defeated war-hero—together their passion will ignite a new hope for the future.

Doorway to the Stars, tour guide, Freya Kirkland is a veteran of the last great war that was waged across Earth and its many planets that it has colonized. The new government has been in power for ten years now, and Freya is still struggling to come to terms with the strange new world Earth has become. Thrust back into an archaic age where slavery and other barbaric practices are now in use, she must fight just to get through another day.

Rumors of Outlanders that have infiltrated the star traveling system starts to run rampant throughout Earth’s many media outlets. Knowing that she must continue her job as a tour guide, she knowingly places herself in danger just so she can continue to earn her much needed paycheck. Her world is turned upside down when she meets Gaian Warrior, Aries D’Halen. Will their love be able to mend a broken world, and lead her people and his people into a bright future for all?

Available now from

~Marly

Happy New Year! And all the best to you and yours for 2008.

I’ve been thinking about New Year traditions and superstitions this past week. There was once a belief in Scotland that the first person to cross your threshold after midnight on Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) would bring a portent of your year ahead. Mostly this portent was determined by the colouring of the individual (and maybe gender) and reflected the usual medieval distrust of outsiders. This person was said to set “first foot” into the house.

I have this mental image of everyone clustered in the house at the stroke of midnight, waiting to see who knocks on the door first. Then I wondered - if you had colouring that indicated good luck, would you go and knock on as many doors as possible to spread that good luck? Would that bring good luck to the knocker once he/she came home? There had to be an upside for thinking of other people.

And this led to the inevitable writer question - what if? What if you made your own luck? What if the way you choose to start the year shapes your own luck for that year? What if we all make our own luck and part of the way we make that luck is in our approach to the world? We can sit by the fire and wait for someone to knock on the door - and hope it’s good luck, not bad - or we can go out and spread some good luck around, knowing that a bit of it will stick to us too.

On that note, I’ve decided to start the year off by giving. It seems likely to me that charities collect a great deal in December, but in January, they might not do so well. Where I live, there’s lots of cold winter left in January. I like to do charity knitting - mittens for the foodbank - but this year, I haven’t made as many as I like. I usually take them down there in December, but this year, I’m going to knit as many as I can in January then take them down.

Here’s the first basket of wool that I’m going to knit my way through. (The scary thing is that when this is done, I have lots more!)

I’m going to challenge you all as well. What can you do in January to spread some good luck and incidentally make some luck of your own? Can you do charity knitting? Charity crochet? Work a few hours at the food bank? Teach someone to read? Run errands for a person with less mobility than you? Take a hot meal to an elderly neighbour? You know the perfect thing to do and I challenge you to do it.

Just imagine how much better we can make the world, if each and every one of us does one small, kind thing - each year, each month, each week. Let’s do what we can in January and see how much difference we can make.

Claire
Visit my blog, Alive & Knitting