Day 2 of my writing conference has been a day of learning little things – none of which connect to each other in any way, but yet come in handy at different times.
It all started in my morning meditation where the theme was not always looking at ourselves as traveling toward some end product we are supposed to end up as, but to just accept ourselves for the beings we are everyday:
“Once during the day, think of who you are as living energy and not as a goal to be achieved or an obstacle to be overcome. Feel yourself without inventory.” ~ Nepo
I really like that line “feel yourself without inventory”. Just for awhile stop judging and adjusting yourself. This concept releases me from designing the kind of writer I am going to be, and just leave it up to God and see what I come up with.
Next came my writing class. Today we discussed much about character, dialogue, and setting. Even after teaching these topics for years, I found out that there was still so much I didn’t know. Also, I thought I had a great beginning to my story, and once again I found out I did the very thing you never do. Leaving class and walking to lunch to hear Charles Coe, a poet, I was a little discouraged, but shaking it off.
Upon reaching the tabernacle and settling on a bench with my lunch, I anticipated a half hour of poetry reading. I was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Coe said he’d read a little poetry, but mainly he wanted to talk to us as writers. His topic – having your writing laid out and cut open by members of your writing group, your writing partner, teachers, and editors. He talked about a friend who suffered such discouragement in these situations, as he himself did, too. His friend told him of one teacher who changed his perception of this entire experience. The teacher told him that she was critiquing his mistakes not because his writing was bad, but because it was good and worth working on. She said it was not revision – it was a chance to polish it til’ it shines. Ironically, it was just what I needed to hear.
After lunch I left and had some errands at the mall. I decided to go into Borders and do some research. Since this business of beginnings of picture books was now high on my radar, I went to the children’s section, sat on the floor, and read the beginning sentence of at least 50 books. Again, helpful. I was inspired to go home, armed with what I learned, and write at least five different beginnings for mine. Put in some work, until I see what I’m seeking. My instructor, Sara Pennypacker, talks about how hard and long she sometimes works on one sentence until she gets just the right combination of words. She is an excellent mentor – really shows how very different writing for children is compared to writing for adults.
After leaving the children’s section I found myself in the diet and nutrition section. I needed a “manual” to ramp up my diet. I settled on The New Abs Diet For Women. I sat and read some, then bought it on my kindle. I’ve been reading it since I came home. It is very in depth about what certain foods do and don’t do for women and I think it’s going to be very helpful in changing my eating ways, and it also includes an exercise routine I can handle in addition to my yoga. I will keep you posted on how this goes.
Such a day – inspiration, book beginnings, discouragement, poetry, encouragement, research, shopping, food and exercise. This will all have to be combined and smoothed together in my dreams tonight.
And so, as another day goes by, I am definitely “feeling myself without inventory”, and…I have written.
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