Winter creek
whispering secrets
slipping beneath snow banks
sibilant susuration promises
“spring, spring, spring.”
poem- I wanna be January 19, 2014
I wanna be
that person who is fit and trim
so I buy the health magazines and plan to get a gym membership.
I wanna be
that person who is literate and up to date with the latest trends
so I buy the literary journals and plan to read them.
I wanna be
that person who travels the world
so I buy the suitcase and send for the passport.
I wanna be
that person with the spotless house
so I buy cleaning products and sign up for email de-cluttering reminders.
I wanna be
that person
but until I actually take real action,
no purchase or plan can create the identity
I wanna be.
.
.
.
(Some of these are true desires, some of wishful thinking, and some are part of my real life. I’ll leave it to you to figure out which!) 😉
poem-writing is like baking a birthday cake January 18, 2014
Writing a novel is like baking a birthday cake.
First, you figure out what kind it is
chocolate, vanilla, spice, angel?
historical? horror? teen? romance?
What is your audience?
Three toddlers? Fifty seniors?
Then you add the ingredients in some order
flour, eggs, milk, sugar
protagonist, conflict, plot, setting
Then you mix them all together and add some heat
from an oven
an editor or first readers
It cooks, changing from ingredients into cake.
It’s edited from a manuscript to a book.
When it tests as being done,
it has to sit a bit to cool
Then it is shared with a small group, or a huge crowd
People celebrate with candles, smiles and songs
A cake lasts a moment, but the memory can linger.
A book lasts longer, but the memory of the first moment lingers.
poem- swirl January 16, 2014
Reality spins
into imagination
awakening dreams
long forgotten.
Reality whirls
through intimations
of what seems
downtrodden
Reality curls
into foundations
revealing themes
all new again.
Thought- secret of success January 15, 2014
Talking to Oprah Winfrey, David Copperfield says the secret of success has three parts:
Passion
Preparation
Persistance
If you love what you do, you work diligently at your craft, and you stick to it, despite set backs and discouragement, eventually, you will achieve your goal.
It seems to be the case in my experience. How about you?
poem-parking
Around
around
around
around
around
the block.
There!
.
.
.
Damn
Smart car.
.
Around
Around
poem- night breath January 14, 2014
Night breathes
its peace in
shimmering air
dusted with winter.
.
Night breathes
its silence in
rustling wishes
between sheets.
.
Night breathes
an invitation in
a lingering look
over the shoulder.
.
Night breathes
a promise in
peace,
silence,
invitation.
poem- winter wind January 13, 2014
Wafting on the cool wind
as I plow through the snow to the car
comes the heavy scent of roses.
I look for the source without success
as the air is saturated with summer
in frosty winter:
Perfumed paradox.
writing- advice I wish I’d had
This is a great series worth reading from C. S. Lakin at Live Write Thrive who interviewed authors about what they wish they’d known before they started writing their novel. This link takes you to the final post in the series, so you may want to poke around her blog a bit and read the rest of the series. It’s a really good source of information for writers.
quote- John Green on coffee January 12, 2014
Colin didn’t like coffee. He liked the idea of coffee quite a lot–a warm drink that gave you energy and had been for centuries associated with sophisticates and intellectuals. But coffee itself tasted to him like caffeinated stomach bile.
John Green in An Abundance of Katherines. p. 11
I also like the rest of the paragraph, from which I lifted the quote. It conveys the tone of the protagonist, Colin, who has just broken up with his 19th girlfriend, each named Katherine.
“He did an end-around on the unfortunate taste by drowning his java in cream, for which Katherine gently teased him that afternoon. It rather goes without saying that Katherine drank her coffee black. Katherines do, generally. They like the coffee like they like their ex-boyfriends: bitter.”
Colin expresses my feeling about coffee. I started drinking it at the Calico House in Kelowna, after young people’s events when I was about 17. We’d gather around the table, wanting to continue in each other’s company, solving the problems of the world, planning our futures, having fun. Calico House put a pitcher of coffee at the table. Inevitably, it ended up in my cup.
I don’t really like it, and I do not do well with caffeine. I had a cup of 2/3 hot chocolate 1/3 coffee at 4:00 on Friday, and I was up until 3 a.m. (and completely unaware of the time. It felt like 9 to me). Most days, I drink either hot chocolate (Carnation, preferably) mixed with some Ovaltine or an herbal tea with honey. This time of year, a hot beverage is a great comfort.
How about you? Do you drink coffee? What is your beverage of choice?
Shawn L. Bird 