“You’re something between a dream and a miracle (Elizabeth Barrett Browning).” We often don’t think of ourselves as a miracle, we look for miracles outside of us. Yet, we are an incomprehensible miracle. When I finished an extensive workout at the gym yesterday I happened to glance at my right forearm. My blood veins were swollen from my exercise. I followed the veins down my forearm. I saw how they branched off into my fingers and for an instant I was overwhelmed with the miracle of my body. I comprehended how all the pieces work together. I was filled with gratitude. Yes, we are something between a dream and a miracle.
mystery
Think About It ~ Who Knows You Best?
Who knows you best? We are highly complex people. Even our closest friends don’t know everything about us. There is a part of us that is always a mystery to us and to others. There are plenty of “life coaches” who claim they can help with the search for greater self understanding. I believe, however, there comes a point when one accepts the mystery of his/her being and is comfortable living with the mystery knowing he/she will never be fully known or understood by others or one’s self.
Something to Think About
There are lots of things I’ll never understand. I’ve learned not to try to understand them, but to try to live with them. It’s not easy. I want to ask why, when I do all I hear is silence. It’s not meant to be understood by me at this time. Maybe, down the road a ways, I’ll understand. Until then, I have to live the mystery.
Something to Think About
The calendar on my iPhone will remind me of an appointment. I’ll set a reminder on my digital assistant (Alexa) to remind me to buy a birthday gift. As much as we plan and organize our coming days, they remain a mystery. When we wake we step into the unknown. The day may hold great opportunities, challenges, or a combination of both. It takes courage to walk into the unknown filled with confidence and the belief that we are stronger than any challenge. And, with the hope that only good things will come our way. Keep your eyes and heart open for great opportunities. Your journey to date has prepared you to face and defeat any challenge you face.
Something to Think About
Einstein said, “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle. The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.” When we experience the mysterious we experience life as wonder. We begin to ask questions not so much to gain answers but to open us up to discover new questions to ask. The deeper we delve into the mysterious the more we understand that understanding the mysterious is like peeling an onion one layer at time. There is always a new layer.
A Better Life ~ We Are a Mystery
No matter how long we live with another, we’ll never know everything about him/her. Each of us is a mystery waiting to be understood and loved. When we see each other as a mystery, we can explore and discover something new to love each day. Great relationships are always falling more deeply in love. Keep discovery each other’s great mystery.
✒️ Writers’ Wisdom ~ What Do You See in Your Marble?
Make The Marble
Michelangelo reputedly said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Writers must free their angels as well. But first you need the marble. The marble in this case is all the primary material that will come to form the basis of your novel. For many of us, that involves research.
✒️ Writers’ Wisdom ~ Creating a Writing Space
Cooks know there’s something called a mise en place: You read the recipe, if there is one, and assemble your tools and ingredients. It’s another way of saying that the cooking begins before you begin cooking.
The same thing is true for writing. The writer’s mise en place is in fact a place. Do you have a place where you can think, where you can dream and explore? A private office is wonderful, but it isn’t essential. I’ve written several books on various dining room tables. . . . Your writer’s mise en place will help you settle into your creative mind, reduce outside distractions, and signal to your subconscious that you’re about to begin. Instead of avoiding all the heavy thinking and struggling that you might be putting off, you can let the physical world gently lead you into the story.
✒️ Writers’ Wisdom ~ Want to Write a Thriller?
The best thrillers stab the heart, throughout. They do it by getting readers to experience the emotions of the scenes. How can you do that? First, by experiencing them yourself. Sense memory is a technique used by many serious actors. Here’s how it works: You concentrate on recalling an emotional moment in your life, and recreate each of the senses in your memory (sight, smell, touch, sound, etc.) until you begin to feel the emotion again. And you will. The actor transfers that to her role; the writer, to the page.
✒️ Writers’ Wisdom ~ Are You Stuck? Here’s A Trick
Another method is the old Raymond Chandler advice: When things slow down, bring in a man with a gun. It doesn’t have to be an actual man with an actual gun, of course. It can be anything that bursts into a scene and shakes things up. Here’s the key: Get your imagination to give you the surprise without justification.
Make a quick list of at least 10 things that just pop into your mind. For example:
- A woman runs in screaming.
- The lights go out.
- A car crashes through the wall.
- Heart attack.
- SWAT team outside.
- Marching band outside.
- TV announcer mentions character’s name.
- A baby cries (what baby?).
- Blood drips down the wall.
- Justin Bieber comes in with a gun.
Some things on your list will seem silly. That’s OK. Don’t judge. Look back and find the most original item, and only then find a reason for it.
