Being Creative

What would life be like if we didn't have the ability to be creative? No matter what we do there's always the opportunity to create something or change it. Kids use imagination to get out of doing chores or explaining how they didn't do something they should have. As adults, we do pretty much the same thing but our methods become...creative. How we go about it is determined by the strength of our imagination.

I'm not one to follow rules, at least not any more than I can get away with. I'm always looking for a way to do something different, find a method whether it's writing or making afghans for raffles. Patterns and rules exist as guidelines to encourage imagination and creativity.

Creativity is about the greatest friend an author can have. While all fiction has some basis in fact, how those facts are used and interpreted can give a story a whole different slant. Take vampires for instance. Dracula was a really nasty character. Today, vampires live side-by-side with humans, get their meals from privately owned bloodbanks and many of them actually have a sense of humor...because a writer dared to be creative.

And what about myths and legends? More and more writers are looking at them with an eye to creating something entirely different. Some years ago I reviewed a book about the Sheriff of Nottingham and he was nothing like the character of legend. It was riveting and gave me a different perspective on the man.

There's a lot to be said for using your imagination to come up with something unique. Be wild, have fun and be creative. You never know what you might end up with.

When Time Flies...

That's what it seems like. Life has a way of coming before the things you'd like to do and even setting priorities doesn't always help. Still somewhere along the line you always manage to find time to do the things you really want, the things that give you pleasure. Like stopping to smell the roses. We need the break from real life.

Have you noticed how time seems to get away from us? We get to thinking, was it only yesterday... Case in point... A few days ago I had a visit from a friend's daughter. Now the last time I recall seeing her, she wasn't very tall, still wore her hair in two braids and was rather shy. Now she's a pretty young lady, almost sixteen years old. I didn't recognize her. Now that's what makes me feel older...seeing friends' children growing up, marrying... Even my own adult sons never made me feel like that.

As you get older, you begin to think about how much time you might have left and how best to use it. It creates an incentive to get more done, to figure out what's really important and the dreams you want to fulfill. Retirement? I don't think we ever really retire. It's just a matter of changing priorities. Some responsibilities have run their course and you find you have the time to do some of the things you've always wanted to do.

I guess that's why some of my writing friends are able to spend more time doing what they love. Not only do we have more time, but we also have more experience to draw from. We put more of ourselves into our creative efforts. Then we watch time zip past us even faster and it gives more meaning to "Time Flies When You're Having Fun."

NaNo Month

November 1st is the start of National Novel Writers Month, or NaNo as we writers like to nickname it. It's an annual challenge to turn off the internal editor for 30 days, and strive for a goal of 50,000 words. That's a lot in a short time. It breaks down to 1667 words a day. I write tight, so it doesn't take me long to reach the bottom of my word bucket to get a scene down on paper, and I'm usually lucky if I hit a thousand words. Once in a great while the bucket overflows and I get a bit more done.

I've had a story idea going on in the back of my head for sometime now. A minor character in another story decided he wanted the spotlight for himself, so I'm giving him a chance to shine. At this point he doesn't have a whole lot to say, but I'm sure he'll do better when he settles in to telling his tale. He's got a couple decisions to make before he gets started on his great adventure. The idea is to concentrate on what this one character has to say and not let anyone else interrupt. After all, everyone has to wait their turn, even if they don't think so.

If you're taking part in this challenge, or even if you're not, post your comments here, pro or con for this annual event. What do you think of it? Does it help you, or put on more pressure you don't need? Share your thoughts with other writers.

Until next time...

Welcome To My Meanderings

Meanderer is the perfect word for a blogger, I think. Thoughts might run to unrelated topics, but my specific goal here is to get input, or reader reviews on the writings I've had published and let you know what I'm up to, what's coming out next. I'm working on getting blurbs and bookcovers together, but it might take a little time. It seems the some of the files I have don't know what they are and refuse to open. This is what you call 'on the job training', figuring out what you're doing as you do it. I admit it, I'm new to blogging, but I hope to become familiar with the process right quick.

Anyhoo... I'm looking forward to reading your comments, opinions, and maybe answering questions. I look forward to hearing from long-time friends and new ones as well, and hope you'll go meandering with me.

Marissa