What I’ve Been Doing, And Changes To Come

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything. I thought I’d give you an update on what’s going on and tell you about the change I’m going to make on the blog.

So what have I been up to? Hoo boy, let’s see.

In September I went to Bouchercon in New Orleans. It was a blast! I’d tell you more but what happens in New Orleans, stays in New Orleans. šŸ™‚ But I can say it was cool meeting so many nice and talented people.

Laura Oles and I starting the road trip to Bouchercon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Austin Mystery Writers is working on a new anthology. I’ve written a short story about a Texas Ranger who is asked to save a girl who has been kidnapped by a villain. (historical crime fiction.) I think the anthology will be out sometime this year.

 

 

A short story of mine, Kay Chart, was published by Mystery People. Here’s the link to it. (This one I’d categorize as historical suspense.) It’s really short, only a couple of pages long. I hope you like it. I had fun writing it. It’s creepy! Ā https://mysterypeople.wordpress.com/2016/11/11/crime-fiction-friday-kay-chart-by-valerie-p-chandler

 

 

 

 

 

 

In early November attended the 2nd Writer Unboxed UnCon in Salem! It was a blast to see my many friends again. It was filled with so much information and wisdom, that I couldn’t give it justice if I tried to explain it. So instead, I’ll provide a link that explains the events we had and lessons learned from the writers who attended. The conference focuses on the craft of writing. Writer Unboxed- Author in Progress.

My beloved Writer Unboxed Mod Squad fellows. <3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the conference was the launch of the Writer Unboxed book, Author In Progress. I’m honored they asked me to participate in the project. It’s full of essays on the process of writing. Lots of big names in there like Donald Maass and Lisa Cron. It’s available in all major books stores and online. Here’s a brief article about it.Ā 

 

Author In Progress! I’m honored they asked me to provide some comments on essays.

 

 

Gale Albright

The week after the UnConference, Austin Mystery Writers did a presentation at the Wimberley, Texas Library. It was a small gathering but we had an interesting back and forth about the process of writing, and we talked about Murder on Wheels. After the event, members of AMW gathered at a local restaurant and had lunch. I’m glad we did that because we hadn’t gathered for a few months. Little did we know that a two days later we’d lose fellow member Gale Albright. She was participating in NaNoWriMo and suddenly had a heart attack. Gale was such a strong force in AMW (Yes, like a Gale force wind.) that suddenly losing her took the wind out of my sails. I had trouble writing anything for a couple of months. That’s another reason why I haven’t written a blog post in a long while. It’s still unreal to me. I hear her voice and her laugh. I can hear her telling me to get with it and get work done. I push things away so now, four months later, it’s starting to sink in.

 

 

In other news, I’ve made a few videos, and more are to come. I know they aren’t great, but I have fun thinking about them and making them.

  • Here’s one called Reflection (from Mulan), about my main character, Kay Stuart. Reflection
  • Here’s another. I was just having fun in my car. I like the vintage look I gave it. (It’s a horrible angle! But c’est la vie.) It’s one of my favorite songs, singing with Queen Latifah’s version of Baby Get Lost.Ā 

I’ve got a couple of more videos coming soon.

 

So now I’ll talk about some changes I plan to make here on my blog. I plan to post about once a month, but instead of trying to come up with a topic, I’ll write a book review. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for some time. There are so many good books our there, I’d like to share them with you! Not all of the books I’ll be talking about will be mysteries. I’m more than just a mystery writer! I like all kinds of sub-genres of fiction. I also think this may provide some interesting discussions. Or maybe it will at least provide you with a new book for you to enjoy. Not all of the books will be new. In fact, I may just choose one at random from my Goodreads list.

I’ll also keep you up to date on the music I’m writing and the jewelry I’m making. That’s right. Because I don’t have enough to do, I want to try my hand at jewelry.

Oh yeah, and I’m still progressing on my book, Gilt Ridden. If you’d like to keep up to date with my progress, sign up for email notifications.

Ciao!


Posted in Conference, Event, New Book, New story, Video, Writing and tagged , , , , , , , , , , by with 1 comment.

Interview With AMW Member, V.P. Chandler

10407893_1010906502272011_8835198574869839611_n

Originally appeared on www.austinmysterywriters.com

This is the last installment of the AMW member interviews. Who did I leave out? Me! So some of my fellow members have asked me questions. I must admit, I was a little nervous. Ask me anything! Iā€™ll give you an answer. And this goes for you too, reader. Ask me anything. Iā€™ll try to answer what you throw at me. *Gulp!*

 

 

 

Kaye George (former member but still active in many AMW activities!)- How long have you been writing toward publication?

VPC- I plead the fifth. (Already!) Okay, Iā€™ll answer. Iā€™ve been working on my book, in its many incarnations, since about 2009. Itā€™s had big changes and Iā€™ve also worked on other projects in the meantime.

 

KG- Do you find it hard or easy to fit writing into your schedule?

Pomodoro timer

Pomodoro timer

VPC- Most days I can fit in some writing. Itā€™s the days that have unexpected challenges, like an emergency trip to the vet, that make it hard. And on some days, like today, Iā€™m doing things like writing a blog post. Lots of things take time away from working on book projects.

Iā€™ll also fess up thatĀ Iā€™m also a procrastinator, so I sometimes have to trick myself into working. ā€œI have to work at least 20 minutes.ā€ Then next thing I know itā€™s been 3 hours and I got a lot of work done.

 

KG- Do you work outside the home?

VPC- I volunteer for my church. I do the website and sometimes fill in for the secretary. I also help with websites, Facebook pages, and projects of organizations like Writer Unboxed and our local chapter of Sisters in Crime.

 

KG- How many rattlers have you actually killed?

VPC- LOL! I know youā€™re asking me this because youā€™ve read a draft of my book. The answer is, a lot. Back when we lived at our ranch, I wondered the same thing and started counting them up. At that time the number was about 150. When I got to number 200, I bought myself a gun charm for my charm bracelet. I figured I deserved it! So all in all Iā€™d say I personally killed about 250 snakes.

Charms to celebrate moving to central Texas, shooting rattlesnakes, writing my newest story about a Texas Ranger, love of rabbits, joining AMW, and writing Rota Fortunae.

Charms to celebrate moving to central Texas, shooting rattlesnakes, writing my newest story about a Texas Ranger, love of rabbits, joining AMW, and writing Rota Fortunae.

I have a picture of the dead snakes that we killed on our busiest day, but I wonā€™t post that here. If anyone is interested, I can post it in the comments. We killed 18 snakes that day. It was just after Thanksgiving and thatā€™s the time of year that they are mating and looking to hibernate. I can tell you more about that day later, if anyone is interested.

An added note: I know some people will be upset that we killed rattlesnakes. There were thousands of snakes where we lived and we didnā€™t kill any of the nonpoisonous one. AND our son was only three years old so it was a matter of life or death. Again, I can discuss more about that in the comments if anyone wishes to.

 

Elizabeth Buhmann- Your settings always have a wonderful Texas feel to them. You are a native Texan, surely, but hasnā€™t your family been here for a while, too?

VPC- Yes. I have a direct ancestor who arrived about 1834. Itā€™s funny that Iā€™m descended from a Winters and I moved to a town where one of its earliest settlers was a Winters, my

Winters house. www.wimwic.org

Winters house. http://www.wimwic.org

4x great uncle. (I think thatā€™s the right number of greats.) When I learned that, I figured it was meant to be for me to live here!

 

 

 

 

 

EB- Your father was a criminal justice professional, wasnā€™t he? Tell us a bit about him and how he has influenced your writing.

VPC- He was a criminal justice professor at Sam Houston State and he influenced me greatly. I believe his specialties were criminal history and organized crime. He loved to tell stories about cases, including those he was involved in during his time as Director of Public Safety in Corpus Christi. He and my step-mother were also avid readers of mysteries so we often talked about those too.

My fatherā€™s parents also had an influence. My grandfather was a pathologist, the first one in South Texas. And my grandmother was an accomplished photographer. She worked with him by taking the photos to document his findings. Both were friends with Erle Stanley Gardner and he sometimes asked their advice on forensics. 144432He mentions them in the Foreword in his book, The Case of the Careless Cupid.

I didnā€™t get a chance to know them back in those days, but Iā€™ve heard many stories about what they did and accomplished.

 

 

 

 

 

EB- Are you a Texas history buff? Your first novel (which I had the privilege of reading in draft form) is set about a hundred (?) years in the past. What sort of sources did you use to paint such a realistic picture of what Texas was like then?

VP- Thank you! I used to hate history. I thought it was so boring. And, like many things, the older I got the more I found it interesting. I like learning about people and how they overcame obstacles. One of the best resources Iā€™ve found is the Texas State Historical Association website. Itā€™s incredible!

Other sources were just various things I could find by using Google and asking friends who are knowledgeable. My Facebook friends are great! I also collect hard to find, out of print books about Texas.

 

Gale Albright- Has being a member of Austin Mystery Writers improved your confidence in your writing?

VPC- Yes! Tremendously. I canā€™t imagine where Iā€™d be if it wasnā€™t for this group and the feedback and support we give each other.

 

GA- Can you tell me the pros and cons of being a member of a critique group?

VPC- One of the best things about a good critique group is getting honest, and polite feedback. Another plus about AMW is that we are a group of people with a variety of backgrounds, so we can approach a story from different experiences. We also have different things that we notice in a story, like punctuation or pacing. So we can give a variety of suggestions on how to make a story better.

 

GA- Austin Mystery Writersā€™ short-story anthology, Murder on Wheels, recently received a Silver Falchion Award at Killer Nashville. Whatā€™s your reaction been to that?

VPC- When we were nominated, I was like, ā€œWhaaaat?ā€ LOL It didnā€™t sink in for about a day. I didnā€™t want to let myself get excited. Then when we won, I couldnā€™t believe it. I was very pleased. Iā€™ve been telling everybody!

SilverFalchionAwardWinner_Web-300x300

GA- You have a big interest in historical novels. Do you think youā€™ve found a niche for yourself, or do you plan to branch out to other types of writing?

VPC- Good question. This is something I think about a lot. I love historical fiction, and plan to write a series set in Texas. Hopefully my first book, Gilt Ridden, will be the first in a series. I have about five other stories planned out for my characters. I like the idea that my antagonist, Kay Stuart, solves current problems (murders), by finding the answers in Texas history.

I also have an idea for a series using one of her best friends, Jessie Reese, who is a modern deputy sheriff. Those will be straight up mystery/suspense with no history.

BUT I also love to write horror. Iā€™m working on a story that may be a novella or novel that is sci-fi/horror.

So I guess my answer is that right now Iā€™m focusing on historical fiction/mystery with a side jaunt into horror. But I find Iā€™m having so much fun writing horror, it may be more of a focus of mine in the future. I plan to just write what is fun to write. And when I do that, the writing is better anyway.

 

GA- Whatā€™s the most fun part of writing for you? What is not so much fun?

VPC- I love writing squeamish or emotional scenes. I like the idea of making the reader laugh or cry. Such power! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha !

On the other hand, I hate it when the plot or the scene just isnā€™t coming together. Itā€™s excruciating! I literally have to get up and walk around. Sometimes I have to stand at the table to write. I also donā€™t like long descriptions. I hate reading them and I hate writing them. I like to get to the point.

 

GA- Do you have any fun research trips planned?

VPC- I wish! I will be going to Bouchercon in New Orleans next week with fellow member Laura Oles. I guess Iā€™ll keep my eyes open for inspiration. Iā€™ll also be going to the Writer Unboxed Un-Conference in November, which (witch?) will be in Salem, Massachusetts. Kathy Waller will also be there with me. Maybe weā€™ll find some ghosts!

10469735_963654960315288_5870602240262122958_n

Salem trip to Writer Unboxed Un-Con in 2014

Thank you for all of the questions! I love being a member of AMW. I canā€™t imagine going through this journey of being a writer without their support and guidance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does anybody have anymore questions? Bring ā€˜em on!

Questions


Posted in Interview, Writing and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , by with no comments yet.

Cover Reveal!

 

 

51vygMXQ9bL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_

Iā€™m proud to have had a small part in this book about writing. It is a collaboration between Writer’s Digest and writers in the Writer Unboxed community. Here is a portion from the introduction written by the indomitable Therese Walsh.

ā€œThe team at Writer Unboxed has provided a guiding light on that well-traveled road for more than a decade now, publishing more than 3,500 essays and interviews about the craft of writing and the writing life. Itā€™s our pleasure to shine that same light for you here, and itā€™s our hope that youā€™ll join us on our website and our Facebook group whenever you need to be reminded that you do not walk the road alone. So often Writer Unboxed community members say they read exactly what they needed to read, exactly when they needed to read it, on our site. We hope you get that sense time and again as you read these pages.ā€

Available atĀ Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indiebound. It has a soft-release date of November 1st, though many will receive pre-ordered books in mid-October. Consider, too,adding it to your ā€˜want to readā€™ shelf on Goodreads.


Posted in New Book, Writing and tagged , , , , , , , by with 2 comments.

Writer Unboxed Un-Conference and Un-Con Song

Salem house

Just got back from the Writer Unboxed Un-Con a couple of days ago and like many of my peers, I’m having a hard time adjusting to real life again. It was so great! What’s Writer Unboxed? I guess I’ll start at the beginning.

WU is a wonderful blog (www.writerunboxed.com) that’s all about the craft of writing fiction and providing moral support for fellow writers. I’ve been a member of the “family” for a few years now and I can say that it’s been invaluable.

This was the first conference and it was held in Salem, Massachusetts and what a wonderful time of year to be there! The leaves were gorgeous and it was right after Halloween so there was still a magical feeling in the air.

The days were packed with classes and workshops. I literally filled my notebook with notes. I wish I could tell you everything I learned and the insights I discovered, but that would take Ā pages and pages to do. So instead I’ll share some granules of wisdom and some links so you can delve further on your own.

My first class wasĀ Lisa Cron’s Wired for Story. I’m now a groupie. It was about how stories are the most powerful form of communication and our brains are literally wired for story because that’s how information has been passed down for generations. When someone says, “Let me tell you a story…” your brain releases Dopamine and you’re ready to experience the story. A good story is more important than beautiful writing because you’ll get a better reader response. She compared it to a tricked out car with no engine. It’s pretty, but it won’t get you anywhere. And most importantly—story is internal, not external. It’s what happens to your characters. Lisa has aĀ TED talkĀ all about this. I highly recommend it. It’s almost more like learning philosophy and about writing.

Learned about Setting as Character taught byĀ Brunonia BarryĀ andĀ Liz Michalski. Both are from the area so not only was it a good class about describing your setting, they offered some new insights into the area. Most of it was a writing exercise and some of us shared what we wrote.

Velveteen Characters taught byĀ Therese Walsh. Therese is a founder of WU and organized the conference so she is a powerhouse, to say the least. Basically she said that all of your characters are important, even the secondary ones. You should try to give each one a quirk or flaw, it makes them more real and will enhance the story. She suggested for a writing prompt to make 5 assumptions about a character and flip them. See what happens!

PlotĀ vsĀ Ā and Story taught by Lisa Cron, Brunonia Barry, andĀ Donald Maass. This was a biggie. To sum up copious notes, story is internal and the changes that happen within your characters. Plot is actions, events and things that affect your characters. Also a side-note, Ā every single scene should have conflict, action, suspense, and a turning point.

Where Story Comes From led byĀ Meg Rosoff. Basically, you are unique so your voice is unique. It was about tapping into the conscious and unconscious mind, to get to those memories, fears, and feelings that are real. If you can convey those feelings, your voice will be unique and you’ll connect with the reader.

Donald Maass’s class on How Good Manuscripts Go Wrong. So many notes! He talked about how to make your characters deeper and more interesting by giving them flaws and obstacles to overcome. Does your MC (main character) do something that no one else can do? Does your MC know something that no one else knows? Ā And don’t forget to add tension to every scene. Most books don’t have enough tension.

The last day was an all-day long workshop about 21st Century Fiction. It seems that genres are starting to cross over and readers are expecting it. Plot driven books have deeper characters and literary books have more suspense and action. His method was to ask questions which make you think about your characters and the events. Many people, myself included, had “aha!” moments which made us look at things differently. So insightful.

That’s it in a nutshell. I’m including a video of me singing the Un-Con song. It’s embarrassing and the quality isn’t great, but it was fun.


Posted in Conference and tagged , , , , , , , , by with no comments yet.

Story Research ā€“ Letting the Brain Assist the Heart by Vaughn Roycroft

Today I’d like to share an article written by a friend, Vaughn Roycroft, who is currently working on his historical fantasy trilogy, The Broken Oaks trilogy. Today’s article is about the writer’s process of research and he hits the nail of the head. It spoke to me so much that I wanted to share it with you.

Whether you are researching current police procedures or rituals of ancient Rome, every writer has to do research. Roycroft talks about his process and the pros and cons of getting lost down the rabbit hole.

I’ve included the article here, but if you’d like to share it or see it on his blog, complete with writers’ comments, (And I share a little something in the comments section), go to:

http://vaughnroycroftblog.com/2014/05/02/story-research-letting-the-brain-assist-the-heart/

 

Enjoy!

 

Story Research ā€“ Letting the Brain Assist theĀ Heart

Research BooksAn Intricate Mess:

ā€œIf a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then what are we to think of an empty desk?ā€~Albert Einstein

Iā€™ve written about my approach to world-building before, in generalĀ here, and in regards to names and namingĀ here. But my friendĀ Heather ReedĀ recently undertook a new historical fantasy project, and she asked me specifically about my approach to researching theĀ Broken Oaths trilogy. In looking back at my notes, Iā€™m both excited for her and amazed.

Excited because they remind me of the adventure of the hunt, and the thrill of discovery. But amazed by the wide and disparate variety of sources that I mined for my story elements. In wading through what can only be called a disorganized mess, itā€™s a wonder that I was able to arrive at anything coherent.

This is one of the reasons I subscribe to the notion of a story muse. Iā€™m the antithesis of organized, which seems contrary to being a good researcher. And yet somehow I was able to pull a story out of my intricate mess.

As an example, I give you my namey-namer cheat-sheet (see photo). Itā€™s a simple 81/2ā€ x 11ā€ sheet of plainLOBO Cheat-sheetĀ white paper that started out as a short list of possible character names. Itā€™s now covered, front and back, with hundreds of names and obscure references. Please note there is very little means of organization, other than a handful of breakdowns by character group. And yet it continues to serve me well. Iā€™m not sure how I find such a crazy resource helpful, but every time I need to check a name, this is my go-to reference. Honestly, I rarely need it. Itā€™s mostly in issues such as: ā€œNow whatā€™s that secondary characterā€™s grandmotherā€™s name again?ā€ And somehow I know what part of which side to look to find grammaā€™s name. This from a guy who honestly canā€™t recall his own phone number. Go figure.

Getting Wet:

ā€œPearls do not lie on the seashore. He who desires one must dive.ā€Ā ~Chinese Proverb

Weā€™re in the information age, right? And with so much access to a mighty river of information, the toughest part is going to be finding the tributaries and offshoots that apply to your story. In order to do that, sticking your toe in will not do. Youā€™re going to have to get wet.

JORDANES Origins & Deeds of the GothsAnd you never know where the currents will carry you. For example, my quest for original source material about the Goths swiftly revealed a scarcity. Which is why I was so excited to find one of the few existing documents about the Goths by a Gothā€”Jordanesā€™Ā The Origin and Deeds of the Goths. Although I quickly realized Jordanes was writing about previous generations with few specific references and an obvious quantity of bluster, one note caught my attention and held it. He claimed that the Greek myth of the Amazons originated with the Ancient Greeksā€™ discovery of a group of Goth women whose husbands and sons had left them on the north shore of the Black Sea to raid in Persia and Egypt. I was fascinated, and it led to months of study of the Amazons and related myths and topics. And ultimately, to my creation of the Skolaniā€”an all-female warrior sect that plays a prominent role in all of my work. All from a paragraph in an ancient treatise. There were no kickass warrior women on my radar at the onset, but oh-how-glad I am that I was willing to dive and found my way to them. They are most certainly a pearl.

Thereā€™s a lot to take in, on most any subject. But itā€™s difficult to pick and choose your sources. I say dive in and let it wash over you. Go with the flow. You might end up somewhere you like.

Panning For Gold:

ā€œThe subconscious is a hundred times smarter than we are. Weā€™re just taking dictation.ā€~Steven Pressfield

In hindsight, I wish Iā€™d worried less about delving for specifics. I wish Iā€™d gone in with only the idea that I was going to educate myself and feed my enthusiasm, knowing the rest would more or less take care of itself. Because thatā€™s what ended up happening.

As another example, in my research of the Goths, I began by broadly perusing subjects pertaining to the Germanic Tribes at the height of the Roman Empire. I studied their social structure and kingship. I went on to study their laws and mores, settlement layouts, agriculture, games and amusements, clothing and jewelry, migration (causes and effects), and their weapons and warfare. What I really wanted was more specific information about how they governed themselves. Sadly, there is little information, and much of it is conflicting.

futhark ring hiltsBut in the course of my search, as I studied the last topicā€”weapons and warfareā€”I now see what became the roots of my solution. There is an entry in my notes from a book calledĀ Battle-ax People, by Olivia Vlahos. The note pertains to the expense and significance of swords, and how certain swords became important relics passed from father to son, occasionally symbolizing a legacy of chieftainship. From another book calledĀ The Everyday Life of Barbarians: Goths, Franks, and Vandals, by Malcom Todd, I note that some important swords are inscribed with oaths, and occasionally such oaths appeared in the form of rune rings, attached to the hilt. The two notes are only a few sentences each, and were taken several months apart. And yet they clearly led to the Futhark swords of the Gottari ruling clansā€”the symbolic relics which represent the leadership of my two ruling clans.

I donā€™t see any notation that Iā€™d put the two togetherā€”inherited swords symbolic of leadership and rune rings on hiltsā€”at the time. But when it came time to outline, a symbol was needed, and there they were: the Futhark swords. I invented much of the rest of the elements of their governance from other tidbits gleaned over the course of my research, and it all fell into place once I had the Futhark swords. So Iā€™d advise you not to bother looking for bright baubles as you go. Just scoop it in. Your muse (or your subconscious) will sift through for the gems.

Take It From Me (Or Donā€™t):

It might seem silly, now that youā€™ve read this far, that a guy who admits heā€™s a disorganized and somewhat aimless researcher is now going to give you advice on researching. But I am (going to give advice, not sillyā€”or is it both?). Take it or leave it. Itā€™s all in good fun (as any research for fiction should be).

*Find your passion!Ā As I say, this should be fun. If youā€™re passionate about your subject or era, your research will not only be easy, but a pleasureā€”something youā€™ll look forward to doing.

*Give yourself ENOUGH time, but not ENDLESS time.Ā If youā€™re having fun researching, as you should, you might find a point of diminishing returns. At some point we all have to stop researching and start writing.

*Start online, but zero in with books.Ā Nothing beats the internet for gaining a broader understanding of a topic or era. But youā€™ll soon realize that if you want any depth and citation, you need to go to books. I buy as many as I can, but for most of us, trips to the library become an indispensable part of any major research project.

*Donā€™t be afraid to follow the rabbit down the hole.Ā I think Iā€™ve pretty well illustrated this point. If youā€™re writing about Goths and Romans in the 4thĀ Century AD, donā€™t be afraid to spend a few months chasing Amazons across Ancient Greece and beyond. Or something along those lines.LOBO Research Notes

Ā Let Your Brain Assist Your Heart:

ā€œIā€™ve noticed this effect: When writers undertake to write a story, the insights and information they need to write it well tend to arrive unasked for. Those things arrive at the right moments, perfectly timed gifts from the story god.

Or, is it rather that an authorā€™s brain, working on a story, begins to grab available information and synthesize it, which is to say bend, blend and meld it to the purposes of the story?

Is it magic, serendipity or synthesis? Whatever it is, I donā€™t think itā€™s accidental. I think authors make it happen. Itā€™s the brain assisting the heart.ā€Ā ~Donald Maass

Donā€™s quote above is from a comment he made onĀ a wonderful WU postĀ this week. The post is largely about the mysterious and seemingly random serendipity of the power of the brain, by Maureen Seaberg, the co-author of Struck by Genius. And, as he often does, for me Don took the post to a whole new level.

The Dreamer, by Caspar David Friedrich (1835)I allotted a year to research when I began my manuscript in earnest. And I ended up with a pile of notebooks even larger than the one pictured above. But once I started writing, I rarely dug through that disorganized mess (perhaps in part because it was disorganized). The insights and information I needed tended to arrive as perfectly timed gifts from the story god. Or did my brain somehow know better than my conscious self which bits to grasp and gather, to then ā€œbend, blend and meld to the purposes of the storyā€? Either way, Iā€™m glad I somehow found my way to allowing my brain to assist my heart.

Moving forward, Iā€™m hoping I can repeat the process, but Iā€™m not too worried. Iā€™ve already stumbled onto streams that have led my subconscious to begin the bending, blending and melding all over again.

Now itā€™s your turn. Is your research organized? Do your notebooks have color-coded tabs and an index? Do you trust that your brain will know better than your conscious self, and will assist your heart?


Posted in Writing and tagged , , , , by with no comments yet.
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: