Arts

by

Dealing With Your Inner Critic

Photo by Anni Roenkae on Pexels.com

Everyone, no matter their level of success in life, struggles with their inner critic.

The negative voice tells lies to keep you safe. It’s your brain’s defense mechanism against danger.

Anxiety acts as a guardian angel. Its intentions are pure, but we all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

When it comes to life or death situations, your anxiety protects you. But in the trenches of day to day modern life, we rarely encounter a life or death situation that warrants such an extreme measure. Anxiety acts like a guardian, but it can cause us to not act.

Learning to reframe your anxiety is important, so it doesn’t get in the way of your writing.Because the inner critic isn’t objective, whenever you find yourself at conflict with it.

Try to imagine the good that could come out of your writing. Even if what you write today doesn’t turn into something you can use, it is an exercise toward good writing in the end. Think of yourself as an athlete who has to practice before he/she gets really good. Your inner narrator should keep you grounded without discouraging you from moving forward. Don’t silence your inner critic. Think of it as a way to go in the opposite direction of what it wants you to do.

Turn the negative self-talk into an empowering message. Every time you hear yourself thinking that you’re not good enough, that your negative traits are far too many, that it’s not worth it, that it’s not fair, you tell yourself that it’s not so.

After all, the inner critic is kind of dumb, far from objective, and even though its intentions are good, it won’t help you get to where you want to go.

Anxiety, negative self talk, self-doubt should act as triggers to turn them into something that empowers you.

Charles Bukowski almost didn’t become the writer he had always dreamt of being. He worked in a post-office until his fifties, even though he tried and often failed to earn enough from his writing so he could quit his job.

Abraham Lincoln failed time and time again. He lost his bid for State Legislature when he was 23 years old. Six years later, he lost his bid to become Speaker in the Illinois House of Representatives.In 1848, at the age of 39, Lincoln failed to become Commissioner of the General Land Office in D.C. Ten years later, he failed to become a U.S. Senator.

If we try, we might fail. If we give it our all, we might fail. Sometimes I do believe the universe tests our commitment, and I often find that the people who try and fail, never, ever want to try again.

So, what’s the trick?

Follow your heart and intuition. There’s a dream hidden somewhere inside a drawer of your soul you rarely open.

“Do or do not, there is no try.” – Yoda

This is one of those clever quotes that get passed around quite often. When it’s do or die, most people tend to do.

Sometimes we don’t have to step outside our comfort zone. Sometimes we don’t have to take massive action in order to reach a certain goal.

Have you ever chosen not to do something because you were absolutely certain you’d fail?You were so sure you couldn’t, so you didn’t even try.

Doing the impossible will often lead to failure. But if we aim to do the bit that’s possible, if we just give it a try, then we might surprise ourselves by becoming good enough to do what we previously thought of as impossible.

The obvious paradox is that you never know if something’s impossible or not unless you try.Our attitude always determines our altitude in life. When we think we can’t do something, there’s no reason to even try.

It’s better to try something than to give up without even attempting just because you believe that you must do it.

Edison’s famous invention of the light bulb stands testimony to just how powerful such a mindset is. The trick that allowed him to persevere until successful was that he re-framed his failures as, “finding ways that don’t work.”

You, like Edison, you could try to do it before you can decide if it can or can’t be done.

I’ll be blogging on Thursdays. Follow me here.

by

Create An Outline for Your Manuscript

An outline for your manuscript to is a great way to start a large book project.

Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com

Create an Outline

First you want to structure your raw idea into an organized manuscript format. This is where the outline becomes invaluable. Hopefully you have done some research before this stage and have a definite idea of how your manuscript would fit the lists of certain publishers and the overall book market.

Think about a logical sequence and flow. When I do a poetry manuscript, I think about a theme and how my recent poems fit into this theme. I might even have subsections. When I wrote Touch My Head Softly, which was about my partner and Alzheimer’s Disease, it naturally fell into three sections, before, during and after the death. When it came to publishing, my publisher immediately recognized the organization and acknowledged how it would fit into Finishing Line’s line of books for the season.

After you have shaped your outline, you can structure your material into an organized manuscript format. This is where your outline is invaluable. Think about the logical flow and sequence and divide your poems or ideas into coherent chapters and/or subsections.

If there is a chronology that makes sense, then present your content in that way. Determine what information and material belongs in the beginning, middle or end. In the end you will have a well-organized manuscript that you can present to a publisher.

This is what I did for my most recent manuscript, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth. I will be blogging on Thursdays. Follow the progress of my manuscript here.

by

Exercise Stimulates Creativity

According to a new study by Scientific Reports* “the pattern of findings argues for shared variance between bodily movements and creativity or fluency and originality.”

Therefore many writers, including me, exercise as part of their creative process. The physical state of our bodies, and our willingness to routinely move them through space to the extent we are able, can either serve or subvert the quest to create.

Photo by Heart Rules on Pexels.com

There are studies about how aerobic exercise both increases the size of the prefrontal cortex and facilitates interaction between it and the amygdala. This is important to creators because the prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that helps tamp down the amygdala’s fear and anxiety signals.

Dr. Jennifer Heisz, author of Move the Body, Heal the Mind, shares deeply compelling insights and research about the connection between movement and anxiety, depression, working memory, mental flexibility and creativity

I swim everyday first thing in the morning, then I write. I have been following this pattern for years and find it works for me. Artists, writers and any other driven creators use movement as a powerful tool in the quest to help transform the persistent uncertainty, fear, and anxiety that accompanies the quest to create,

Anyone involved in a creative endeavor might consider movement, as a potent elixir to help transform the uncomfortable sensation of anxiety from a source of pain and creative stagnation into something not only manageable but usable.

A growing body of research on the therapeutic effect of exercise on anxiety, mood, and fear illustrates the often sustained anxiety that rides organically along with the uncertainty of creation. As artists, we need to cultivate the energetic capacity needed to give our brains what they require to function long enough, and at a high enough level, to have even a shot at closing the gap between idea and performed piece or manuscript. We need to not only train in the craft, but also do what we can to equip ourselves to flourish along the way.the creative process, especially in the context of a larger work, is a survival event.

What form of exercise do you use to feed your creativity?

I will blog on Thursdays on creativity, the writing process, readings and publishing. Follow me her on Thursdays.

*“Everyday bodily movement is associated with creativity independently from active positive affect” by Rominger, et al. Scientific Reports.

by

Why Are We So Insecure About Our Writing?

The shadow of the dome of pleasure
    Floated midway on the waves;
    Where was heard the mingled measure
    From the fountain and the caves.
   
                    --Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

Coleridge wrote these lines in 1797. Just listen to the rhythm and music in the lines. Coleridge did not publish “Kubla Khan” until 1816, at Lord Byron’s insistence. Coleridge worried about the irregular meter and that sections of the poem were not coherent. Yet, it is considered one of the best poems published in the English Language.

In a sense, that’s fair enough. The poem does not hold to traditional poetic unity in the way other Coleridge work does: his long narrative poems “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “Christabel,” for example, and “Frost at Midnight,” his hymn to fatherhood. The poem began in a drug-induced dream.

Photo by Tyler Lastovich on Pexels.com

So how many of us writers doubt the worth of our writing? Bertrand Russell, a famous writer in his own rite, had three tips for insecure writers:

Learn to recognize your writing insecurities and admit to their existence. You can’t address a problem if you pretend it’s not there. Look at your particular insecurities and recognize them. That way you’ll be prepared when insecurity strikes.

The second is to recognize that you’re not alone in your insecurities. All writers feel insecure about their writing one time or another. If you’re insecure about grammar, work on grammar. Remember no one writes a text right the first time.

The third tip is to let go of any concept of perfectionism that you have. If you finish a text and feel you can do better, it just means that you’re developing some judgmental ability. Being insecure with your writing is part of a writer’s life.

I recently finished a manuscript called Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth, with the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen. Every time I submit a manuscript to a publisher, even though I’ve published three books, my insecurities come to play. The worst that can happen is that it will be rejected and I will submit it elsewhere.

Follow me here on Thursdays as I write about the writing process and the journey of my manuscript.

by

Join Us for a Reading from Poetry for the Dementia Journey at the Book Launch at 4 pm EST on June 3

I will be reading one of my three poems in the anthology

On Sunday, June 3 at 4 pm EST, I will be reading from the anthology, Poetry for the Dementia Journey, along with many other poets included in the anthology, including Gail Thomas, Ellen Rittberg, and Christine Jones. The book officially launches in both paperback and Kindle on June 1st – in time for Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. The book will also be published with Draft2Digital, which will put it in many other stores, such as Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Hoopla. The eBook will sell on all platforms for $9.99 and the paperback will sell for $14.99. All royalties will benefit AlzAuthors’ mission to provide quality resources for Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers. They are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. You can order a copy at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3CCK368.

You can get the zoom link by emailing a request to alzauthors@gmail.com.


Poetry for the Dementia Journey is a moving, hopeful, heartwarming collection all written from the personal experience of dementia. Within its pages, readers will find nuggets of wisdom and glimpses of joy.

Follow me here on Thursdays for more writing and book publishing news.

by

Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Writing Process

Photo by Roshan Ravi on Pexels.com

As a teacher, I relied on Bloom’s Taxonomy as a model.

As a career educator, I often used Bloom’s Taxonomy. I taught little ones on the elementary school level, and then college students. I always encouraged my students to approach study using this six-step process.

The model was named for Benjamin Bloom, who first came up with it. Here are its six levels:

  1. Knowledge
  2. Comprehension
  3. Application
  4. Analysus
  5. Synthesis
  6. Evaluation

So how do you use Bloom’s Taxonomy to enhance your writing process? I think Bloom’s Taxonomy can be applied to writing. You may come across an idea for your writing and research the topic and comprehend it. Then you can apply it in your writing. In the analysis phase you break down complex ideas about what you’re writing. In the synthesis part you combine the ideas you have generated in the process and make it original, or your own.

In evaluation, you make judgments about the value of what you have created and decide if it is something you want to pursue. As writers, we have all written things we don’t think work, but even if you don’t come out with something good after this process, it’s bound to lead to something worth using later. It’s an exercise in how to get through the writing process, even if it’s not working. Nothing is ever wasted in the creative process.

I started writing an eco-poetry manuscript on my own as I feel passionately about climate justice. Then I met the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen, and saw some of her paintings about women at the heart of the environmental movement, and decided to collaborate with her. We came up with a 60-page manuscript of ekphrastic poems and paintings called Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Planet. It is currently out being considered by several publishers.

I will be blogging on Thursdays. Follow me here for blogs about the writing/publishing process and the progress of my new manuscript.

by

“The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create It.”

–Abraham Lincoln

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

So said the man who got rid of slavery in the United States. It is an inspirational quote.

How do we as writers stay inspired? Writers have difficulty carving out time and summoning inspiration. 

One way that keeps me going is the occasional writing workshop. There are so many opportunities online and in your writing community. I don’t take multi-week workshops unless I’m really trying to focus on something new and learn about it. I just take the occasional one-shot workshop to get some fresh ideas about my writing. Just google under a topic you might find interesting and see what’s available. Sometimes they are free, or very low cost.

Another way of finding inspiration is in a writing group. Listen to what others are reading and hear what they have to say about what you’re working on. Most communities have pockets of writers who meet up. Join a community group and see if you can get invited into a small group of your own. My writing groups have sustained me through the years.

Collaboration is another way I find inspiration. I particularly like collaborating with artists. I like reading a artist’s exhibits. This gives you inspiration and brings people in to see the art or art lovers in to hear some of your writing. It’s a win/win situation. You can also write ekphrastic poetry, or responses to art pieces. I recently did this with the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen. She did a series of full-color paintings on women at the heart of the environmental movement. I found the paintings so inspiring, I wrote a whole series of ekphrastic poems in response and we wound up developing a 60-page manuscript called, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth.

Follow me here on Thursdays. I’ll be blogging about writing, the writing process, steps to publishing, and the progress of our manuscript, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth.

by

How to Write a Query Letter to a Publisher

Māori. Oil, 40” x 40”

Many writers ask me about how to approach a publisher and get them interested in reading my manuscript. I’ve published three books. A good query letter is invaluable in soliciting interest from a publisher. With a novel, it is simpler to give a plot summary, character analysis, etc. But with a poetry manuscript, it’s harder to describe. You have to provide the theme. A good query letter is on the short side and to the point. It has one purpose, to entice the publisher into looking at your manuscript.

To start, look at what the publisher publishes and maybe getting some sample titles. If you like the books, and what the publisher did with them, then you and the publisher are probably a good fit. You might also have friends who had a good experience publishing with someone. If so, you could use this in your opening. As a writer, you have books you love. Get those books and look up the publisher.

Next, read the publisher’s guidelines carefully and follow them. Some publishers want sample pages; some want the whole manuscript;and some just want your letter outlining exactly what it is you want to send. Make sure you know the standards of each publisher and how to meet those standards. When you write your query, incorporate what you like about the publisher’s line of books. Was it one title that drew you in? Is that title relevant to your manuscript?

Start with your favorite publisher first, then wait a few weeks for the response. If it’s a no, and every writer gets a no at least once in a while, go onto your second favorite publisher. Start accumulating a list of publishers, in order of your preference, and keep at it. Persistence is key.

Your previous publishing record is important in your query. The publisher wants to know other people have published you. List book credits, journals and/or anthologies. This proves that you have an audience. Also, if you have won any awards, this is the place to list them. Endorsements from other poets and writers in the field are helpful. If you know someone who has published well, ask them to read your manuscript and write a blurb for you. Include this in your query letter.

This letter is an introduction and framework for your manuscript. It should prepare and excite the publisher to ask for and read your manuscript. Connecting threads could be more valuable to your presentation than just summarizing your manuscript. There must be something about this work that inspired you to do it. Share that enthusiasm with the publisher. Get to the heart of the project and show the publisher why it’s important and why you did it.

I am working on a collection of eco-poetry inspired by the paintings of the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen. The paintings are on the theme of women at the heart of the environmental movement. One of her paintings is pictured above, Māori. This poem and painting of the same name was published in Starry Starry Kite, which was part of my query letter. So far, Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth is out for consideration with two publishers. We await their response.

I will be continuing the journey of this manuscript on Thursdays . Follow me here.

by

Friendship and Artists

I recently was given a book by a writer friend called A Friend Sails in on a Poem, by Molly Peacock. It is a book about two friends who are poets and it’s dedicated to “all friends who make art together”. It put me in mind of all of the friendships I have made of other artists and how easy it is to take these relationships for granted.

This book celebrates the friendship of Molly and her poet friend of 46 years, Phillis Levin. According to the book “they have read and discussed nearly every poem they’ve written, creating an unparalleled friendship.” It puts me in mind of all the years I have sat in writing groups reading to my writer friends and seeking their support in my endeavors.

The past two years I have been collaborating with the Norwegian artist, Irene Christensen, pictured on the left above. We met at the Julia and David White Artist Colony in Costa Rica years ago and it was our mutual love of nature and art through the years that eventually led to our collection of eco-poetry and art called Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth.

I guess when one artist collaborates with another, it creates an understanding of the other’s artists’ work that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Irene created a series of paintings about women at the heart of the environmental movement. I responded to these evocative paintings in the best way I know, through poetry. 

           Yesterday. Oil, 16” x 12” by Irene Christensen

I responded to Yesterday with a poem called “She Occupies Time,” which begins “no quiet merging with the azure, but an orange  sky, the earth bizarre with diasporic life.” The combination of painting and poem merge to become something new. A way of communicating in art that transcends painting or poem alone.

Irene started exhibiting her paintings with the poems I had written for them. Perilous Journey at the Galleries of the Interchurch Center in New York City. Queen of the Woods was exhibited with poem and painting at the Voices of the Earth Exhibition in Galleri Schaeffers Gate 5, Oslo,Norway. The painting and poem were sold together as that’s what the buyer wanted, the experience of having both the poem and painting together in his home.

The experience of collaborating and supporting each other as writers and artists is an invaluable part of the process. What has your interpersonal journey been like as a writer?

I will be blogging on Thursdays. Follow me here.

by

Perilous Journey Painting and Poem to be on Display for the Holiday Season at Interfaith Galleries from November 17 to January 4

My poem “Perilous Journey” will be displayed with the painting of the same name by Irene Christensen at the ground floor Galleries of the Interchurch Center, 61 Claremont Avenue at 120th St., from November 17, 2023 to January 4, 2024. In addition, Irene will exhibit eight accordion books (5 from inspiration from her AIRIE residency in the Everglades,Florida) and 20 oil paintings. There will also be artwork by Allison Green and Sandra Mack-Valencia. The Interchurch Center is a a not-for-profit building built by the Rockefellers in 1950.

Take the #1 Subway to 116th Street and walk. The poem is from the manuscript, Dreadful Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Planet by Irene Christensen and Eileen P. Kennedy. I will blog on Thursdays again beginning January, 2024.