Words and Phrases and Punctuation and Stuff

Oh, the power of words. We can all be uplifted by words. We can (most of us, anyway) be cut down by words.

I've enjoyed putting random and not-so-random words and letters in my artwork lately.

And now, dare I say, I want to put these words on "paper"? To write?

I'm not saying I want to be a writer. That's something else. That would be implying that I am attempting to have, or have had, my words published. Not my goal. I just want to improve my blogging skills and perhaps write a sentence or two about each finished artwork. I find that extremely difficult to do. Its hard to create a personal artwork and then attach personal words to go along with it.

And to think that I would have to learn proper punctuation and grammar. Oh, I don't want to go there.

Since my mother's death, and because of a lifetime of feeling repressed, words have been filling me up inside to the point of bursting. I have to let some of them out.

Using some of the Christmas money I received from my Dad this past year, I purchased a small handful of books on writing.

The first book I cracked open was Elizabeth Berg's Escaping into the Open. I'm far from completing this book as it has many mind-loosening exercises, yet I feel something in my head has been opened. Words are coaxed out of me during these exercises, and I am much more comfortable than I thought I would be banging away at the keyboard or scribbling in my little notebook. Yes, I know that writing is not supposed to be a comfortable thing, but I expected to be completely intimidated.

I also purchased A Writer's Space by Eric Maisel. This book left me quite cold. I do not feel inspired to write about it or inspired to write by it. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood to see the phrase "creative mindfulness" so many damn times. Could be that Maisel assumes the reader is crafting a novel (mindful and centered, no doubt) and I am so not doing that. I felt little and lost by the time I was done with this book.

So, realizing that Maisel's book was far from a perfect fit, like a little girl wearing a man's trenchcoat, I sought a more appropriate book on writing. I am now in the middle of reading (and writing with) Naked, Drunk and Writing, by Adair Lara. Ms. Lara instructs the reader to "Shed Your Inhibitions and Craft a Compelling Memoir or Personal Essay". Most definitely a closer fit.

You people out there might be thinking, "Well, I haven't seen any writing around these parts in a long time." And you would be right. There might be words and phrases and punctuation and stuff coming up. Be prepared.

p.s. Would it be little-minded of me to think that I had less of a connection with Maisel's book because it was written by a man? Or is it just that the words "creative mindfulness" make me itchy and restless and gender has nothing to do with it at all?