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?
