Warm Ups

Music and writing are woven throughout my life like the strands of a double helix, and I often learn things from one discipline which can be applied to the other.  Warm ups, for example.  Singers simply must warm up their vocal chords before a performance, and there is a wide variety of exercises designed to target specific aspects of vocal production.  The high school girls love to do "sirens," a high pitched "woo-oo" sound which gets them singing in their head voice and also relieves a lot of tension, effectively serving as a  (safe!) vocal scream. As a pianist, I need those warm up exercises too, and the older I get the more important they are.  My fingers are literally stiff until I've played for a bit, and my mind needs some time to focus itself on the music, to set aside my worries from the day and hone in on the nuances of those notes in front of me.  If I'm playing a different instrument, the warm up becomes even more important.  What's the key action like?  Is the pedal sticky or loose?  Is the upper register overly bright?  All those things are important to know to avoid being surprised during the actual performance.

In this month's Poets and Writers Magazine, novelist Bret Anthony Johnson writes about the effectiveness of writer's warmups, which, not surprisingly, serve similar purposes for the writer as they do for the musician. Ellis calls them Narrative Calisthenics, and says they transition the writer from the world of daily living into the world of the imagination.

"Writing exercise purges my mind of everything but a concentrated attention to language.  I've forgotten about the leaky faucet or the overdue library book, and most importantly, I've released my fear about starting the morning's writing."

Ah yes, the fear of the blank page.  Sometimes that seems almost insurmountable, doesn't it?  Here are a couple of Johnson's suggestions to get the writing muscles warmed up:

1. Spend five minutes listing every word you can think of that starts with the letter "a"; tomorrow, use "b"; and so on...
2. Spend five minutes listing everything you can think of that's the color blue; tomorrow, green, and so on...
3. Open your dictionary and blindly point to an entry.  Do this until you land on a noun, then spend 10 minutes writing a scene in which that noun figures significantly.

About two years ago, I began doing Morning Pages, as recommended by Julia Cameron (The Artist's Way).  I've found those three pages of stream of consciousness writing each morning to be a useful warm up exercise, a way of "priming the pump" of my imagination.  However, they often become an emotional clearing house for worries and concerns which have little or nothing to do with my writing projects.  I see the value of Johnson's objective writing exercises as a way to sharpen the focus before embarking on whatever writing you're engaged in.

"Writing is one of the most difficult and frightening things anyone chooses to do," Johnson concludes.  "Exercises make the work a little easier and a little less terrifying."

How about you?  Do you do writing exercises or warm ups?  Do you think they could be valuable?  Have you found warm up exercises helpful in some other area of your life, e.g. art, music, athletics?  

Extra Credit: Try one of Johnson's exercises above, and post about your experiences.  Or create an exercise of your own and share it.

What I Know For Sure

There are days of late when I feel as if surety about anything is impossible.  Yet reading the responses to this phrase in last month's issue of O Magazine got me thinking a bit more seriously.  I realize there are some things which, for better or worse, I can assert with a degree of certainty, at least in my own experience. 

So here goes:

I know that every human being needs a passion, and pursuing that passion will enrich your life in ways you never expected. 

I know that it's good to step outside of your box, to expand your horizons, and stretch your boudaries.  You like yourself better when you do.

I know that moderation is the key to all things - to food, drink, work, play, and even love.

I know there's a good reason that dog is god spelled backwards.

I know that family is the rock and foundation of every bit of happiness we have.

But I also know that friends can fill the gaps which occur in even the best of families.

I know that, in the amusement park of life, sometimes we're on the roller coaster, but more often its the swan boats.

I know that all good things come to and end, and that this too shall pass.

I know that all things work together for good.

I know that tomorrow I'll be sure of more than I am today.

Now tell me, what do you know for sure?

Write On Wednesday -Staying the Course

Yeah, I know it's Sunday (soon to be Monday, actually). But it's been that kind of week.  Starting out with an extra hour last Sunday was blissful, but I could have used at least 25 hours every day this week, and then maybe, just maybe, I might be on track. This week's Write On Wednesday topic focused on this thought:

The outcome of the election is a good reminder of the way dreams come true.  But geting there involves not only the courage to embark on the project, but the strength to stay the course when the going gets rough. How are you doing with staying the course toward the fulfillment of your writing dreams?

In my work life, I've become quite good at completing big projects.  My office job requires multi-tasking on numerous levels, and I've learned to keep a daily list of the things that need to get done, and calendar deadlines for future project due dates.

At work, I know I must stay the course - other people and our business depend on me.

In my musical life, I developed a method to see me through the long weeks leading up to concert time.  Early on in my "performing" career, I learned that I needed to feel extremely well prepared to forestall those performance anxiety attacks that lead to jittery failures on stage.  So I made sure I practiced a lot, practiced so much that my body could do the work required even if my mind went into nervous overdrive.  I worked hard so that I felt confident, and so that my "muscle memory" could take over onstage if my nerve should momentarily fail me.

In my writing life, things are a bit different.  I find it easier to "slip off course" because (1) there are no deadlines looming; and (2) no one is depending on me to deliver a finished project.  So my writing dreams get put on the back burner in deference to other responsibilities which take priority.

The conclusions here are quite obvious, aren't they?  In order to "stay the course" and complete tasks to my satisfaction, I need the impetus of deadlines and personal accountability to others.  So how do I find those in my writing life?

Blogging provides a certain amount of accountability - many times I've been tempted to throw in the towel on this writing habit, but my blogs and the people I've come to consider my friends in this arena hold me accountable.  This week's Write On Wednesday was a good example. In the crush of election excitement, work deadlines, and preparing for a trip out of town, Wednesday was gone before I knew it.  So skip it, I told myself...who cares?

Well, Bobbi, and Oh, and Corri...people who emailed me or posted about missing this weekly place to talk about writing and explore the way creativity works in their lives.

So perhaps staying the course is grounded in the perceived value of the task-not just to the individual involved, but to the community at large.

So thanks for keeping me on task and helping me continue along the road to achieving those writing dreams.

Staying the Course

Yikes! In all the excitement over the past few days, Wednesday slipped by before I knew it.  Election night was something of a fairy tale with a huge happy ending, and many of us are basking in the afterglow of all those euphoric feelings about hope and change. I've been thinking a bit about dreams, and the visions we all have for our lives, particulary our writing lives.  We talked about our wildest writing dreams here a few weeks ago, and pondered the challenge of plunging forward to make those dreams come true.  It takes courage to embark on a quest, whether it's toward achieving our goals as a writer, an athlete, or a leader.  There's a great deal of excitement involved, and heady anticipation at the prospect of things to come. 

The outcome of our election is a good reminder of the way dreams come true.  But geting there involves not only the courage to embark on the project, but the strength to stay the course when the going gets rough. 

Those of you who are involved in NaNoWriMo are about to be tested in that regard.  These first few days were a picnic compared with the middle of road humps that are just ahead.  Those are the days when it seems as if your characters and plot are totally ridiculous, you have no idea where the story is going, your mind draws a blank when it comes to description and dialogue.  At about the mid-way point in your novel writing journey, you have to drag yourself to the keyboard, and those 50,000 words appear as an insurmountable goal.

Here's where you might need to employ "cheap tricks," as Julia Cameron calls them, to keep you on track. (The Right to Write)  A change of scenery works for some - taking your computer to a cafe or coffee shop.  Phoning a writing friend can help, someone who will encourage you to keep at it.  Even bribing yourself can help - the promise of a dinner at your favorite restaurant or even the indulgence of massage or manicure to celebrate the achievement of writing goals can sometimes be the incentive to get you started.

Cameron's favorite "cheap trick" is what she calls the "writing date," personally connecting with a writing friend and working in tandem.   "There is something enlivening about writing in duos," Cameron says. "A great deal of usuable track can be laid in chummy proximity."

I'm sure President elect Obama has plenty of experience with the doubts and negativity that plague us in the pursuit of our dreams.  His ability to stay the course was likely tested many times during the campaign, and will be tried many more during his tenure in office.  His dedication to the dream was inspiring, and we can take a page from his book when it comes to fulfilling the writing dreams we all share.

How about you?  Are you having a hard time staying the course toward fulfilling your writing dreams?  What are you doing about it?

Amazing!

Last night was amazing, wasn't it?  Who could tear themselves away from the television or computer, watching that sea of faces (more than 125,000!) in Grant Park, thousands more in Times Square, all eagerly anticipating the beginning of a new day in America.  It was a moment none of us in America will ever forget, another one of those "where were you when..." moments with which those of us who have lived more than half a century are so familiar. I've certainly never seen anything like it in my lifetime, and it gives my weary heart hope.

Joining in with all the multitudes watching this poised and confident young man step forward into the history books, I realized how hungry Americans had been for a leader we could admire and trust.  A leader who cared about us, and who, like a wise and loving parent, expected much of us.  I saw how the country, like a rowdy teenager under the care of neglectful parents, had run amuck, out of control.  How we needed someone with a firm hand to rein us in, set us on the right road, and keep us there.

There are a precious few people who have that special "it" factor - the charisma, but also the intelligence, the drive, the ability to inspire people - that can make history. And this man surely has it in spades.  But so much rides on Barack Obama's shoulders. Not long ago, he told a reporter that the thing keeping him awake at night was not worries about what to do if he lost the election, but what he would do if he won.

And now he has. And he must hoist a multitude of American people - black, white, yellow and red - on those shoulders with him. His election proves that the American people can speak out, that we have the strength to take back our country from the hands of old line politics, that we can embrace change with our hearts and minds.

But we must be realistic, and not expect that he can change things overnight.  It will be a slow, but hopefully steady process, this business of getting the country under control, of gathering us all together under this umbrella of hope.  As Obama said last night, we must buy into the notion that there we are not a collection of "red states and blue states, we are the United States of America." 

Like a fractured family, who has gone far too long without the oversight of a wise and intelligent parent, it will take time and love to get ourselves back on the right track.

But after the spectacle of last night, I believe it's possible. 

 I believe we can!