Stay kind. It makes you beautiful @najwazebian

It’s the little things in life that make memorable moments for me. It’s the thoughtful gestures of kindness that can change my day in an instant. The end-of-the-year always brings those opportunities to share appreciation, from the colourful sweets and savoury treats to handcrafted bath bombs, and lovely cards. The students that surround me for an end-of-year hug truly warm the heart. Each of these momentary snapshots of kind gestures from the surrounding students rekindles my spirit after a hard year. I think that is something I try to remember when crafting some of my characters. 

It’s easy to forget, but those little moments in real life do make the world a difference. So, just as paying attention to those details can breathe life into you, so too, do they bring to life to the characters we create in our narratives. That’s what makes a moment special, the nuances and appreciation. I think about that as I go through my own day and have thought about that each time I write a story. 

As I jump into summer with re-inspired energy to write. I’ve been working on my villain from YBGTL, the contemporary thriller, and the warped love story I mentioned in my last post. I am often blinded from the negative aspects wanting to only see the good, or rather focus on the positive traits in people so it’s a task for me to draw out the nefarious elements in people I have encountered in life. I think it’s why it was such a surprise twist to my readers of YBGTL. But, I have a weekend deadline to meet. So I will have to explore that thought another time. I have my work cut out for me :)

On that note, I guess I should get back to working on my June assignment and get it in before the month is up. I have a handful of anxious beta readers and critique partners that proofed the first part eagerly waiting to read the flip side of my story, my male voice... 

Happy summer!

You've Been Gone Too Long

Rodeo Beach

There is something about waking up in a new place that gets the ideas flowing like nothing else for me! Walking the streets of my stories gives a new insight into the consciousness of the characters I can only get from experiencing the world through their eyes. I won’t get away too often this summer and somehow just south of my island home doesn’t feel like a true escape. I have written a few stories set under the California sun. The painted ladies of the Mission District and the beach-side ocean breeze are like a marriage between the culture I miss from growing up in the east and the west coast island life I now lead. It’s all too familiar to feel like I am not already home.

Love on Haight

I have a few projects I want to redevelop over the summer, and one is my first true fiction short story I wrote this past April; which I suppose would fall under the genre of a romantic thriller. My writing group suggested that I make my story about three sisters (YBGTL) into a novel, and there is a lot of room to expand the narrative. In that regard, it’s nice to revisit the spaces where I set some of my scenes to get the ideas flowing. But, we’ll see. Embodiment enhances my process, and to put myself in the shoes of my character and meander through the sultry streets while taking in the sights, sounds and smells can sometimes translate into words more fluidly than when I only rely on my imagination… 

Another long-awaited project is the humane education creative non-fiction adventure series I started a few years ago. The umwelten of other species is a whole other level of embodiment I have been aching to dive back into. But, there are a few “people” stories I would like to polish up first, and then I’ll see where my inspiration takes me.  

So, on that note, off I go to wander.

Language of Birds

Fifty Shades of my Imagination

I knew I was close, and today marks the day I have submitted 50 stories for review (and one book proposal). It feels a little surreal when I think of it. I started this journey on February 12 of this year when I surrendered a personal piece for a huge Literary Contest (it is still being reviewed and I have yet to hear any news). Once I had made myself vulnerable, I decided that I would continue to work on writing new pieces for submission. As the saying goes; it takes a hundred attempts before a win. So, if they reject all the above stories; I’m halfway there!

My writing group has been a great support in keeping me on my toes. I work well under a looming deadline. It’s a very informal group, but they have pushed me and enjoyed what I have shared with them along the way. When I have doubted myself it’s been those stories that have spoken to them. Today I should write my POV switch "assignment"
for the group but it’s been hard. I’ve been rolling ideas around in my head for two weeks now and I am still struggling, which is great. I suggested the POV switch since I hate it 😁 I am always interested in growth and we get nowhere without challenging ourselves.

Speaking of growth… While I wait for responses from the journals I have submitted my work to, my garden is producing much better returns, for now… So here’s to too many leafy greens! Bottoms up!