Restocking the Pond

Morning fog has finally burned off to reveal another gorgeous day here in Portland. I know, we have a reputation for being a miserable wet place to spend winter, but it seems that there's always a week in February when the sun comes out, tiny bulbs poke out of the ground and we get tricked into thinking Spring is here. It's not.

It would be an understatement to say I’ve been writing a lot these past five months. I’ve been writing enough to fill reams of paper, enough to wallpaper the whole house if I wished. I’ve been writing short stories, essays, a bit of a screenplay and even a young adult novel. I can’t say it’s all very good, but some of it rises to the top and makes it worth spending the hours. Yet, while I write and will continue to, no matter how little I publish or sell, it can get discouraging not getting things to the point where you feel they are ready to send out. It’s even more discouraging to send things out and not hear how they—your little essay or short story—are faring on the desk of various editors.

Julia Cameron, writes about the need to be self-nourishing since writers are those who draw from an inner well of ideas, images and thoughts. She says that “any extended period or piece of work draws heavily on our artistic well. Over-tapping the well, like overfishing the pond, leaves us with diminished resources.” I’m afraid that my pond is feeling dried up this week. A few bits of algae lay skimming the surface, but I’m not feeling that I have much to give to the two pieces that are sitting on my desk needing some editing.

So, I need to restock my pond, prime the juices and do whatever I can to make writing flow again. One of the things I’ve been doing is reading some really great writing. My newly formed book group is reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and I’ve been devouring his book. Another thing I’d like to do is re-read Twyla Tharpe’s The Creative Habit. I’d rather have dental surgery than watch a dance performance, but I respect her process and the ideas that she writes about in her book. I think I need a field trip somewhere. Going to Seattle last weekend didn’t really jumpstart any writing but maybe I need to spend a few hours wandering a part of Portland I usually avoid.

Dylan has a part in the school play, Henry & Beezus. She plays Judy Cappy a bff of one of the main characters. She says that her character is supposed to sit around, read Seventeen and do her nails during most of the play. Not a huge stretch of acting we tell her. She agrees. Wasabi spends most of his days staring out the window and barking at squirrels. Andy’s not off to Europe this month, but maybe going to Japan next month for work. We are all going to be in Japan for Spring Break, but that’s another entry. Sayonara till then.