TEA TIME: FEATHER FINGERS

Today I drank an entire pot of tea, and somehow wrote this odd little piece of writing. I enjoyed it, in it's strange, unedited state, and I thought maybe you guys would too. 

After a long day of winnowing, the man had discovered that his fingers had grown feathers. They were odd little, flexible things that bent and bowed with a fair deal of pressure – but they refused to break of fray. The kind of feathers a wintering goose might wear to prepare them for the long journey – always pursuing the eternal summer. They felt strange – yet familiar, truly – like an old thing humans had long forgotten about, until suddenly it appeared again, and you knew what to do about it.

And yet he rather didn't care that there were feathers there. They felt strange in the water – an odd resistance that pulled at his palms. It changed how they felt out of the water – as if he was constantly streaming his fingers through water. Suddenly the space around him no longer felt empty. It felt full of potential and weight.

In his dreams he had dreamt of flying many times. He had dreamt of flying away many more. Somewhere the constant droll of fingers and hands weaving through water meant something other than toil from dusk to dawn. Somewhere – and it was never here. Somewhere – the word stretched out before him, filling the air with a golden taste that drew him away from his house. It drew him to the field, it pulled him. He knew he had to go.

With a sigh and a set face of determination, he stood, holding his feathered fingers in front of him. As he raised his hands to the sky, he felt the first bits of regrets slip off him like a false skin. Regrets of coming here, regrets of being forced in to this job he didn't love. Regrets of watching himself age here – the dark thought of dying here. They all fell off of him and on to the ground in front of him. He felt empty. Empty enough for the air around him to begin filling him – warm and golden and wild.

For the first time in a long time – he felt free. He glanced at his feathered fingers – their speckled colour turning translucent in the late afternoon light. Then he raised his second hand aloft, sunlight streaming through the dark feathers. With it he felt a new found confidence. A pull, a feeling, a need – something deep and primal he knew he had deep within him already – but ignored. Or perhaps it was the bird in him, he would never know. He took a deep breath and flapped.

He felt every muscle straining in his arms as the air again became a solid fixture around him. A mass, a place of buoyancy and weightlessness similar to what he felt when he was submerged in the river. The wind at his back was like a current pulling him onward. The feathered ached to feel the sky again, and suddenly he felt it deep within him, too. He ached to fly – he would fly...

Nothing. No great flight. No leap of grace or ascention to another level. No transformation or shout of joy or pain or...anything. Not a thing.

So the feathered man kicked off his shoes and started running.

NOVEMBER HOROSCOPES

 Every month I channel my inner astrologist and write out horoscopes for every sign. They aren't traditional horoscopes, but are written with extra light and all three eyes open. I've been told they're exactly what people need to hear. ♥

Aries: This month you will be fighting. Fighting yourself, fighting the world around you. Make sure you know what you’re fighting for - the warrior who knows her enemy is effective, swift and proud. Whatever you fight, know that the powers around you are giving you their strength. Know that the battle falls in your favour. Know that the experience and strength gained from these battles will be so, so worth it. Know that you are not fighting by yourself, and know that you are not fighting for nothing. You are very powerful, and you will win.

Taurus: There is little you aren’t feeling this month. Feelings seem to be hurtling towards you in all directions, left right, up down, in and out. You might feel like hiding, or running away - stand your ground. Take the feelings and embrace them. Study them. Get to know them all and chat with them. Pour them some tea and have them stay for a while. You may ask some to leave, but you may want to keep some of them too - you will learn things from all of them. If you do not want some of them (which you won’t) politely ask them to leave. You will not be alone.

Gemini: You will find yourself stretching this month. Stretching upwards, outwards, towards all the things you wish for, like a plant towards sunlight. Sometimes you may feel like you’re stretched too thin - stretching can hurt sometimes. Know that the pain is simply a growing pain. Know that with enough stretching, you will be able to reach these things you are after with ease. Know that even the tallest of trees grew from a simple stalk stretching towards the light. The greatest of dancers came from a simple, well-intentioned stretch. You will dance in the sunlight you stretch for.

Cancer: Notice the things around you this month. Notice the smallest of details and the tiniest of things. When you think you see things as small and insignificant as they are, look deeper, and you will find that even the tiniest of details is a part of a much larger and complex and beautiful system. You will need to focus on these things, for you may feel insignificant this month. Know that you, too, are a part of a much bigger, more beautiful thing. Take power from it; for you are more beautiful and powerful than you know.

Leo: You might feel a bit careful this month. Too cautious and protective and strangely unmovable this month. Do not worry - you are hardening for a reason. Know that you are drifting in to a stage of protection and peace. Know that you are building yourself in to a great mountain. Know that you are preparing for a great adventure. Know that with stillness and caution come great knowledge and experience. Enjoy the peace. Enjoy the comfort. Enjoy every moment that this stillness brings to you. You will grow stronger.

Virgo: Now is the time to sing. Now is the time to screech and whoop and yell and holler. Now is the time to be as wild and as wonderful as you know you can. Now is the time to let go and dance, now is the time to be loud and let the world hear what you’ve had on your chest for as long as you can remember. Now is the time to say what you need to say. Get the things that have been crushing you out of you, off your back and off your chest. Let them out in to the world and you can crack very mountains to rubble.

Libra: There are so many things that seem to be leaping in to your hands as if by magic right now. Be careful not to throw the great things away. But what are the great things? What are the awful things? You are the only one who can look deep in to all the things life puts in your hands and decide whether they are good or bad. You might find yourself picking up old things again for the first time in a long time. You will build a castle out of the things you choose to keep - and they will raise you to better and brighter heights. You will be more than you ever have been.

Scorpio: As the days grow darker, you will grow lighter. Focus yourself on this lightness, this joy. You may be waiting for it to go away, but try as hard as you might, the light will not go out. Do not try to snuff it out. Live in that joy, bathe in it, and use it. Spread your joy to as many people as you can. Like a match, it will light others up inside as you share it - it will not go out. You are on fire in the most wonderful and beautiful way - do your part to spread it as far and wide as you can. It will only make your light brighter.

Sagittarius: You might feel a little empty this month. You might feel a little smaller this month. You might be sad because of it - but the blank canvas does not weep for what it could be, it becomes something new, something more, something beautiful. Do not allow yourself to be defensive or hostile - allow the world around you - it’s wonders and secrets and beautiful, beautiful things to gently flow in to you. To colour you as you see fit. Allow yourself to be painted, to become a masterpiece, to become more, again. You are ready.

Capricorn: This month will blaze by you - simply let it rush over you like a waterfall. Close your eyes and breathe in a moments peace amidst the hectic world around you. You may feel like you do not have enough time, or that you cannot do what needs to be done. You may feel like you will be swept away by the rushing current that this month brings with it. Do not let yourself get swept away. Quiet your mind, close your eyes and breathe in the cool air and the rain and the cloudy days. Let the chaos around you draw you in to a deeper peace. It will be a good month.

Aquarius: You are going to find yourself running, this month. Running away or running to, or perhaps a little of both. Remember that your fears cannot hold you, no matter what forces outside and inside of you say otherwise. Think of your month as a story, take heed from great heroes of old and maybe, just maybe, you can gain a bit of insight in to things. You are most definitely going somewhere - it’s just a matter of where. No matter where ‘where’ is, it will definitely be somewhere better than before. Know that, as you run.

Pisces: Sometimes comfort is like a warm blanket wrapped tightly around you. Or perhaps it’s a cocoon. You will feel incredibly warmed this month, even as the season grows colder. Focus on family, on friends, on the home. Focus yourself and your energy inward, not outward. You will begin to see yourself and the world around you change to fit you more. You will be happy this month. Treasure the joy and the comfort, it is a rare gift of winter and seasons that has been brought your way.

NANOWRIMO WEEK TWO UPDATE

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After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the things we need most in the world. —Phillip Pullman

Over the next month, I’ll be giving weekly updates as to how the process has been going for me, for my own records as well as your reading pleasure. There are few things I love reading about more than other people’s journeys as they take part in Nanowrimo - they’re always full of insights and inspiration for me.

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Did you hear that whooshing sound? It was the sound of week 2 of Nanowrimo whipping by!

As of this week, here are my stats:
Characters Introduced: 7
Plots accepted and discarded: 11 (!!)
Total breakdowns this week: 2
Words written: 30 887
Days of overwhelming inspiration: 1
Days of absolutely no inspiration: 6
Days of not meeting my target: 1
Current feelings towards writing: Crazed artist fritters around his studio muttering curses and singing songs as he cuts away at marble. There is no clear sculpture that can be seen…

Tools I’m using remain the same: Habitica, Scrivener and 8tracks. I cannot reccomend them enough.

This week has been trying, to say the least. Here’s what I’ve learned:

You’re building a habit, not a masterpiece. This doesn't have to make sense. This doesn't need to be pretty. All it needs to be is words on a page - lots and lots and lots of words. This isn't about making your magnum opus. Even the best of novels started out as a rough draft. Rougher than yours, even. Revised and re-worked after the first one had been written. Just keep writing, and believe that it will work it's way out.

Letting go of things can be hard, but freeing. Sometimes things just don't seem to work out. Sometimes you just have to cut something loose and leave it in the dust to find another person, or time, to inspire. But that can be easier said than done. I let go of all the plot and planning I had for this month. Which was hard, because this was going to be THE year I planned my novel for Nanowrimo. No such luck, I started from scratch. And the novel has been better because of it.

Inspiration is fluid and fickle. Don't pursue it, embrace it. Jump on it the moment it shines it's head, even if it's just to jot an idea down. Catch it like a little butterfly, and maybe give it a little pet to convince it to stay. It will disappear like magic if you don't (and even sometimes if you do write it down). Treat it kindly, but don't go running off of cliffs chasing it. Inspiration is not the normal state - normal is simply sitting down and getting the work done. Even if it's crap. Especially if it's crap.

Where is the line between pushing yourself and being cruel to yourself? I honestly still don't have an answer to this question. So far, it seems to me that peppering your hard work with rewards, and taking breaks, but being firm with yourself is a big line between cruelty and kindness for me. Not bursting in to tears is another. That being said, I think I need to push myself harder, still.

If something isn’t working, let it go. Collect it, write it down somewhere, and then let it go for the time being. Maybe now isn't the time to write about girls captured by fairies (my idea). Instead it's time to write about badass girls with crazy magical tattoos in a despotic kingdom (my new idea). Inspiration will come and go - don't hang on to something that's already left you. It will either come back, or reveal something better.

Scraps can always be useful later on. Do not discount the words you've written because you've changed your idea. I still feel like I'm cheating a bit by including my now-defunct story for the new one. It's almost 10 000 words added to my word count that aren't the actual book I'm writing. But everyone I talk to (including my common sense) says keep it - it counts. So I am. Because they do count for something, and maybe one day that story will get written, too.

Organisation is probably in order. Probably. Despite saying that, I have no organized my story in any way shape or form. No chapters, no settings, no real...anything. It's literally just drabbles. Right here and now, I promise to organize it the moment I complete my book (whether that's before nanowrimo, or, at the latest, December 1st).

Writing still feels so freakin’ good. So, so good. I feel so excited every single time I sit down to write at the end of the day, and even on the days where I didn't, the words flowed fairly easily - I think that's a signal that a habit is starting to form, which is SO exciting for me. It's been a hard habit to keep, this week, but I know it will pay off, and the words keep coming.

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That's it for advice and thoughts this week, folks. The second and third weeks are always the hardest for me, and I'm not looking forward to the dreaded week three. But hopefully things will work out - I'm holding on to the fact that despite my bad days, I still am LOVING writing, and loving the habit that it's giving me! Plus my plot keeps thickening like...like a delicious...soup? Soup is good.

TEA TIME: A HOLIDAY PLEDGE

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Ah, the holiday season.

The moment November first rolls around, suddenly everything is red, green and peppermint-flavoured, as if by magic. If that magical force was capitalism. Instead of going on and on about how weird and strange and wrong I find the holiday season (which I do way too frequently, and may go off in another rant later on down the line, once the Christmas season really, really starts to drive me nuts), instead I’m going to start this Tea Time off with a pledge: 



This holiday season I will be kind to retail workers.

Remember, friends, that no matter how long the lines in stores are - there are cashiers serving every single person in as quickly and timely of a fashion as they can.

Remember that the guy behind you in line is driving you nuts, now imagine how the person who has to serve him will feel.

Remember that, more often than not, no matter how much your pocketbook is shrinking from holiday shopping, most of these workers are paid the bare-minimum wage that can be paid (and in most countries, is nowhere near livable).

Remember that if you’ve had a long day at work and are tired, the people working retail are usually working eight to nine hour days on their feet all day with very few breaks in between.

Remember that retail workers, food service workers, and all the people we come face-to-face with during the holiday season are often working through important holidays, with little to no benefits. Remember that for many of them, there is no holiday season - the holiday season simply means more work and longer days.

This holiday season, please, as a fellow retail worker, I beg you,

Please be kind to retail workers. Please be kind to all the workers you come in to contact with during the holiday season - we are all working very, very hard.

Please try to spread as much holiday cheer with kindness, gratitude, patience and generosity as you can - if we all can try to cultivate this mindset, imagine how much lovelier the holidays will be!

BLOCK BUSTERS

Stuck with what to do creatively? I know the feeling - creative block, whether it’s writer’s block, art block, inspiration block, whatever block - I’ve been there. It sucks to have the wind blown out of you sails. 

Elizabeth Gilbert says that ideas are fleeting and have a life of their own - they spend their time searching for someone's door to knock on, waiting for someone to give them a home. Sometimes they just don't knock at the right time. 

I’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of a bunch of thoughts and ideas I’ve had that just haven't grabbed my interest at the right moment. Maybe one of them will inspire you to keep on creating. 

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-Mermaid jesters

-What if Frankenstein were his own doctor

-What does the wind look like?

-Are animals real? Do they have their own society? What do they say about us when we’re not around?

-Speaking of animals, how strange are pets, right? Little creatures who just bum around and sleep with us.

-What is loyalty?

-Can you buy anything you want?

-What are the intrinsic morals in humanity? Are there any?

-Make a team of encouragers - people you admire who are doing what you want to do. Make a little circle of cheer and surround yourself with their pictures.

-Collect a bunch of quotes on writing and creativity. Write them and post them where you’ll see them.

-Try to think of nothing for five minutes. Tips: Ask yourself ‘I wonder what my next thought will be’ or focus on four squares in your mind’s eye. Eliminate them one by one until you’re focusing on nothing at all.

-Whatever you’re trying to create, take 5 minutes and create utter garbage. The most garbage-y garbage you can do.

-Do it again and again until you’ve gotten it all out of your system

-Then try creating again. It’s not that bad, eh?

-‘The best food in the world is in a little Chinese buffet two blocks from my house’

-Go outside.

-What is under the earth?

-How did flowers come to evolve?

-Were there cultures and people and empires before our own? How long does human history really stretch?

-Princess hair

-Plot structures of different media - shonens vs. American cartoons. Marvel vs. Gothic novels.

-The different qualities of light.

-Different types of horoscopes and fortune telling - from engrams to Chinese astrology

-‘Yes, but what’s that?’

-Make up your own.

-The colours we can’t see

-Clothing and the stories of different fabric

-Looking in to windows

-How many stars are we really looking at?

-What the hell is up with Antarctica?

-Wounds and the body’s healing process

-Mathematics vs. Everything else.

-Lets make guys the Mary Sues and deride them instead

-‘This was before he turned in to the moon.’

-Everybody is obsessed with the same thing

That’s all I’ve got for now. Maybe something grabbed your interest. Feel free to take, alter and create with any of these strange little ideas. They’d love a new home. And if you were inspired by any of these prompts - let me know! I’d love to see what you did with them!

NANOWRIMO WEEK ONE UPDATE

"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are."

--W. Somerset Maugham

And so wraps up the first week of Nanowrimo! Over the next month, I’ll be giving weekly updates as to how the process has been going for me, for my own records as well as your reading pleasure. There are few things I love reading about more than other people’s journeys as they take part in Nanowrimo - they’re always full of insights and inspiration for me. 

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So, as of today, my nanowrimo stats are:
Characters introduced: 5
Settings explored: 3
Words total: 12 998
Chapters written: 4
Words in ‘scraps’: 7 061
Current feelings towards writing: A seasoned veteran grins as she looks over the battlefield before charging in to the fray again excitedly.


Tools that I’ve been using religiously: Habitica, Scrivener, 8tracks (I’m keeping track of all the music I’m listening to using this playlist)

This week has been a strange-but-great week for me. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

You can have a job and write a novel at the same time. With ease. In fact, you might find great comfort after a long ass day full of whinging customers, to sit down and type away at the computer screen, watching the words fill page after page, spending time with ideas and creativity. I was really, really worried before I started Nanowrimo this year, because this is my first year attempting the challenge while being modestly employed. I was terrified that I would come home after bad days and be too exhausted to write. But things have worked out so far, and I’m really, really happy to learn that it is possible. Whew.

Treasure your good days. On the days where the words seem to simply flow out of you, take them, run with them, tie them up and squeeze every word you possibly can out of them before they escape and leave you desperate. So far the words have just been flowing out of me, and as much as I’d like to think that this will last for the whole of Nanowrimo, I want to be prepared for the days when they just won’t come (I’m looking at you, week three. I remember you, you bastard). So I’m writing. I’m writing as hard and as fast as I can - my word count is, as of today, at over 15 000 - that’s almost 5k more words than needed to ‘win’ on November 30th. It’s a cushion for me that I’m not resting back on until I absolutely NEED to. Until then, I’m beating my word goals as many days in a row as I can.

Changing your mind is a-ok. Even necessary. Just make the decision to change as early as you can - because changing your story 4 000 words in is a far-easier feat than changing it 30 000 words in. I decided to completely scrap my story idea for this year, and return to the world of my first nanowrimo draft, with some heavy alterations. It’s a setting I just keep coming back to - and with good reason. Apparently my brain want this world to be written about, so I’m going to indulge it. That being said, I’m holding on to a lot of themes from my original idea, so all that planning was not for nothing. Once I made that change, the words haven’t seemed to stop.

Go with what you know. If you’re an almost-pantser like me (someone who tries to plan, but never quite manage to plan anything and end up making it up as you go along anyway), trusting your gut is probably one of the best choices you can make. Where there isn’t a plan or an idea, real life can be a huge inspiration. Steal people from your life, your favourite books, steal plots from movies and TV shows, sweep up atmosphere and thoughts from work in to your story. Take whatever you can find and churn it out in to your words.

Writing feels so freakin’ good. There are few things that feel as good as updating my word count every day and seeing the number get bigger and bigger. The satisfaction and accomplishment, and the feeling of having actually done something creative is intoxicating. And addicting. I know life gets in the way, but truly the best thing for anyone stuck in their lives is to create, and writing is one of the easiest ways to create. We all know how to write, and we should all be writing in whatever ways we feel best - journalling, blogging, writing a novel - or all three, in my case.

Dedicating yourself to a challenge seems to make other things fit in to place. Every day I know the first thing on my to-do list, without fail, is going to be to meet my word count. But while I’m at it, I’m also trying to do a 15-second plank a few times every day. I’m trying to remember to brush my teeth more. I’m trying to eat a fruit, take a few minutes to just focus on breathing, keep my tattoo lotion’d and looked after. I’m using the fuel writing every day is giving me and using it to develop other habits that can continue after Nanowrimo is finished - and hopefully this year I can keep the momentum up and continue writing after November is up, too.

That’s all the sage advice I can give you folks from the first week, even though I could go on about how great I feel right now. Hopefully I’ll remember this if I get blocked. Tell me how your weeks have been going! Onwards we go in to week two

INSPIRED BY FRIDAY v.10

Happy Friday, folks! How has your week been so far?

My week has been a big one - I finally bit the bullet and got my first tattoo - I'll be writing about the experience later on this week. Long story short, I'm in love. Whoops. Other than that, Christmas has officially begun in the retail world, which means I get to work a heck of a lot harder at work. Other than that, I'm just steadily updating my Nanowrimo wordcount, and have recently picked up Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Anyway, on with the links!

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Getting a head start on holiday gifts - in a proper turn-around, I'm giving a few of my loved ones some really freakin' rad undies for Christmas.

I've been listening to a lot of podcasts lately. Limetown is a standout, and this podcast really gave me a boost.

I've started paring down my to-do lists using this app, and I'm really enjoying it.

Collagers and crafters, rejoice - the British library just released a BUNCH of free-to-use vintage images.

These journalling prompts are amazing - so inspired.

I love quirky historical articles like this one.

I'm not like most girls - I laughed. A lot.

'I’m not like most girls. I don’t like drama. Unless we are talking about gritty crime dramas directed by Martin Scorsese.'

With tattoos on my mind, here's some stunning pictures of everyday people with full-body tats.

A great post on overcoming creative obstacles. 

Some yummy treats to cook in November. And some gluten free ones to try, too!

These sculptures are so stunning.

And finally, some fresh lessons on money. We could all use some.

I hope you all have a great week! Feel free to share your weekly favourites in the comments!