Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Camping

Oh you may think that camping has nothing to do with writing and if you think that it's ok, but you are WRONG! The relaxation associated with camping is out of this world, at least for me. I have run into a lot of people lately who I tell them Rob and I are going camping and they crinkle up there nose and give me a look like they are sorry my husband drags me along. But that is so very far from the truth. While Rob likes to camp, I am the one suggesting that we go camping and making the reservations! It's my thing, and has been since I was a very little girl. Yes, there is a little bit of set up, of course there are bugs, and yes we are outside all day and in just a tent at night. Rob and I have sprung for a pretty nice air mattress and we got a Coleman instant tent that is big enough to sleep 8! No, there are not 8 of us, but the mattress takes up one side, and the dogs do well at claiming the other. Anyway, once we are set up, there is a lot of down time. No TV or Internet to distract us from each other or the book we are reading. It allows time for our minds to wander, to stare at the campfire, and to be together without so many distractions. I love the hiking, fresh air, smell of campfire smoke, taste of food cooked over a campfire/charcoal --YUM! I like the freedom to not do my hair straight or have dirt on me (which is my trademark as soon as I set foot outdoors). AND . . . to top it all off when we get home, I will feel refreshed (for a little while anyway). I have seriously joked with Rob that I would spend my whole life camping if it were possible. It probably is not, but a girl can dream!

When we get back, my soul will be free and able to write. Until I get busy with teaching, Rob deploying, and other things that cramp life. Once summer hits, I will head up to home (where it will be significantly cooler) and camp some more! AND in turn free my mind to write some more.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

I took my own advice.

After whining two days ago about not being published and being scared of sending stuff out. I sent a story that I love out to an online magazine that I recently found that blows my mind (in a good way); www.thediagram.com. I also wrote a 2584 word pre-teen/YA story based on a dream that I had last night. It's the second dream I have had in the past week that falls in the category of utterly original and interesting YA story. They were both so vivid. I love that even when I am asleep my mind is churning out new material for me. I began to write the other one, but it is not complete just yet. I also wrote a couple of poetic type pieces that are sure to offend, but I am excited about. The one is completely indistinguishable, unless of course you were there. Maybe I will be like Mark Twain and not allow some stuff I write to be published until 100 years after my death. That is unlikely. As long as I am dead, we shall be good, but then I will not be able to see my success, which I so desperately want. I have a lot of thoughts and a few things written down that are controversial. Some ideas I never even knew were controversial, like evolution. I never even thought that people didn't believe in it. Like maybe not all the way, or maybe they don't understand it, or maybe even be skeptical, but to just not believe at all, I had no idea. (So sorry if I offended, I really had no idea). On the positive side of offense, I did have a professor in college tell us in a Creative Writing 101 type class that if we can get a book on a banned book list we would be set because then everyone will want to read it to see why it was banned. So maybe I should be controversial. I guess I may be anyway.