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Changing Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 23:00:00 +0000

As a big Fall enthusiast, I'm anxiously waiting for my birthday which, this year, is the first day of Fall or the Autumnal Equinox. I've already started to enjoy posts on Facebook from some Halloween and Fall pages that I follow. I've also been planning some Halloween things with my daughter already.

This desire for the new season has pushed me to work on editing my poems for my book of poetry project since my overall theme is nature and the seasons. Also, I had so much fun playing with Haiku recently that I found myself re writing a longer poem as a simple Haiku. I did this because the original poem was unfinished, I was still inspired by it, but I was stuck.

The poem began as an exercise in using descriptive language and words. I wanted to convey the beauty of colors as they change from Summer green to Fall's reds/golds/rusts, etc. My original was a complicated mess and, although I can still remember the exact tree that inspired it, I had lost my direction. To move forward with the piece, I found myself focusing on the image in my memory. I studied the shape and colors, which were in full transition, still displaying Summer while Fall was edging it's way in.

After about an hour of painful rewriting attempts, I used the "strikethrough" feature in Word and crossed out everything, leaving it on the page as a reminder of my failure, as well as a resource for words I still liked. This is when I began reviewing my Haiku notes feeling that a u-turn was called for.

I stared at the formula, 5-7-5, total of 17 and typed "Summer." I stared at that a while, then hit return twice and typed "Fall." I looked at that for a while then started to insert short phrases before and after these words until they formed something meaningful.

My next step was a bit more difficult, I started paring things down to match up with my Haiku formula, 5-7-5, total of 17. I was actually starting to like this poem now. Next I began changing out words to fit and then words that we more descriptive or telling. Yes, I pulled out the old Thesaurus to find shorter or better words. Finally, I had what I thought was my finished piece and read it for my daughter. Her reaction was lukewarm. "You've done better" she said.

So, I picked this up again today, two weeks later, and below is my final product. I like it much better than all of it's previous incarnations.

Summer to Fall

September 8, 2017

Summers luscious greens

Answering Fall’s charming chill

Turn warm, red and gold.

The photo isn't an exact depiction of my original inspiration, however, it does give a sense of the color change that I inspired me in the first place. I think I'm starting to get the hang of Haiku.

Now that I've started, I have to keep the inspiration coming and work on more editing. I don't think it's unreasonable to find new inspiration for a piece when you're editing. Perhaps inspiration is a key ingredient in editing for me that I need to explore some more. I'll share my results with you.

Enjoy the new season and watch for more editing posts. I hope you share your thoughts and/or poems with me in the comments.

Ecliptedness

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 23:00:00 +0000

I love it when people throw out a word that sounds really cool, even if it's not real, when they have something big to say and no other word fits the bill. Ecliptedness was created by a co-worker yesterday when trying to describe how well the eclipse themed cookies depicted the many stages of eclipse the sun would experience during the event.

Although we laughed about it at the time, today, I can see how words can come to be. We shared this word with everyone who came into our office kitchen while we were there and they all thought it was very descriptive and appreciated the creative use of language. This was not just due to excitement over the big event, it was true admiration.

Inspired by this new word and the eclipse itself, I have been thrown back into writing poetry because I cannot help but get these poems out of my head and onto paper. Now, of course, I have to share them. They are also giving me me more works to include in my book of poems because they can be included in my overall theme of nature and/or seasons.

The first poem I'll share was born of my impression of the glowing crescent Sun as a mischievous Cheshire Cat grin.

Celestial Grin

Like the Cheshire Cat,

The Sun grinned

Hiding behind the Moon

Like a frightened child hides behind her mother’s skirt

Showing only a partial face.

www.nemy.com

Take a good long look at this eclipse photo from yesterday. Now close your eyes and imagine the Cheshire Cat. He has just been harassing you about your tardiness or drinking too much coffee, none of which is his business, and has faded from sight, leaving only his grin to further annoy you.

Disney Cheshire Cat Grin

I'm certain you can see why this image came to me yesterday while watching the Sun disappear behind the Moon.

The next poem I'm going to share features something that I never expected during the eclipse. While I knew the light would be different, I never expected shadows to be altered. Here is my poem about the Sun's nap.

Suns Summer Slumber

The Sun took a nap yesterday

K L McClune 2017

Hiding behind the Moon like a shy child

It drew a shadow blanket close under its chin

As the cover was drawn

Familiar shapes distorted

Leaf shadows transformed from round drops

To slim crescents

The golden glow of pavement

Paled against the black and gray shadows

Lifted the silvery arcs

Cradling them with soft edges

Under cover, a small Sun sliver shown

Like the glowing arc of a mischievous grin

The Sun teased us with evening at mid-day

Its warm rays cooled, it’s light diminished

Upon waking, the cover retreated, slowly

Like a curtain drawn in anticipation of a show

Golden light returned and shadows deepened,

Warmth was restored and the Sun emerged refreshed

I've written more, but I'm actually hoping that you might share how you were inspired by the eclipse and what you created as a result. Please leave me a comment and let me know how you've been inspired to be creative by the eclipse.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day!

Compiling a Book of Poems Post #2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 23:00:00 +0000

Editing, editing, editing. I've been editing poems for my book and going back over all my poems multiple times since my last post. After I made a list of the poems I consider "Complete" I put them into categories to see what kind of material I had to work with. From this exercise I determined that most of my "Completed" work had to do with the seasons or nature in some way.

This prompted me to look through all my work to see if I could find any other poems about nature or the seasons to bolster my book. I added a number of unfinished poems to my list and brought my total to 63. Of these poems, 30 are about nature or the seasons. Most of these new poems need some editing or rewriting. This is what I've been doing for the last week or more.

By the way, I'm by no means finished with this part of the process and am still determined to put a book together. Now I'll be focusing on more poems with nature and the seasons as themes. I'd like to have approximately 40 poems for this book.

In the process of editing and completing some of my poems, I've come up with some nice pieces and want to share some with you.

Autumn Gusts

Leaves dart across the ground

Like schoolboys chasing a ball

They flip and turn and spin

Like tumbling gymnasts.

Frantically, leaves fly

Like birds rising from a lake

Pushed by Autumn gusts

High into the air.

Color splashed branches dance feverishly

Like teens at a concert

Arms waving in the air

Moving in one rhythm.

I found myself practicing the use of metaphor and simile trying to get this one just right. This next poem has a very different feel. This rewrite about a heavy Spring snow is very different from my original, but I do like this version better.

Spring Snow

Frozen crystals dance easily

Weightless

Swirling

In a dervish.

Thick, like fluff, they fall

Recklessly

Tossed

In a wind.

Landing, they join, cling in close

Layering

Combining

Like a mantle.

Heavy, pressing down, young limbs bend

Sagging

Droopy

Bowing down.

Brightened, the crystals sparkle in sunlight

Glimmering

Melting

Dripping down.

I started this post months ago and have sadly not worked on editing poems since that time. Life derails me sometimes which is frustrating. Many things are happening around here. However, I have been inspired to write about the Sun and Moon today because of the "Great American Eclipse."

Yes, the eclipse was almost complete for those of us in the greater Denver Metro area. I'm going to be working on a few new pieces to add to my collection for this book. I think they'll add something special.

So, I'll leave this post for now on the editing theme and hope that you enjoy these two re writes. I promise to have a few new pieces for you soon that highlight the celestial bodies involved in today's spectacle.

Have a splendid day and keep writing!

Compiling a Book of Poems: Post #1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 May 2017 23:00:00 +0000

Almost since I started writing poems in 2010, I've wanted to put together a collection or book of my poems. Of course, you have to have enough poems written to fill a book first. It's taken me years, but I've got almost enough really good poems to create at least a collection.

Being a methodical person who doesn't enter into things like this lightly, I've begun to research the best way to put together a book of poems for publication, whether just for me or for sale. Thus far, I've found some very good sources. The links are at the bottom of this post.

One important question I think a poet must ask is whether you want to publish strictly for yourself or to sell to the public. I believe this is important, because if you are merely putting a collection together for your own enjoyment, the guidelines are more lax. You don't have to adhere to the conventions of publishing.

With that said, I've decided that my first endeavor will be strictly for myself because I would like to have more of my individual poems published before I try to make sales. Furthermore, I will say that, even though I'm currently undertaking this task for my own enjoyment, I do not like reinventing the wheel. I will, therefore, be attempting to put my collection/book together using the conventions that are expected for a published work.

Let's start at the beginning.
Reviewing your poems is the first step. All the sources I've read, see links below, have various strategies outlined for reviewing your work to determine what will go into your book. Of all the varied suggestions, printing out all your poems is a good first step. While many of us have our poems saved in an electronic document, there's nothing like pen and paper for editing, sorting and labeling.

So, I've printed all the poems I feel are ready to go into a book, or that I want to go into a book. I have just over 70.

Editing:
This part is both hard and fun at the same time for me. It's hard for me when the poem I need to edit is good as is, but I know it can be better. In cases like this I will always preserve the original before editing a copy. Sometimes, I end up with two poems when this happens.

Editing is fun for me because I like to look at something and try to make it better. I recently took two of my formless poems and made them into palindromes or mirror poems. These are poems that read the same forward and back. When you read a mirror poem you get to the half-way point and the poem reads backwards to the first line.

Here's one that I just created by editing one of my poems:

Raindrop Patterns

October 12, 2010

By Kimberly L. McClune

Raindrop patterns

Random patterns

On the window

Pooling in the corners

Gathering on the sill

Small rivers creeping down my window

Gathering on the sill

Pooling in the corners

On the window

Random patterns

Raindrop patterns

To be honest, I'm still in the editing stage with my poems. There are about 10 that I feel need to be gone over before I feel they're strong enough for publication or inclusion in a book or collection. I may even try publishing a few of them individually before I finish this project.

While I finish editing, you can take a look at the links below to read about putting together your own poetry book or collection. These are the articles or sites I found to be the most helpful.

Next week I'll post on the next step, Sorting and Organizing Your Poems. I'll also share another edited poem.

Enjoy the Spring for Summer is mere weeks away.

Leave me a comment so I know you were here.

Poets & Writers

https://www.pw.org/content/thinking_like_an_editor_how_to_order_your_poetry_manuscript_0

Long but thoughtful post.

wikiHow

http://www.wikihow.com/Arrange-Your-Poems-for-a-Poetry-Collection

Writer’s Digest

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/assembling-and-submitting-a-poetry-collection

HAIKU

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 May 2017 14:16:00 +0000

Today I want to share Haiku with you because, in my opinion, it’s one of the lovelier forms of poetry.

Haiku is defined by Britannica as, “unrhymed Japanese poetic form consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.”

Here are some facts that I uncovered about Haiku. The Haiku form was refined by Basho in the 17^th Century from the hokku element of the poetic form renga, an early Japanese poem. Renga is a linked-verse poem, a form in which two or more poets supply alternating sections of a poem. The hokku is the initial stanza of a renga. It sets the time of day, season and dominant features of the landscape for the renga. The hokku did not become known as Haiku until the late 19^th Century after it had been refined by masters like Basho, Buson and Issa. (See sources below for more on the history of Haiku.)

Haiku is written in three lines and each line has a specific number of syllables, 5-7-5. While early themes were nature, animals or the seasons, you can now write Haiku on any subject.

To write a Haiku, find inspiration in anything you like. Take a walk, use a picture or a memory and make a few notes. Now simply write two or three lines describing your subject. Edit your lines by focusing on an emotion or images based on your senses; sight, taste, touch, smell or hearing. Finally work on the syllable count, first line 5, second line 7 and third line 5. (See sources below for more on writing Haiku.)

Below are some examples from early Japanese masters of Haiku:

Basho

None is traveling

Here along this way but I

This autumn evening

Temple bells die out

The fragrant blossoms remain

A perfect evening!

Kyoshi

Crimson must be running

Through the trunk of

This plum tree

Born as a spider

No choice but to spin

His spider web

Now here is a Haiku I created:

Graceful deep green leaves

Teardrops shimmer in the sun

Shade the woven trunk.

This was truly joyful to create. I have a Ficus tree sitting in front of my desk at work. It has a beautiful, graceful woven trunk and the leaves are a lovely deep green. This was the perfect subject for my first Haiku. I hope you like it and that this minimal presentation on the Haiku has given you a bit of inspiration to try it for yourself. Even if you are just inspired to go read some Haiku, I guarantee you’ll be pleased with the effort.

If you do give writing Haiku a try, please share in the comments. I’d enjoy hearing from my readers.

Source information:

Creative Writing Now

http://www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-a-haiku.html

Britannica.com

https://www.britannica.com/art/haiku

Haiku World

http://www.haikuworld.org/begin/mdwelch.tentips.html

Poetry Power

http://www.powerpoetry.org/resources/tips-writing-haikus

Nonsense Poems

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 20:05:00 +0000

It’s Poetry Month so it’s time I got off my, “I’m too busy with other things” high horse and did some writing. If I’m going to write, it’s going to be fun because I am extremely busy, so it’s going to be nonsensical. I enjoy writing nonsense and reading it too.

If you’re not sure you know any nonsense poems or not sure what it is, may I direct your attention to the Jabberwocky or almost any Dr. Seuss works. In these you will find some essential elements to a nonsense poem such as, made up words and silly story-lines.

For instance, the Jabberwocky is riddled with made up words that most can’t even figure out how to pronounce, let alone determine their meaning.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

As you can see in this first stanza from “The Jabberwocky” there are very few familiar to guide us. There is some description of the location, and there appear to be creatures or things doing some sort of activity, or behaving in some fashion. Reading more we understand that there is a creature called a Jabberwock, that a fight ensues, and it is slain. I love how I can let my imagination take me in any direction it chooses each time I read it.

Dr. Seuss manages to use made up words and tell silly stories that can teach and entertain. For instance, in the Lorax we have many made up names and words. He tells us of “Grickle-grass,” “gruvvulous gloves,” and, of course, the “Truffula Trees.” He weaves with language creating delicious worlds, and gently pulls us in to take part.

If you’re like me, you may not be quite clever enough to invent words or a language or even a different world for your poems. So, I choose to write nonsense using the things around me. Here’s a sample of a poem I wrote a number of years ago while sitting at my desk at work. I remember I was trying to work out a problem on a file and let my mind wander to all the stuff at my desk.

Nonsense Poem

September 2011

Excellent educational teamwork brings clarity to rocking regional knots.

Spinning paper scribbles integrate quick mail monkeys s

Stacking plastic keys under tables.

Tinker Bell violence, after inspection,

Credits calendars with water trash before folders help index text.

To write poems like this you must be knowledgeable in the parts of speech and all the different ways a word can be used. For instance, in this piece the word ‘index’ in the last line is used as a verb. So, as I look around my desk now I can identify things whose names can be used as a noun or verb or adjective. These are the words you can use to make this type of poem come together. Here’s another example.

Whirlpool filters swirl around Arizona sugar

Silver magnets multiply root beer carafes

Please refill igloo hot pads.

I wrote this while standing in the kitchen of the office where I currently work. Once again, I let my mind wander over the words and items I saw around me and put down these lines on a post-it note.

It’s silly and fun to write poems like this. It’s also a good exercise for your brain to work out how the words for thing can be used to write out sentences.

I challenge my readers this month to take a few moments to write or read some poetry. Simply enjoy the words, let your mind wander over them as you read or create them. If you write anything and would like to share, please leave me a comment. Or, simply leave me a comment anyway. I’d love to hear from you.

HALLOWEEN 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 19:07:00 +0000

It's time for a Halloween Writing Prompt

As per my usual, this is an image selected to give the most tantalizing inspiration.

This image is inspiring to me and I hope it is for you as well. Here is what I wrote.
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She hung on his every word. Watching him in the candle light as he recounted the tale of the ghostly form that haunted the old house they lived in. Never once was she afraid as he spoke, until the end of the story when there was a sudden thump from overhead.

“What was that?” she whispered.

“That? Oh, never mind about that.” Her father said calmly.

Meanwhile, she started to shiver a bit and wrapped her arms around her body.

"Now, you're not scared are you? There's nothing to fear. It's just a story and I doubt if it's even true." He said trying to calm her. But, she was not calm. Something inside her now knew the truth.

Leaving her in the shadowy room, her father walked to the kitchen. Alone now, her imagination took a hold of her. She began to believe in the story her father told.

In bed that evening, she lay in the dark, listening to the quiet. Every noise, no matter how low, no matter how insignificant, fed her imagination. Pictures of unknown evil invaded her mind, voices rang in her head, smells and sounds now confronted her reality.

A voice spoke. Was it real? Was it in her mind? She couldn't tell.

"Come to me child." The voice called. It sounded distant and weak.

"Come and find me." It said, stronger now.

As though in a trance, she rose from her bed and dressed. Outside, the night air was warm and humid against her bare skin. The full moon lit up the landscape and glowed in the few leaves still clinging to bare branches.

She walked. Barely aware of her surroundings, she walked. With no understanding of what she was doing, she walked. Her eyes were open, but saw nothing.

"I'm here!" The voice cried.

"You have found me!"

She stopped. She stopped and stood. She stood waiting, waiting for someone, something. There in the moonlight, staring straight ahead, without moving, she stood.

Her only sensation was the cold she felt as the shiver went up and down her spine and the night drew close around her.

In the morning, her father called her down for breakfast. He received no answer. She would never answer him again.

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Despite being pretty busy with non-writing things right now, I do still find enjoyment in writing practice. Lately, I've been writing stories about my childhood. These little snippets of stories are fun to put together and are good practice for writing stories about other members of my family.

Perhaps I'll share some of these with you in the near future.

So what would you write if inspired by the above image? I'd love to share your writing. Please leave a comment.

Happy Halloween!

First Day of Fall Birthday Writing Prompt

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 15:59:00 +0000

So, the convergence of things today makes it extra special for me. It's the uncommon occasion when my birthday is on the First Day of Fall. I woke to a wonderful breakfast with my daughter and we watched a special episode of a favorite show together before I left for work. Then I decided to write something and found this writing prompt picture online. Below is my short piece inspired by these two young fishermen.

>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>>

“Aww do I have to get up?!” moaned Dave as he hunkered further under his covers. Only the glow of the digital clock illuminated the room.

“Yes!” Jason implored as he shook Dave’s shoulder. “It’s Mom’s birthday and we’re making dinner, remember?!” Jason stood back as Dave finally peeked out from the covers voluntarily.

“This is the best time to fish. If we wait, they’ll all have swum away. Now get up!” Turning on his heel, Jason left the room.

Dave swung his feet over the side of his bed and reached for his pants. Pulling them on he stood up and fastened them. Wrestling a shirt over his head, he finished dressing by the backdoor where Jason stood waiting, tapping his foot.

Down at the river, the sun was barely a glow on the horizon when they threw in their lines. Now they wait. And wait they did. It seemed like forever ‘til one of them got a bite.

“It’s as if they know how important this is and they’re not going to bite!” Dave exclaimed painfully. “Why does this always happen?!”

“Just relax. They’ll bite.” Jason said calmly as he moved his line a bit.

And who got the first bite as the sun was now fully over the horizon? Dave. He felt a great yank that jerked him forward. “Wow, this is a big one!”

Jason dropped his line and reached out to grab Dave’s. They both tugged and Dave started to reel in the big fish. They both gasped as the fish jumped fully out of the water. The sun glistened on its scales as it arched and dove back in, wriggling and pulling.

Excited, Jason grabbed their net and took a step into the cold water. Dave pulled a few more times and cranked the reel.

With one fell swoop, Jason caught the fish in the net, “Woohoo!” he hollered!

“We did it! No, you did it! This’ll feed half the town!” Jason yelled.

Dave stood there, awestruck. He’d never caught anything that size before. All he could do was stand and stare, savoring the moment. Jason pulled out his camera and took a picture of Dave. Then he tossed the camera at Dave.

“Hey, get a picture of this.”

The camera almost fell, but Dave caught it on the way down. Shaking off his reverie, Dave aimed the lens at Jason and snapped a couple, then put the camera in his pocket.

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I hope you like this little ditty. I've never fished before and that's kind of why I selected this picture as a prompt. If you're inspired and write something out, please share it.

Happy Fall! Here's another lovely picture for your enjoyment or to use as another prompt.

Writing Again

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 19:15:00 +0000

I've been terribly lax in my writing of late and I apologize for that, mostly to myself. My writing is largely for myself and I share in the hopes that it will inspire or bring some small measure of enjoyment to others.

In order to spark some degree of creation from my sore and overused brain, I looked up some new writing prompt ideas on the internet. I found that the blog Creative-Writing-Now.com has some terrific ideas and ways of thinking about a piece which inspired me.

One of the many ideas I gleaned from my rummaging on this blog included different forms for a poem, such as instructions, a recipe and a letter. The most intriguing of these for me was a recipe. My brain immediately began scanning for non-food things in my life that could be the subject of a recipe. My psyche landed on my grandmothers hands.

This was a natural choice since my grandmother was, and still is, a big influence on me. Although she passed away about 15 year ago, I still remember many little things about her that made me feel good and loved. Her hands always fascinated me. They were never still, always creating something wonderful or doing something helpful.

Here is my recipe for Bang's Hands (the story of her name shall be for another post)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bang’s Hands

By Kimberly L. McClune

September 12, 2016

Ingredients:

Heap of Kindness

Accumulation of Gentleness

Plenty of Industry

Hours of Play

Oodles of Comfort

Abundance of Calm

Measure of Healing

Bundle of Love

Directions:

Blend the kindness and gentleness until warm.

Stir in the industry until well learned.

Skim play off the top for hours of fun.

Mix in comfort to bring a smile

Fold in the calm until steady.

Knead in the healing and

Garnish with Love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While this image is generic, it reminds me of my grandmothers hands, riddled with arthritis, as she reached out for mine. She often took my arm while we walked and I can still feel her grip and smell her perfume. Writing this small piece churns up an ocean of memories and images that I will gladly rifle through in an odd moment.

What recipe could you write as a poem? Or perhaps, you prefer to write a letter or instructions. I strongly suggest going to Creative Writing Now and looking under IDEAS for a plethora of poem and story prompts.

I'm hoping that this recent jaunt into creativity will spur me on to more and more poems and even a story or two. Keep writing and leave a comment, I'd like to hear from you.

Back in the Swing in Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 May 2016 21:42:00 +0000

It's been a terribly long time since I've had the inclination or inspiration or time to put pen to page or fingers to the keyboard for the creation of a new poem, story or other creative writing endeavor.

Recently, I was inspired by my westward morning drive from Arvada to Louisville. The Spring in Colorado, along the Front Range, can create a beautiful tableau for one's viewing pleasure. A particular morning a few weeks ago was spectacular, simple and inspiration for me.

Below is my final poem that will, hopefully, provide an insight into my experience that day.

Daily Masterpiece

By Kimberly L. McClune

May 26, 2016

Springs morning, a blank canvas on the western horizon,

Emerges from the night

Revealing Nature’s daily masterpiece.

Crystal clear blue water color tints the sky

Virtually transparent,

Polished and perfect, like a sapphire.

Clean white paper, cut

As if by a child with scissors

Pasted with sticky fingers,

Creates a rim of bleached peaks.

Dirt, leaves, rocks and sticks

Mixed in a puddle

Tossed by the handful,

Make layers of mottled, hills against the paper.

This, Nature’s daily masterpiece,

Frameless and unaffected by man,

The freedom of creation.

Writing this poem reminded of how much I like a good writing prompt to inspire me to write, even if what I write turns out to be junk. After all, don't we learn more from making mistakes?

So here's a good prompt to put a spring in your pen:

This image gives me the creeps a bit and also pulls a few good story ideas out of my lazy brain. For instance, is this the Invisible Man's girlfriend or sister? Take a gander at this and see what ideas you come up with. Perhaps try setting a timer and seeing what you can come up with in 15 minutes. Or share this with a friend and challenge each other to come up with a 200 word story about this image. Another good idea is to see how many genres of writing you can use to create different written pieces about this image, a poem, a short story, a caption, a slogan for an advertisement, or even the outline for a novel.

So, keep writing. Maybe write something from this picture prompt and make a comment to let me know what you came up with.

Have a great day!

Lyrics

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 22:33:00 +0000

This is just a fun blog to share some of my favorite Christmastime songs with you and to get you thinking about lyrics and how they can bring meaning to music. Song lyrics are like poems, and songs are a marriage of words and music, two of my most favorite things.

The lyrics of Christmas and holiday songs are special. From the spiritual to the fun loving, all of them evoke certain images and feelings in anyone. Even those who aren’t religious/spiritual, enjoy these songs because they resonate with joy, fun, love and hope.

I have a lot of favorite Christmas carols and songs. Some are favorites because of childhood memories. Others are favorites for personal or spiritual reasons.

A Christmas Carol favorite is Away in a Manger. As a small child I loved that there was a lullaby for Jesus. I remember singing it to my dolls at Christmas when I got ready for bed.

My parents had a number of albums of Christmas from different countries. From the Christmas in England album I learned that there was another melody for Away in a Manger. This alternate melody has become my favorite. The lyric remains the same.

Away in a manger no crib for a bed

The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.

The stars in the sky looked down where he lay

The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes

But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.

I love thee Lord Jesus look down from the sky

And stay by my cradle ‘til morning is nigh.

Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.

Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care

And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there.

What tremendous memories a song and its lyric can retrieve from hidden secrets that lie deep within each of us. I find myself singing this song when I feel stressed or out of touch with my spiritual self. There is a calm that comes from placing yourself as a child at the feet of ones God.

My favorite Christmas fun song is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. This is the first holiday special I remember watching on television when I was little back in the 60’s.

Nowadays, I love to sing this song with my daughter. We’ve been signing it since she was tiny. We always start by singing out the names of the reindeer, that’s her favorite part.

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen

Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.

But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

Had a very shiny nose

And if you ever saw it

You would even say it glowed.

All of the other reindeer

Used to laugh and call him names

They never let poor Rudolph

Join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve

Santa came to say,

“Rudolph with your nose so bright

Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

Then how the reindeer loved him

As they shouted out with glee,

“Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

You’ll go down in history.”

Who doesn’t enjoy this simple story? It’s one of many songs that were turned into television specials for children. Some others include Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. These started out as fun children’s songs for the holiday and became endearing, long lasting holiday television shows. If not for the gifted lyricists, these songs would never have been made into shows.

Do you have a favorite holiday song, poem or story? Do you return to that favorite every year to bring the memories, feelings and images back as part of your celebration?

Feel free to share with me in the comments. I’d love to hear about your favorites. Happy holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanzaa! And a pleasant greeting to all who celebrate in any way at this time of year!

Writing Prompts ~ 3 ~

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 18:25:00 +0000

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then shouldn't we be writing those words down somewhere? Every time I see a beautiful scene or picture of just about anything, my mind wanders. A story forms or I become inspired to write about it or describe it.

Writing prompts can be a way to trigger or inspire words from anyone, most especially writers. It's a great way to practice or even try a different style of writing. I like to use prompts to help me get started on stories.

When my daughter was very small, she would get a story before bed. Most of these were made up and most were inspired by an idea or character that she would ask for. Some things she'd ask me to tell a story about include, a particular Disney Princess, the board game Candy Land, and Strawberry Shortcake (from the children's cartoon show).

Many of my poems have been inspired by images, nature, or pictures. Others have been inspired by a person or a particular trait of someone I know, like my grandmothers laugh.

I have been very lax in writing poetry lately because I was working on writing stories about my uncle who passed away recently. As my thoughts wandered to all the memories lurking in my brain and heart about my uncle, I decided that the best way for me to mourn him was to write them down.

The stories about my uncle are on my Wattpad account in a new work called "Choose to Smile." Here's an excerpt:

CHOOSE TO SMILE

Every year, around Easter, my family would drive out to visit them. My brother Keith, my Grandma Bang, and one parent would go along with either me or my sister (we had to take turns).

New Hampshire was like a dream when I got to go. On my very first trip I slept in the spare room all by myself. That first morning I remember waking to strange noises outside my window. The sound was rustly and crunchy and huffy. I lay in bed listening for a while until my imagination and curiosity could not be held back another minute. I climbed up to look out and saw three horses wandering around outside my window. They were nibbling at the ground and pushing at each other. They huffed out their noses as though the air was too cold. Finally they sauntered out toward the street.

I knocked shyly at my uncle's bedroom door and said, in an almost unheard voice, "There's horses outside my window. Can I go see 'em?"

All I heard was excited voices from behind the door. In a flash, my Uncle and Aunt were both bolting out the front door in coats and boots.

"Louise, what's happening, honey?" My Dad asked in the dark hallway.

"Daddy, there are three horses outside! Can I go see 'em?" I asked sweetly.

The next thing I knew, my Dad was running toward the door with boots and a coat too. Apparently, the horses weren't supposed to be walking around outside the house.

HALLOWEEN WRITING PROMPT
So, writing prompts can come from anywhere and your response to them can take many forms. As usual, I'd like to present another picture writing prompt.

I hope this isn't too scary for you, but it is the Halloween season, after all.

How does this image inspire you? Write 150 words story or 3-4 stanza poem from this image. Hopefully you will post this in the comments below and share with me and others.

Here is my offering from this image:

She’s finally left, thought the evil presence behind the wall. Slithering toward the mirror, tap, tap, thud, thud, harder and harder it knocked on the wall. One small crack was all it needed to penetrate the other side and escape. First the wall, then the mirror gave way to the insistent efforts.

An icy chill emanated from the fractured hole with razor sharp edges. Slowly, the image of evil appeared from behind the wall. Staring out from an abyss of darkness, the grayish creature had a visage of resentment and hatred.

Noises came from outside the room.

Now’s my chance, thought the entity, slinking back into darkness.

Bursting into the room, a tall, thin and lovely woman dressed in a flowing organdy gown covered in lace and pearls fairly floated toward the mirror, humming. Seeing nothing amiss, she placed a vase of flowers directly beneath it on a table.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

That was fun to do. I hope you like my interpretation. Please keep writing. Use prompts if needed to keep you going. Also, please share your writing prompt offerings in the comments so others may enjoy them.

Keep Calm

and

Keep Writing

Know Yourself as a Writer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 17:22:00 +0000

Recently, I was trolling about on a few writing blogs that I follow and found a post about knowing yourself as a writer. Click here to access that blog post. The author presents an exercise to help clarify reasons and motivations for writing as well as setting some goals.

Knowing your motivation and goals for writing, regardless of genre, theme, or style can be critical in your success, especially if you strive to make a career as a writer.

When working on this exercise, I found myself feeling torn. On the one hand, I write blogs for others and earn a bit of money. On the other, I write my own blogs for practice and to express or share things that are meaningful to me. On yet another hand, not sure where I get this hand from, I write poetry for myself and occasionally for others. If my poetry is published, then it's an exciting bonus.

Would I love a full career as a writer? I'm not certain. While I enjoy writing and believe that I have some skill/talent, I'm not sure I want it to be my career, at least not right now. Do I want to be a full time writer someday? Yes, I do very much.

My answers to the questions in this exercise revealed an important fact about my writing that I need to change or I will not move forward, I need to spend more time writing. Honestly, I spend too much time on wasted activities during my non-working hours. It's a constant struggle, as I'm sure most can relate to. In my own words from my post on August 3, 2015, "to be a good writer, you have to practice writing." I hereby pledge that I will write for at least one hour everyday, 'cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!' (Yes I will quote, and even swear an oath, from My Little Pony)

Another thing I learned about myself as a writer is that I write to tell stories. Stories have always been a way for me to share my own thoughts, feelings and experiences with others. I believe that I have always been a storyteller and always will be. There are just multiple ways that I enjoy sharing a story.

What I have discovered about myself as a writer by answering these few seemingly simple questions is so enlightening. Read through this post on Writing Forward and see what you learn about yourself. This blog is a very good for any writer of any genre or style.

Just by perusing some writing blogs that I enjoy, I found an exercise that has revealed some important aspects of myself as a writer. In another six months to a year I'll answer these questions again to see if I've changed at all. I'll post my results here. Comment below on how this exercise affected your outlook on writing and your knowledge of yourself as a writer. I'd love to know more about you and your writing.

Time to Write

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 19:07:00 +0000

I’ve definitely been struggling to have/make time to write lately, whether it’s writing for this blog or just for me. If you too have this problem, hopefully some of my ideas will inspire you.

Have/Make Time

Because everyone’s lives are different, there are no magic tricks I can provide to give you the time you may want or need to write. I can only tell you that, if it’s important enough to you, you will have the time

Write First Thing

Writing first thing requires coffee for me. If I have that, then I can grab paper and pen or my laptop to get started. I do like to be inspired, even for a blog, but sometimes I just write whatever’s on my mind, like journaling. The mere act of writing is an exercise in putting words to paper.

If you’re not a morning person, like me, find a time when you’re alone and can concentrate, perhaps after the kids are in bed. Grab a cup of tea and off you go!

Writing Prompt/ Write with Someone

Writing from a prompt is a good exercise because it can take you outside your comfort zone. It can also just be fun. Spontaneously, and for fun, my daughter and I write a jingle to replace a really bad one from a commercial we just watched.

Usually I write with my daughter. At times, I help her with ideas for her stories or edit them. We also work on our own projects at the same time. We make writing dates with each other, like every Thursday night.

If you have a friend who writes, whether local or long distance, make a date to meet up, face-to-face or on line, to write together. Each of you can come up with a writing prompt then make a date to share your results. I have an out of town friend with whom I do timed writing prompts. During a phone conversation we set a theme or idea then call each other back in ‘x’ minutes to share what we did.

Write on Break

Whether you work in or outside your home, breaks are a time when we move away from our work tasks and relax. Writing should be relaxing, at least I think so. Move to a comfy spot with your writing materials, or go get a snack or drink, then open up to a new page and get started. Maybe you just want to write some thoughts, maybe you’re working on a story or novel, or maybe you want to write a poem. Make sure to watch your time or set a reminder on your phone so you aren’t late returning to work.

I hope you got some ideas from me and can find a way that works for you. Remember, to be a good writer, you have to practice writing. TTFN, Ta-ta for now!

Spiritual Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 20:32:00 +0000

Without entering into a lengthy and probably controversial discussion of spirituality or beliefs, I want to discuss how I have been inspired and share some of my writing with you.

My spirituality or feelings of connection with my God come at times when I am contemplative, under stress, relaxed or are unexpected. During some of these times I find myself talking to him and even creating something in my mind. Do you know those times when words just start to form and you have to write them down, those times when you are talking out loud to yourself? Those are the times when I know I am being inspired to write. So, I write.

Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly what was going on in my life when I wrote this, but I called it 'A Psalm' for a reason. When I was first discovering my faith as a Christian, I read the Psalms A LOT! I connected to them because they are poems, song lyrics, direct messages to God. I wanted to have (and still want to have) a directed link to God. David wrote many of the psalms as his expressions of great emotions toward God. Sometimes he was angry, sometimes he doubted, sometimes he expressed deep faith and love. The overall feeling of this psalm is a desire for connection, not wanting to be left behind or forgotten. I can see a strong desire for hope and belonging. Also, I believe that I needed spiritual strengthening.

A Psalm

By Kimberly L McClune, January 18, 2013

Diffused light from the bright morning star

Emanates through a maze of frosted branches.

Fingers of illumination pattern the blue tinted ground.

A glowing countenance gracefully peers from beyond

Bearing a measure of hope to my longing my soul.

Oh, light that brings peace and love

Renew my spirit, fill the depths of my soul!

Shine your light in and through me.

Reveal your truth to my hardened heart.

Shower me with fulfillment and joy!

Do not deny a weakened spirit.

Open a portal to the inner sanctuary

Hardened by disappointment and fear.

Pour out your soothing balm to cleanse

And heal the wounds left by an ordinary life.

Oh, mighty and righteous giver of peace,

Wondrous lover of needy and aching hearts,

Let your love reign in my gasping soul,

Lift up my wounded spirit,

Wash me clean of all wrongdoing.

Heavy heart, wounded and sore

Hold fast to that one remaining thread of hope.

Don’t loose your grip, but cling to it

As if nothing in the world can move you.

For this is the path to enlightenment.

Hope does not fail, love does not leave

Peace is never far away.

All around are signs of faith and healing.

Open the heart, the mind and the spirit

And all shall enter in, together at last.

Whether you are Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, or have any other faith, we can all relate to similar spiritual needs. We want the belonging and the comfort of a faith in something greater than ourselves. I encourage you to embrace your spirituality as it relates to writing and see what you come up with when you bring the two together. Writing as an expression of yourself, for some, is the only way to write. For others, writing can be a way to escape yourself.

Writing Prompts ~2~

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 20:10:00 +0000

In this post, I’ll be giving you some ideas for writing prompts, as well as sources for finding them. Perhaps, I’ll even give you an example of one or two of mine.

As I’ve discussed in previous posts, the best way to get better at something is to keep doing it. Practice, like with an instrument or a sport, will help you to get better. Getting better and seeing improvement in your own ability is one of the best ways to be inspired, at least for me, to keep working at it.

Writing Prompts are a great way to challenge yourself to try new things, new themes, new styles and new genres of writing. I find they can help to bring me out of a slump too. There are many different types of prompts.

If you’re a story writer, a good source for writing prompts could be the newspaper. Review the headlines to find a situation or story that interests you and, without reading the newspaper’s article, write your own article or story. Or, you could buy books that have prompts like, The Writer’s Book of Matches or 1001 Prompts to Ignite Your Fiction. I found out about this from Writer’s Digest

online. You can find it on Amazon or at a local bookstore.

On the website Creative Writing Now, www.creative-writing-now.com, you will find hundreds of ideas for writing poetry, as well as tips and advice, and a bevy of other helpful things that writers like to poke around and read.

You could chose to write about an image or painting or other visual stimuli you encounter or peruse in the course of your day. You can also simply search for images of a certain thing, situation, feeling or word on your favorite internet search engine, like Google. I searched ‘images for peace’ and got a load of “Peace Sign” images and doves holding olive branches and people holding hands, etc.

Here’s a writing prompt with a visual for you to contemplate and write a poem for. It can be any type of poem in any form, just use this prompt as your inspiration. Try giving yourself a time limit for your piece.

The sun is rising.

Here's what I threw together in 10 minutes based on this image and these words.

Misty sunlight scrunches my eyes.

Still water slides past my weighty and sluggish strokes

As the long night turns to new day.

Faded, the world drifts past.

Molten gold swallows my oar as it pushes on

While daylight unfolds before me.

I would love to know what you come up with from this prompt. It would also be great to hear from you about where you get ideas for poems and what inspires you.

Keep writing and watch how much you improve with the practice.

Other online sources for prompts:

http://www.writingforward.com/category/writing-prompts/poetry-prompts

http://www.pw.org/writing-prompts-exercises

Culture in Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 19:31:00 +0000

Being partly Irish, I am drawn to the overall culture and all things Irish. I love music so I listen to Irish tunes quite often. I have an extensive collection of Irish poetry and stories and love to let my eye wander over pictures of the Irish landscape. Oh, I neglected to mention my love of Irish food!

I’ve been reading some of the Irish poets lately, W.B. Yeats, Thomas Moore, Patrick Kavanaugh and Oscar Wilde to name a few. In my poetic contemplation over these beautiful works I began to notice a great sense of the Irish culture itself within them. Each piece gave me a different sense of who the Irish are, what is important to them and how they live, think and believe.

Some themes I’ve culled from the works I’ve read are the importance of family and relationships, love of the land, the importance of history to everyday life, strength of spiritual belief and a great love of life and living. The Irish are a very proud and expressive people. They carry their hearts on their sleeves and live every moment as if it’s their last. Humor sustains them through thick and thin and their ability to survive is second to none. All of these qualities of the Irish come through when reading their poetry. I consider them to be some of the strongest poets our world has produced.

If you’ve ever wondered why the Irish are so much in love with their homeland, then you’ve never been there or lost yourself in pictures of the beautiful, magical landscapes and architecture of this incredible island.

In his poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree, W.B. Yeats expresses his desire to return to the peace and beauty of his home from the wild and raucous streets of London.

“And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.”

Poet Patrick Kavanaugh expresses the deep love of a man for his mother in his poem In Memory of My Mother. I love his optimism for seeing her once again when he, himself, passes into heaven and his wonderful memories of her very essence.

“And I think of you walking along a headland
Of green oats in June,
So full of repose, so rich with life –
And I see us meeting at the end of a town.

On a fair day by accident, after
The bargains are all made and we can walk
Together through the shops and stalls and markets
Free in the oriental streets of thought.”

While these are only a couple of examples of great Irish poetry, you can find many sources for them in your local bookstore or on various websites like the following:

www.irishcultureandcustoms.com

www.poetryfoundation.org

www.poetrysoup.com

Find some beautiful images of Ireland here:

Christian McLeod Photography: www.cmcleod.com

Inishowen Photography – www.inishowenphotography.com

Images of Mayo Landscape Photography of County Mayo, Ireland by Eamonn McCarthy– mayo.photium.com

Irish Dew Landscape Photography – www.irishdew.com

Try an Irish dish from:

www.donalskehan.com

www.yourirish.com

Perhaps you have a favorite culture or are from a particular culture that also has beautiful poets. Do some reading and see if you also find that the culture of the poets home is carried into the work of the poet.

Word Choice

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:00:00 +0000

When writing in any format or genre your choice of words is important. This is likely quite obvious to most, but perhaps not to everyone. In my experience, when editing or even writing the first draft of a poem, I choose words carefully. Some of the things I consider are meaning, flow, sound, rhyme, rhythm, and sometimes even spelling.

Each choice depends on what effect or meaning, images or thoughts are behind the work I’m creating. For instance, in my poem “Smoke” I took quite a long time to decide the words to describe the smoke patterns and qualities.

“Clinging to the air, fluctuating,

Gradient translucence shifts in silent grace.

Amorphous fog, ethereal silk

Drifts away then subtly coils and spins.”

The word ‘amorphous’ was selected because of its meaning, as well as its sound. Likewise, the word ‘ethereal’ has a sort of fantasy quality to it (at least to me) and it was fitting for the images I was describing. I chose silk because its movement as a fabric was mimicked by the movement of the smoke.

There are times when my vocabulary needs a boost while writing. At these times I turn to a dictionary or thesaurus for ideas. Keep in mind that too much reliance on these tools can be obvious in your writing. If I get really stuck for words I like to write out a list of possible choices then insert them into my piece. It’s like trying on clothes to see what fits and looks the best.

The most important part of word choice is that you find what works for you and for the piece you’re creating. Having the words flow with your voice is crucial to success for your writing. I have friends or my father read my works in progress. They’ve always been able to tell if I had been through the thesaurus too heavily.

Enjoy writing and playing around with words to complete your writing pieces.

Reading to Write

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 May 2015 15:30:00 +0000

Yes, I believe that you must read if you are to write. You might ask why. If you did, then my short answer is that there is much to be learned about an art by experiencing how others have produced their version of that art. If you did not ask, then the previous sentence is of no importance to you.

Moving on, here are a couple things I’ve gleaned about writing by reading.

Style or Voice:

After reading some of my favorite poets, Frost, Whitman, St. Vincent Milay, Sandburg and Dickinson (to name just a few) I discovered that each has a different style, despite writing in the same poetic form. For instance, if you read one of Shakespeare’s sonnets and then a sonnet by Sir Thomas Marlowe or Ben Jonson, the feel will be different. They’re different people using the same poetic form. However, they each write with their own style.

This realization made me want to find out if I have a poetic style and what that is. My style is my own and I don’t know how to describe it to you. If you’ve read my blog and the poems interspersed herein, you should be able to discern it.

Phrasing and Rhythm:

There is a rhythm to the way people write. I see this plainly in Shakespeare's plays. I can feel the movement and the scene unfolding by listening with my inner senses to the rhythm of the words. The way the words are linked together in phrasing has a certain feel that differs from his contemporaries.

Read with Diversity:

So, reading anything can give you information, inspiration, intoxication and increase your imagination. Don’t become fixated on reading poems to try to improve your poetry. Read anything that interests you. Perhaps you like mysteries or Stephen King novels, but write very lyric poems. Without judgment, go with the rhythm of the words fluttering around in your brain, heart and soul. They will come forth in your own special style.

Write with Diversity:

We are wordsmiths, are we not? Just as a blacksmith must know how to make various tools and objects, so must a writer. I dabble in several different forms of writing and differing genres. Writing poems strengthens my writing skills for other forms and vice versa.

Stretch your wings and see where reading can take you.

Editing a Poem

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 May 2015 15:02:00 +0000

As a girl, I loved reading poems, especially rhyming ones. Back then, I didn’t realize that poems can be, and often are, edited to make them extra special. In my youth, I had written a number of little poems, one about a leaf floating by my window and at least one about love. I never edited them, I wrote them just as I thought them up.

In 2010 I wrote a poem, and it was edited, a lot!

It was August and, while driving to work, I was staring at the most beautiful configuration of clouds I thought I’d ever seen. My first inclination was to hold that moment in time somehow to share it with others. Not having a camera, and being in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I struggled to find a way to capture the image. So, I started describing what I saw out loud to myself. I broke down my thoughts over and over again until I had a piece that was very short and made me remember the exact scene I had witnessed in the heavens.

Once I reached my office, I rushed to write down the short verse. It was never edited again. At the time it was exactly what I wanted, and still is. Here is that quaint, descriptive little poem:

Sunrise

August 2010

Radiant tiers brushed with light

Fanned out across the sky

Gracefully reach for the earth

The way I edited this piece was all verbal. I kept searching for the most descriptive words I could to paint this picture in my mind’s eye. This is essential for a good poem; the reader should be able to imagine the same feelings or vision as the writer. Some poetry is written for the writer alone, some to invoke feelings, others to tell stories, and some to bring an image to the mind of the reader (and…this is a short list). Look for descriptive, vivid words, or phrases that bring immediate images or feelings to you. If you are convinced, your reader will be also.

Try to use metaphors and similes in your poems. (This is an area where I’m weak) A metaphor is like a symbol for something. For instance, a family is like a tree with each person representing a branch. A simile is a comparison, like being ‘as black as night’ or ‘as white as a swan’ or ‘as happy as a lark’ to name a few. These can be very powerful for creating an image for your reader, especially if you use a common one.

Stress and Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 19:13:00 +0000

Certainly I'm not the only one who has read books on stress and tried many methods to reduce and deal with it. On this lifelong journey, I have learned and also become more frustrated.

Frustration:

Sometimes frustration comes when I feel I’ve conquered my stress then something changes causing more stress. It’s also frustrating to know that I, myself, am the cause of much of my own stress.

Perhaps I’m not alone in these frustrations!?

Things I’ve Learned:

Many things have I learned in this process/journey thus far. I’m trying to keep this part short so I’ll just give you two. The first is that stress is always present in our lives. The second is that we are each in control of the stress we encounter.

Dealing with it:

Well, if stress is always present and we are in control of it, then where is the answer to my question of how to deal with, or reduce, it? That’s next.

Poetry is one way that I deal with stress.

Little phrases come to me out of the blue sometimes when I’m working out a problem or feeling stressed. I try to write down these little tidbits. Because they were born of my stress, I hang on to them and savor them, whether they’re good or bad.

By doing this, I can see inside my stress which helps me process the cause of my stress. Writing these thoughts down helps me peel away the emotional part and work on the intellectual part of a situation.

Sometimes these little phrases become a story and sometimes a poem. Regardless, they’re an expression of the emotion of my stress. Releasing that allows me more energy for solving or dealing with the issue that plagues me.

Here is an example of a poem written last fall that was born of a stressful time:

Thought-Less

Kimberly L McClune

September 29, 2014

Blank and silent

My empty brain lolls and sags

Lacking gumption to fight for thoughts

Disappearing in a foggy haze of forgotten people,

places and

things

Sullen and alone

Nothing enters and nothing leaves

Only a void where intelligence reigned

Distant memories of visions,

thoughts,

dreams and

ideas

Strapped in

Cornered in a lonely room

Scattered cobweb strewn furniture

Dusty pillows and torn drapes decorate the discarded dwelling

Barren synapses

Spark-less power outage

Brown-out,

black-out,

drained reserves

Beleaguered and neglected, non-existent cognitive activity

()()()

While this is a fairly solemn piece of writing, remember that it was born of my stress and was instrumental in helping me put aside the negative emotions so that I could work on solutions.

As unusual as this topic is for a poetry blog, I find that whatever brings me to writing is important in that process. Therefore, I believe it may be important for others as well. I hope you have enjoyed, or at least not turned away from, my blog. Good day and keep writing, no matter why and no matter what.

Regain Inspiration and/or Creative Focus

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 20:01:00 +0000

What can a creative person do when there is little inspiration and even less focus for their craft?

Well, some may go on retreats or hide away. Some may turn to stimulants or drugs to push away the world, listen to music or steep themselves in a favorite pastime. What an individual does when inspiration or focus are gone is as individual as the individual. Some, like me, may turn a bit silly and say or write silly things to get the juices flowing again.

In this regard, I created the following ludicrous poem in an attempt to start typing on the old keyboard for a totally creative purpose. My endeavor was to make myself rhyme and count syllables. Neither of these are things I practice when I write poetry. I tend to let the form and manner of my writing be dictated by what I am attempting to convey in the work.

So take this little ditty as a form of inspiration to inspire you to get past those moments when inspiration is on holiday.

Rhyming Fun Counting Syllables

Kimberly L McClune

April 10, 2015

Home alone,

Alone at home

Never on the telephone (7)

Seeing things that I am shown (7)

High and low

Low is high

Perhaps way up in the sky (7)

Going there where I can fly (7)

Thinking now

Then I think

Knowing that I think I know (7)

Thinking that I know I think (7)

Above below

Below above

Many things that I can show (7)

Showing all the things I know (7)

Truth or lie

Lying truth

Do you think that you are sly? (7)

Lying as you travel by (7)

Now that you've had a good laugh at my expense, or now believe me to be totally insane, I bet you feel a little better about that lapse in creativity you've been struggling with. Take heart in knowing that you’re not alone.

Keep writing, or doing whatever creative activity charges your soul with life energy. The above poem at least brought a smile to my face and heart through the mere act of creating it. I could go on writing about this and you could go on reading, or we could both stop right now and get on with it, now that we’re inspired of course!

Enjoy your creativity! J

Silver Morning - A new poem

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 21:05:00 +0000

Sadly, I have had many troubles and life issues to deal with that have taken the desire and inspiration to write poetry from me for a very long time. However, the winter weather a few weeks ago interrupted my depressing self-dialogue and I penned the following in response to the world that greeted me that morning.

Silver Morning

By Kimberly L. McClune
February 11, 2015

A window frames a fragile scene.

The morning ceiling is layered in gray and white
And a diaphanous haze clings above the glassy sidewalk
That glows golden in a hidden sunrise.

Becoming a part of it,

Illusion shifts to reality
As I take my first steps.

The air is thick, dusted with fog.

Yet a silvery light surrounds me,
Simple, delicate.
It engulfs me.

Tufts of new fallen snow hug every surface

Fluffy and white, dense and rich
Winter boas cling to trees and rooftops
Softening the form of a hardened world.

With the many changes that I have recently undergone in my life, I am planning to spend more time in the practice of writing, not just poetry, but short stories and articles and anything else that comes to mind.

I have learned that writing that be healing or cumbersome, enjoyable or a chore. For me, it is a way of healing, rejoicing and completely free self-expression. When I need to write, I am forced to do so by my very soul.

May you enjoy this poetic offering and take inspiration from it to read more poetry or do your own creation with words.

Enjoy your impending Spring and I hope to write more very soon to share with you.

Writing Prompts

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 16:56:00 +0000

Haven't made a post in a while and I'm sorry. Being unemployed is taking it's toll, along with other factors in my life. Some are things I can control. Many are things I can't control and must take time to deal with.

One continual joy in my life is the monthly Writers Circle at my local library. The group grows and changes, yet is always full of talented, enjoyable people. A frequent activity for us is to do a writing exercise, often with a prompt of some kind. This month, we are writing from a picture, prior to our meeting, and then presenting our creations to each other.

After staring at this picture for long moments, and mulling it over, I came up with what follows. The inspiration was two fold for me. I was first inspired by the feeling I was infused with by the photo. The second was the personal connection that feeling brought forth. Here is the result. I hope you find something personal here, that it is touching and not saddening.

Lonely Beach

By Kimberly L. McClune

September 7, 2013

Looking out across the gleaming waters

Eyes squinting, hearts pinching

We walked together and yet separate.

Neither the rush of waves nor the glaring sun

Could penetrate our joint solitude.

The cry of a distant gull hung in the air

Unanswered

Just like the longing so ardent in our souls.

Would we ever?

Never.

Holding tears behind our eyes

Unwilling to show the pain

Unable to share the depth of feeling

We strode along the water’s edge.

The actual writing prompt was to write a paragraph or poem based on the photo. I didn't really care which I wrote, I simply wrote what came to me. In fact, my first scribblings were almost the makings of a paragraph, but I found that what came of this exercise wasn't a little story, rather, it was expressing the emotion that this photo inspired inside me. My feelings often come in the form of a poem rather than stories.

You may find the same thing as you write, that emotions are expressed in a certain form and that anecdotes and experiences take another. Perhaps they take the same form for you. Regardless, I find that I miss writing very much and look forward to making much more time for it in the coming weeks. I believe that you cannot become accomplished at anything unless you DO IT, and do it a lot.

Writing prompts are a good way to practice your craft. You can find ideas on the internet with simple searches or challenge yourself or a friend. You could select a photo, make up a title, or choose a subject for a simple paragraph or four stanza poem. These exercises can become the basis for a new piece or just stay as an exercise. Your writing is just that, YOURS! No one else should tell you exactly what words to write or you are no longer the writer.

Well, I've to get back to writing, etc. Take care and enjoy the day.

Been Writing Again

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 04 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Amid my job searching and grant writing internship work I have had a few moments of inspiration creatively. Here are a few poems I came up with since the first of the year. Also, I submitted more poems to Poetry Quarterly in hopes of being published again.

Clay

By Kimberly L McClune

January 3, 2013

When I am wet, my heart is open

Pliable and easy,

Smooth and bendable.

Mold me with Your spirit

Shape me into Your will

Make me in Your image.

I am Yours

I exist for You

I was created by You.

But when I am dry, I am hard

Coldness seeps in

My heart is closed.

I resist You

Push You away,

Turn my back on You.

I let fear overwhelm me.

My spirit shudders, fades,

I cower inside, afraid.

My soul is dry, hard clay

Stiff and unyielding

Crumbling,

Chipping,

Cracking.

Rain on me!

Make me supple again

Soft and flexible

Bend and shape me

Make me useful,

A jar to hold Your spirit.

This piece was written in a moment of spiritual searching. As you can see, I was asking God to make me His own and help me to not rely on my own powers and understanding, but His. I found great peace in creating this.

Melody and Lyric

By Kimberly L. McClune

April 5, 2013

Wordless

Lilting tones

Spilling over eardrums,

Slipping into the soul,

Married with sweet harmonies

Create moods in notes

And rhythms.

Stealing upwards

Toward the sky

Happy sounds lift spirits,

To soar with angels,

Carried on melodic themes

And intonations.

Words

Letter formed

Gripping the heart

Touching the soul.

Carefully chosen rhymes

Stories of love

And heartbreak,

Reaching inside

Pulling at thoughts

Tugging at memories.

Told to open hearts,

Tales of sorrow

And joy.

This piece was written specifically for my former Music Professor at Lycoming College who is retiring this year after teacher there for 37 years. He was very special and I wanted to create something to share with him on his retirement. This was sent in a package along with some photos and the next poem to be placed in a memory book for him and his family.

On a Song

By Kimberly L. McClune

October 4, 2010

Taking flight,

Soaring in your heart over memories,

Hopes and dreams.

Reaching into yourself,

One moment flowing into another.

Time, captured by a tune,

Lost inside the melody

Held by the words,

Glint of a dream

Shadow of a tear.

While I recently sent this and the previous poem to my college for the memory book, I had written it a few years ago to recount my feelings and thoughts after listening to a particular;y touching song. Music is an important part of my life, so is writing. When the two are put together into a song, it is especially moving for me in most cases. Both of these previous poems have been submitted to Poetry Quarterly as well.

I have written some other pieces since the first of the year, but I don't want to cram too much into this post. Would that I could spend more time on poetry and stories. I have several stories and many poems started and in various stages of completion. Oh that the things that call me away from writing would do themselves so that I could just write and write and write. Alas, this is but a dream.

I hope that you enjoy these pieces and will watch for another post soon with a few more recent works.