Tag: challenges - Mala Naidoo's Book World

Creativity and Grief

Creativity feeds off emotions both positive and negative. Words give vent to the language of the heart.

Grief after the passing of a deeply loved one, sucks the wind from the sails of creativity, for a while… Fighting it is futile, emotions are in a tangle when death is unexpectedly sudden.

Fit one day, gone the next. The mind is thrown into chaos as exhaustion sets in, slowing down the clock to a sonorous ticking of every minute, every hour.

Be gentle with yourself when grief momentarily steals the creative edge.

Isolation and solitude are necessary to process the deeply felt loss. Within there is the need to comfort the nearest and dearest around one going through the same process.

But in those still, grieving, reflective moments, hours, days, and many weeks, creativity takes on a new face — creative expression on loss and grief. Picking up a pen and journal offers the promise of comfort when there is no inclination to turn on the laptop. Poetry emerges in the healing as words tumble out in emotional self-expression, mourning the deep-seated loss.

Words comfort and clear the brambles of the heart.

Seeking solace in meditation while grieving might, at times, seem impossible when the conscious mind buckles, contorts in pain. The way out is through writing, giving vent to grief and anger and all the unanswered whys…

Memory beckons, draws one in to seek solace in understanding the heart’s tears.

Soon, day by day, time allows the soul to accept, to find a new way, to adapt, to be, by letting go of the familiar patterns of one’s life. As humans we are adaptable to change, if one allows the mind to remain healthy by turning to warm memories, and articulating emotions — pain eases, and limits sinking into the dark depths of despair.

Grief is the single most difficult challenge of life (as I see it) in coming to terms with the gentle, deep cadence of a voice one will never hear again, a face never seen again in the flesh – the Guiding Light of one’s angst no longer there to soothe troubles or share joy.

Time is a long-standing ally to a grieving soul.

Acceptance is not an easy path to tread when the void is palpable…huge… but healing will come with time as memories resurface in those moments when a birthday card or photograph falls out a book, or pops up on a phone or Facebook Memories to remind one of the love shared. Loss is never overcome, but heart-warming moments return when least expected in unexpected places, to catch a breath in quiet recall to ignite a smile.

Creativity hooks emotions — grief the impasse as the eye turns inward to gather new creative pace and space.

If you have lost a loved one, take heart, your muse never flees in the hours of need, but draws renewed vigour from your newest angel, ready to guide your creative light.

a month too soon

let him rise in peace

as he lived his life

sharing love and joy with those

who honoured his stature

a compassionate giving soul

taken gently in the early morn

rising swiftly into the arms of Divine Grace

(RIP Beloved Father of Mine)

I hope you find comfort and reassurance that grief borne needs time, so be gentle with your creative self by keeping the mind healthy to protect your heart for the wondrous, comforting glow of memory and renewed imagination…

Stay safe.

Please share, like and comment.

Creative Life: Vanity Pride and Ego

Vanity, Pride and Ego – same family, different personalities, different agendas.

All three will have a negative impact if riding this wave is all that matters. It drains creative energy.

Vanity exudes a hollowness in its overindulgence on self, achievements, and appearance, etc. It is external.

Where does the artist sit on the pedestal of vanity?

One voice says, nowhere. Another asks, how will a receptive audience to the art be found if vanity is tossed aside? Vanity needs an audience. But, should it be at the cost of dominating one’s passion and purpose?

The muse, divine grace, or however inspiration is perceived, is not invited by vanity. Mother Muse is not needed, as narcissistic vanity, knows it all, and celebrates personal achievements, with no filter, in every waking moment, in multiple ways. I and me overshadow growth by ignoring the voices that have much to teach and share in learning new ways. The achievement has a use-by-date if not allowed to grow and expand in new and varied ways.

Then pride prods, ‘Look at me, I have published my book, or sold my artwork! I’m so excited!’ This has a ring, different to vanity. It’s internal, it is joy over what the artist has created. Children are invited to take pride in their work, push themselves to achieve their personal best. This level and definition of pride is a healthy option. Pride reflects reality, it’s a joyous reaction to having achieved a goal. There’s a dignity in the self-esteem and self-respect that comes with this type of pride. Because pride is internal, when injured, it could create feelings of worthlessness. Which do we prefer? Known for vanity or having a sense of pride? Pride may breed feelings of superiority if unchecked, and released often outside the inner glow of accomplishment.

Then there’s ego, ‘Oi! look at me and all I have achieved. I am the best in my game.’ Remember the id, ego, and superego in a Psychology 101 class? It might be necessary if marketing one’s wares, but with ego comes the threat of overzealous self-importance – conceit. Not a favourite in any working, social, or home environment.

To succeed in what we do, we need balance. The ability to know and understand who we are, and how we are received is vital to acceptance for a sense of belonging to promote mental and emotional wellness.

When acceptance and belonging thrive, productivity increases.

Balance in everything is vital to how social perceptions are influenced

It leaves the question, is ego, overblown pride? And what of vanity? Is it a wild show pony craving an adoring audience, or the unrestrained expression of pride and ego?

Now, there lies the dilemma.

Be proud of your creative work, yes? Avoid ego and vanity? Over-inflated expressions of self run the risk of sitting on the precipice of love and revulsion. What is the artist’s choice to be?

Shakespeare’s timeless tales tell us that hubris and hamartia lead to a character’s downfall. Lear’s, ‘Which of you shall we say doth love us most’, albeit being an aging man, he might be perceived as vain in wanting to hear his three daughters’ undying adoration for him before he divides his kingdom among them.

What are your thoughts? Vanity? Pride, or Ego?

Happy Writing and Successful Publishing!

Patience and Perseverance

As creatives, we are flexible in what we do if we are steering the vessel.

A sense of place and time is important to the creative, but in the unpredictability of current times, adapting to everything that comes our way is daunting.

Patience is the ultimate virtue in a creative life. Nothing happens overnight, now more than ever, with all that blew in with 2020.

It is the slow burn that needs a tender mind, hand and heart

Amidst waiting for the right time, there is the desire for the energy of the muse to enlighten the artist on how much, when, and what will be written/created. This wait is underpinned by the bend and twist of the tide of change that tests adaptability.

Shifting an established creative routine generates a splurge of musings when the noise and demands of new daily expectations receive attention.

A daily meeting with oneself in morning reflections on what is and is not working facilitates the coming to terms with how to create a new routine.

Reflection is the art of patience that sharpens the creative pen.

The writing muse happily visits if the mind is willing.

Patience takes hard work; it sits on the back of perseverance — one without the other is a no go.

To cultivate the art of patience, look at reactions/behaviours to situations outside of creativity, learn from it and readjust the behaviour. While patience is a virtue, it is also a personal inner medic, keeping creative work in check by allowing the body and mind to process situations without elevating stress levels.

Finding what calms and settles the creative is the best way to grow in being patient rather than becoming a patient.

The writing world is competitive enough without adding layers of undue stress — the art of writing is profoundly therapeutic.

After writing a scene or chapter, the sense of exhilaration that follows such achievement is remarkable. Journal these moments to refresh a reflective morning that needs a reminder about why we do what we do.

To be a writer, requires barrel-loads of patience in how to nurture a story from seed to flower, chip back words and scenes, polish to refine the story and then publish.

Patience, perseverance, and adaptability are the keys to creating more stories and poems as is refining before a book/product hits retail shelves.

Step back, let time and place do the work, relax overthinking and communication to create valuable space to refine the manuscript. This aspect of the creative zone has the potential for success, abundant success if that is the desire.

Be gentle and patient with yourself, persevere with your creative goals and adapt to the ever-changing demands of a writing and publishing life.

Go well in all your endeavours.

Share, like and comment on what works for you as a creative sailing through the winds of change.

Creative Mindset: Flex and Extend

Routine is necessary to accomplish a finished product. The creative benefits from a routine that maximises goals and intentions.

Rote, however, harms creative growth when curiosity is denied in favour of robotic daily ‘doing’ that limits the capacity and capabilities of the mind. Rote erodes enjoyment, takes the fun out of creativity if allowed to fester in mindlessness.

Once we relinquish the act of questioning, debating, and learning alternative ways, the creative quest goes down the rabbit-hole

Open to what others are doing successfully in their creative pursuits. Debate with the self, first, to test how to improve our creative patterns and when we observe or flex to alternative methods, before embracing them, then we are on the route to extending the creative mind.

What we read is as significant as what we write. As a fiction writer, it is essential for me to move beyond restricting myself to only reading fiction.

Get out of the box – mind the bog

It is imperative that we read judiciously selected, respected successful forerunners of the craft of fiction—past and present—for inspiration on the ways in which we can flex the mind. Engaging with the information gathered is the actual flexing—then question what does not sit well. Argue why this is so, look for alternatives to the arguments that have surfaced. Never ignore your internal unrest without asking why and how. Why am I unsettled by this? How should I address why I feel this way? We learn to flex and extend our skills from observing first and then listening to what is around us. The inner well is deep, but testing the waters from the ocean of talent available deepens and brightens the path ahead.

The choice to extend ourselves is within our grasp to refresh or radicalise how we create. Flex to invite minor changes, analyse what is working for you, and incrementally extend to achieve more.

Like muscles that face a new physical challenge which is overcome by gradual flexing and extending, achieved through the art/act of trying—not rote, but being open to challenging the self, so too, the creative mind grows.

Photo Credit: My Life Through a Lens (Unsplash)

Creative and Critical

As creatives, we ought to be critical thinking beings—not cynical but critical. Herein is the source for debate to generate fresh waves of thinking and doing.

Watching a documentary, for example, on an unfamiliar topic that holds some interest is beneficial for starting the mindset extension with exposure to new knowledge. This opens inner and external debates that arise from the observation phase to grow the knowledge base and experience on the subject/topic.

Extend listening skills to enhance creative growth without visual distractions by listening to podcasts that present new knowledge to stimulate thinking without the bias of the visual effect. The brain rain received generates novel ways of thinking or questioning how we can reinvent old patterns.

Never stop asking why, how or what can I gain from this?

As fiction writers, we should seek to understand the values that differ from our own to invite creative ideas to emerge from this openness to what lies outside of our inner workings.

I ground my novels in, in our angst and joy we are one under the sky of humanity.’ Inclusivity is my pre-wired emotional mindset because I have lived my formative years under South Africa’s apartheid regime’s divisive rule.

Suggested Reading

Try reading all or extracts from the following non-fiction books to open new vistas of understanding, or to deepen your understanding of human relations, justice, and politics, if this is of interest.

Essays – George Orwell

The Source of Self-Regard– Toni Morrison

The End of Imagination – Arundhati Roy

Caste – The lies that Divide Us – Isabel Wilkinson

Pick up, or do something different—something you have never read or done before and observe, reflect and note by writing what it stirs within. Get past the initial discomfort then decide if you want to extend what you do and how you do it.

When we flex the mind in a new direction, there’s discomfort at first, when extended, it fuels passion and ignites creativity

How do you flex and extend the mind in your creative pursuits?

Please like, share and comment.

Creating in a Challenging World

We have read it and heard it repeated everywhere we look and listen.

Change is — has been — will impact all facets of life. The current global change that has claimed 2020 has challenged the ‘do I dare?’ mindset of the creative. The muse is a sensitive soul. She feels the angst as deeply as the joy — inspiration is derived and mined from this seat — gold mined.

Health crisis, economic crisis, the uncertainty of life, the fear of not so much the outdoors but whether we can trust that everybody is doing the right thing.

For how long must we entertain fear as it enslaves us by forfeiting joy?

The creative forges on to leave the carbon footprint of these challenging times.

Dare and dare again and the muse shall heed the call.

The creative day, if allowed to slide, is a difficult one to recover but is possible with the determination of, ‘I will dare.’

TS Eliot’s poem, The Lovesong of J Alfred Prufrock. conveys the uncertainty of modern times where ‘normal’ becomes unusual. Images of desolation pervade his poem:

Like a patient etherized upon a table/Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,/The muttering retreats

This echoes the current emotional and scientific uncertainty we face.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,

The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes

Eliot’s raw emotions capture the universal angst of his time where rapid economic and technological advancement changed his perceptions of life. And the yellow fog of uncertainty seeps into 2020 rising, falling …

The natural outcome is to be perplexed but navigation to the new normal through introspection is vital.

The pen is the mighty memory of our time, of all times, and writing must go on as must art and music and all creative pursuits.

In the making as creatives, writers, artists, we share a universal experience in that it is normal to be afraid, and it is brave to dare by creating new worlds that either mirror the present or transport us to worlds we dream of. In dreaming we bring those hopeful worlds into the conscious mind of the reader/audience who in turn subconsciously works towards making that dreamed, hopeful world, a new reality.

The writer’s pen will never dry or fade — words speak into the future from the past bringing meaning and understanding that this too shall pass.

The human condition is live with the possibility for new stories to be told, poems to be written, songs to be sung and paintings to be created to articulate and quell all fear.

Do I dare, and do I dare, — oh yes, we must, to make this life the best life we have had the courage to dream into our reality!

Today step forward — leave the fences and backyards of your mind and speak of your fears, insecurity, and uncertainty through artistic expression.

Take a chance. Live your passion.

This is a time for you to be YOU in all that you do without the fear of judgement.

Happy writing. Happy creating. Happy daring to channel your way forward for a life free of angst with the promise of joy.

What’s your creative plan?

2020 and Beyond – Voices in Literature

Diverse voices exist in literature but are under-represented by trade publishers.

All hail the dawn of self-publishing!

The tragedy of George Floyd’s death in the United States has sparked a resurgence for the recognition of black writers. Read the rumble in the UK here on what the newly found Black Writer’s Guild has initiated.

It is shocking to note that black writers are offered a lower advance to that of their white contemporaries, and editors ask for white or racist characters to be added to books.

As an author of colour, in Australia, I faced the dilemma of whether I should create a neutral non-black pen name to get publishing recognition. But my writing mission is, In our angst and joy, we are ONE under the sky of humanity, which does not support using a pen name and so authenticity prevailed.

My apartheid past in South Africa had stolen the right to feel comfortable in my skin or to dare to speak out against racism. Hence my debut novel Across Time and Space and the sequel Vindication Across Time, present the bald face of racism as a universal disease through my eyes. My third novel, Souls of Her Daughters exposes injustice on multiple levels.

Fear makes one believe that a name that hints at race would be bypassed by publishers and readers. Listen to the words of author Michael La Ronn who articulates the issues black writer’s face in writing and publishing. Note what he says about gaslighting

Racism – Inequality – Injustice – Prejudice – by any name must be caught and called in the books we read, movies we watch and conversations we have

The Zulu word Ubuntu refers to the human spirit as it should be:

I am because we are
humanity towards others
the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity

In writing multicultural stories as I do – the spirit of Ubuntu prevails.

What will you be reading and watching in the renaissance of Black Lives Matter in literature?

I recommend watching the movie In My Country on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in South Africa and Rabbit-Proof Fence on Australia’s Stolen Generation.

From the Uncle Tom’s Cabin and beyond, voices have raised the alarm but sadly the call to end racism fell on deaf ears. Now it must be made history, an unforgotten one to remind us that prejudice is heinous and should be obliterated from the stage of life. Diverse voices that are in the main ignored, share why the human condition needs a radical shake-up.

Feel the angst, walk a mile in the shoes of the racially downtrodden – only then will you know the corrosive impact of racism.

The wound of prejudice cuts deep to the soul leaving indelible scars.

But you pick your head up, as you do, to face another day no longer silent especially to subtle bias…

In the wake of the change in 2020 and beyond, walk a mile through these suggestions to know and feel that in our diversity the common factor is that we are emotional beings with the capacity to rectify prejudice by the stories we tell and read.

Here are ten suggestions where diverse voices rip out your heart to sensitise your soul.

Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela
. My Place -Sally Morgan
Talking to My Country – Stan Grant
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
Cry the Beloved Country – Alan Paton
The Power of One – Bryce Courtney
The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence – Derald Wing Sue

May you write and read stories that share histories to sensitise our souls to dismantle racial bias.

May I tell you?

Growing up in apartheid South Africa as a non-white person, living under the Group Areas Act where you only saw people like you with the same coloured skin, living with the knowledge that your people had to be hidden from view — white view — left scarred for life and needing immense strength to shelve the hurt and pain in memory’s hinterland.

This divisive system invites shame — why am I not good enough? Why can’t I eat at that wonderful seaside restaurant? Why can’t I go to a school with its English countryside setting and Victorian buildings? Why am I afraid every time I see a police officer or paddy wagon? Why can’t I lift my eyes above the ground? What have I done to be born black?

Here is why…

Racism is hatred that unleashes a plethora of negativity both ways: Unchecked power that intensifies with acts of brutality that crucifies an already broken self-concept. Systemic injustice — physical, emotional, and psychological feeds the depraved hands of power. How does the victim deal with an enforced erosion of who they are?

Let me tell you…

There are only two ways: head down — mind their manners or take to the streets to protest. Stop! When power strikes up against protest it is obvious that human survival instinct kicks in and violence erupts. Nobody wants violence — justice is all the victim wants — a fair go — it starts out as a peaceful protest, and if left to do just that, no force is necessary. Let the voices crying out for change be heard or it speaks of intolerance to change.

Then somebody cries ‘looters!’

This is why this happens…

The downtrodden are as the words say it, the ‘have-nots’— denied, deprived, shamed, and blamed for all the ills of the land. Human instinct kicks in again and necessity guides reaction/behaviour. Before we cry ‘looting’ investigate what underpins it. Where there’s social inequity the ‘haves’ have ‘looted’ the country for a very long time taking more than they needed — perpetuating inequity.

History tells us that peaceful protests become violent when the hand of power strikes. Decades before Nelson Mandela sat at the helm of government in South Africa, the country was on the brink of civil war and the Sharpeville massacre of 1960 like the Soweto riots of 1976 started out as a call for justice but led to police taking up arms against protesting civilians who wanted their voices heard.

#BlackLivesMatter is a timeless cry for justice from the time of Rudyard Kipling who referred to the people of the African continent as ‘half-devil and half-child, ’ in his 1899 poem, White Man’s Burden.
Colonialism stole the right to justice — a fair go, for original inhabitants of the land. Assimilation — one way or no way denies culture, heritage and the right of recognition.
.

Remember those fallen at the hands of racial prejudice — countless — the loved ones of grieving families — too many still dying at the hands of what can be changed…if they are heard.

Listen to this Ted Talk by Amy Thunig: Disruption is not a dirty word that pulls no punches on racism endured by Indigenous Australians in a country I call home.

It’s 2020, and some in the misguided grip of power swim in the quagmire of the barbarism of racial prejudice — educated by book not humane moral code — sure-fire intellect — no emotional intelligence. Silence widens and deepens the stain of prejudice. Speaking out against racism does not always win friends and influence people, but the few who join black brothers and sisters in the fight for justice at the risk of losing their tribe — those are the gems that make #AllLivesMatter, for they will pull together to create liberty, equality and we all need fraternity.

What is your choice to be on #BlackLivesMatter?

Stay safe, speak up against injustice but as John Proctor cried in The Crucible – ‘Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! … leave me my name!’

What do you want to be remembered for?

Erase Negative Generators

Some quick pointers as we either drown in or swim out of the quagmire of negative news.

As fiction writers we are wired to all that happens around us as our receptors absorb ideas for the next great story. The blessing and curse of the news – more a curse in the current times while essential for updates on matters of health and mortality, the economic slump and the general state of the nation – it is disruptive in its overdose of negativity.

Brain receptors

The writer’s receptors grab ideas at the speed of a 5G network – the mind is never at rest, dreams emerge during troubled times as stress levels are elevated and the quest for ideas, for the next great book, arrives in a mangled mind needing time out. Once this agglomerates to confuse and clog thinking which we are at risk of in the current global climate, the danger is depressing outcomes for the writer on high alert – never wanting to miss a moment of the rapid global change we are undergoing. The virulent effect, if we are not selective, leaves its scar for a lifetime.

Be Selective

Choice matters when words count and writing deadlines are set-up. Where possible avoid mismanaged choices that deaden your writing plans – dry the inkwell or moves the virus into your hard drive. Choose to read inspirational material to reframe how you see yourself in the world. I recommend reading The Untethered Soul, the journey beyond yourself, by Michael Singer to redirect thoughts to positivity and peace.

To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them – Michael Singer, The Untethered Soul

Erase Negative News for Creativity to Shine

Poetry, meditation, or inspirational music will reset your inner dial for greater productivity. Catch up on writing podcasts to refresh your muse. There are loads of positive platforms to draw from to rev your creative mojo free from negativity.

Go Creative Flow Practice

Music is the Food of Life, Please Play on

Whatever your choice of music choose healing sounds to quieten the mind and open the creative receptors free of the pollution of an overload of negative news.

Kimba Arem

Louis Armstong

Mandala 7 Chakras

Dance/Move your way to writing inspiration

Dance like nobody is watching is an excellent way to get the blood pumping and the mood in an upswing, so whatever you choose to do, jive, toe-tap or nod to the rhythm of the sounds, you will feel energised to activate what might be momentarily blocked.

Jerusalema

Happy Song

Try a little Humour

Watch old comedy movies/television sitcoms or stand-up comedy shows. Slapstick humour relaxes the body and mind and transports us to joy – a positive mental state necessary for general wellbeing and a surge in creative energy.

Fawlty Towers
Are you being served?
‘Allo ‘Allo

Select what you will read, listen, dance or move to in your week and notice how your writing flows when you mindfully infuse beauty and peace into your daily activities.

Stay safe, find peace, abundant writing best wishes sent your way!

Happy Reading. Happy Writing!

Share your ideas on how to uplift positivity in our writing lives and life in general.

Writing and Publishing During a Global Crisis

Every corner of the world has been hit by Covid19 — life for millions has come to a grinding halt. Businesses have shut down left, right and centre. Bookstores have closed their doors. Libraries are no longer a sanctuary as silent voices are in lockdown.

The question tossed around is: do we go ahead with the launch of a new book?

My heart says yes but my mind says, should I? Then a voice whispers an answer: yes, launch it online, reach people who need to move out of the mental space of the current crisis we all face. We need the sanctity of books. Bookshops continue to take orders online if a digital book is not a preference.

In the face of a global crisis, publishing is vital now more than ever before — it says we are here, later it will speak confirming that we were here, and this is what we did. It is akin to writing historical fiction. The Great Books of the world brought us knowledge of people, cultures, events, aspirations, challenges and celebrations from eras long before our current existence. Without those scribes, the artists of the past, we would be as ignorant of the world as the occupants in Plato’s cave.

Literature is the light into now, the glow of the past and spotlight into our dreams of the future.

Books imprint memory

Writers have the acute ability to sense mood and observe human behaviour down to minuscule details. So, why wait? It is time to pick up the pen of prose or poetry. Each will speak of this time and of our dreams and visions. Leave the messages that say we are indeed one.

In our angst and joy, we are ONE under the sky of humanity

To ignite compassion, we must walk in the shoes of angst, or suffering, to extend love and care to others because we know it—we feel it. Stories elicit compassion and bring meaning more particularly as we sit in self-isolation to protect our loved ones and communities.

Writing and publishing must go on, as must, soft digital launches of news titles and relaunching of backlists. Lower prices, offer free titles, reach the masses by bringing meaning to the lives of those living in fear of what the next news bulletin or press conference will announce. Our uncertainty unites us in our desire for a renewed tomorrow. We inhabit the same house under a global sky.

Now we speak with the same human voice in our sans streets, sans parks, sans beaches… but we should never be reduced to fearing each other.

Keep literature flowing for generations to come—it is within our control, thanks to the digital platforms that serve us.

Keep Writing, Keep Reading.

Stay Safe.

This time will pass. Keeping hope alive through poetry and stories.

Creative Mindfulness

The mind is a powerful seat of creativity — when nutritiously fed, it leads to abundance in creative output and a mood of positivity.

Creativity blends, binds and benefits humanity. The practice of conscience mindfulness is essential for inner and outer harmony. A calm state is conducive to creative thought when mind and emotions are in sync.

Dwelling on the positive elicits the creative mindset through meditation, listening to inspirational or relaxing music, motivational talks, and reading, listening to or writing poetry. This creates an enhanced feeling of joy and general wellbeing. Consciously choosing what we give our attention to is either of benefit or dismantles our equilibrium. The choice rests within. Daily Flow Practice Inspiration Meditation enhances my day, bringing inner calm to invite the muse or conscious mindfulness to create new worlds and people that have a message to share.

Consciously choosing what we give our attention to is the act of mindfulness

To foster the creative state, a mental and emotional journey has to be undertaken, nurtured internally. Pain can be turned into positive creative energy by daily writing about the pain, the angst we feel. Keep a daily journal or diary at your bedside or on your desk and write to diminish the gravitas of the struggle — this conscious decluttering allows freshness or the sunlight of positive energy to seep in.

Turn pain into positive creative energy

Climbing a mountain takes sheer physical effort and stamina to reach the summit, so too is harnessing positive energy — it needs work. Who we engage with and how we engage is as important as what we read, write and listen to. Surround yourself with the company of positive people. Choosing what we eat has an impact on physical wellbeing, and if neglected it erodes wellness, clouds judgement and infiltrates every aspect of life. Equally choose how you will interact with life by rewarding yourself with what you enjoy, taking in a movie, buying yourself flowers or picking a bunch from your garden. The simple things yield profound benefit for body, mind and soul.

Elevating the mind can also be as easy as taking a walk in a park or alongside a river. For me the ocean brings peace. Walking along a shoreline cleanses my mind and frees my soul. Reading poetry is as beneficial as taking a walk in nature when poetry speaks to the spirit. Take time out to seek the simple pleasures of life. We don’t have to climb a mountain to prove how strong we are.

I have been losing myself in the delight of reading Allowing Now – A Book of Mindfulness Poetry by Orna Ross, launched on Friday 25 October. If you’re looking to soothe your soul or settle a disquieted mind look no further for mindful inspiration.

See into the delights of nature…

Look around you and see into the delights of nature — leaves dancing in the breeze, a beam of light peeking through clouds, the silver ripple blinking on a river or the gentle unfurling swish of a wave on a shore. The musical twitter of birds at first light is a celebration of life, a new day and a clear mind.

Make positivity your journey to a creative state by writing a positive thought, your wish for your day upon rising, and a thought on what you are grateful for before turning to sleep to return refreshed for another creative day.

Happy reading. Find your joy by choosing that which fuels your passion, creates wellness and makes your soul sing.

Please share, comment and spread the spirit of creative mindfulness.

Shake It Up!

Most fiction and particularly thriller fiction feeds off suspense created by secrets, fear, challenges, and the element of surprise. Lies, deception and the battle for truth keep readers on the edge of their reading seats. Compelling characters extract emotional responses. Do we love or hate a character?

Beginnings

Beginning a chapter with suspense is good when it cranks up what happened in the preceding chapter. Here’s an opening from Across Time and Space:

Meryl awoke for the second time that night aware that she was alone in this vast villa beside the olive grove. She saw a faint strip of light under her door. With a tight knot in her stomach, she tip-toed to the window and peered out — all she saw was the same inky blackness.

Endings

Ending a chapter on a cliff hanger creates the suspense desired to make the reader turn the page. This can lead from dialogue or stylistic narration. Here’s a closing line from Across Time and Space:

Sirens blared, shattering the earlier deafening quiet that had unnerved Meryl – police vehicles approached from the main road which led to the house.

Red and blue flashing lights appeared in the haze of diminishing light.

Across time and Space, three significant men in her life converged… two looking on… the third, a mystery.

Secrets

In Souls of Her Daughters, Dr Grace Sharvin harbours what she considers a shameful secret. Who is Boetie Arendse and how does he know Grace?

At midnight while Felicity and Patience slept, she slipped
out into the storm. Dressed in a pair of black pants and a white
t-shirt, she held her face up to the lashing wind and rain. She
yelled with as much force as she could muster, ‘out, out you
demons! I want to feel whole again!’

Surprise

In Chosen Lives, the reality of characters past traumas is revealed in the Mission’s personal testimony sessions as the reason for their chosen career paths. Audra’s arrogant disposition takes a turn when she reveals her identity after a terrifying ordeal with her boyfriend.

My name was Sophia, I am Audra because that is what Ramón called me during our year together, he said I reminded him of Audrey Hepburn, in the movies Romina watched, but he liked to call me Audra. I run the Audra House Foundation in Florida for abused teenage girls.

Suspense

The shooting of Andre Malakov unfolds through a series of court hearings in Vindication Across Time and unexpected relationships appear, to confound the reader, the witnesses and the legal team. Here is a line pre-empting Ana’s testimony in Vindication Across Time

What Ana was about to reveal left all, including Gildo Mondo, in a state of confused disbelief.

Minutes, hours or days…

Timing must be strategic to drip feed the reader before the heavens come crashing down on unexpected realisations. The pressure of time for the desired outcome cranks up the adrenalin on hope or despair depending on the situations that arise. Better yet is toying with the reader leaving them believing they think they saw a situation coming but could not be sure. Add in the puzzles, give some carefully chosen clues, but not enough to take away from the story being a page-turner.

First-Person

First-person narration creates riveting suspense and equally, authorial narration creates suspense by, for instance, keeping the villain elusive. This draws the reader towards the villain/protagonist in search of who he or she might be and what they might be pursuing. These lines are from the story, Wandering the Earth, in the short story collection, Life’s Seasons.

I feel impending dread in knowing I will be forty in six months.

My life has been strange and wonderful. I cannot say for how much longer, I will withstand being witness to the atrocities of the world. It leaves my days in anxious anticipation of what next and how much more…

I have not been at rest for a long time.

Dramatic irony

Make the reader feel empowered, the dramatic irony borrowed from Shakespeare is a great technique to keep the protagonist ignorant, but the reader informed. How can we forget that ‘honest Iago’ was not that at all, or ‘the glib and oily art,’ of Goneril and Reagan, King Lear’s conniving daughters were signs of their clawing, callous natures? Show the reader a truth or two while the protagonist is blissfully ignorant. Cruel but necessary to crank up the heat.

Challenges

Add in a few challenges, give the protagonist a few dilemmas that will invite consideration, or a veering away from held values and morals, to do the right thing for the greater good. Throw in a new character, one who might have information on the villain or perhaps have witnessed a crime.

Fear

Fear heats up things, something unnatural, bizarre, or psychic confirms that reason alone cannot halt nor control the situation — that creeping to the edge of the reading seat with that pounding heart feeling. Grab it at the right point in the story for maximum effect. Exploit the senses, sight, smell, hearing and touch. The sudden arrival of a heavy gust of wind that pushes a door open — that cold air swishing over you as if somebody was hurrying past you — you look up and there’s no one but you in the room!

When readers are vested in the life/lives of the characters they are more likely to spread the word that a book ‘must be read’ because…

A reader wants to be moved, not by tears alone. They want to be afraid, they want to hope, they want to understand pain, and all the while supporting favourite characters from the side, or throwing mental daggers at those they loathe.

What fictional book have you read lately that has ‘moved’ you and left you with an unforgettable memory?

Happy Reading, Happy Writing!

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Rear View, Front View

We hear and read much about goal setting with the onset of a New Year.

The rear view must be kept in sight to negotiate the lift-off to the front view, to minimise errors and risks that need refining − that backward glance reminder is significant as the new year begins

https://youtu.be/W7LeO7bfpgU

Looking back on the not so distant past year, its exit makes it a rapidly fading memory as we are caught in the fountain of eternal fireworks that kick-starts the New Year if we linger on the threshold of the New Year, we might not move forward fast enough.

With everything in life, we get better at it when we do it over with a new spin, a new attitude and a passion to achieve the best we can.

We are human after all, we can only get better with a little effort and skill.

How do we keep the rear view in focus while running to the front view?

– Make a list of your past successes
– Make a list of some past shortcomings
– Match them against each other
Now decide what is worth pursuing and what should be culled. Work at culling first and shutting down that rear mirror. Pick up the shortcomings that need attention – make them a priority, review, add-in, refine and polish. Repeat the cycle a few times. Once this is defined as the way forward, look at the new front view, you want to see, and advance at a speed and pace that is comfortable for you.

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