“It is necessary to write,
if the days are not to slip
emptily by. How else, indeed,
to clap the net over the
butterfly of the moment? For
the moment passes, it is forgotten;
the mood is gone; life
itself is gone. That is where
the writer scores over his fellows:
he catches the changes of
his mind on the hop.”
Vita Sackville-West
Tour de Blog – Writing across Continents
I am thrilled to have been asked by my good
friend, poet
and book designer, Bee Williamson, if I would take up the writing
baton in what
is going around creative circles as The
Monday Writing Process Blog Tour.
The aim is to connect writers and readers
around the world
in a continual blog-hop, where writers are invited to reply to
four questions
about their writing process and then pass the baton to other
writers.
Bee Williamson posted her answers last week Bee's Article
who was tagged by writer and reviewer, Carol
Middleton Carol's Article
So here I go, hop-scotching across Cyberspace
carrying a
baton (ditching the white cane temporarily) in this tour-de-force
for writers
everywhere. Keep reading to find out who is itching to go,
preparing to receive
the baton for the tour to continue next week. Writers, rev those
creative
engines...ready, set, GO!!
What am I working on?
When I’m not fiddling among Google Search
Engines, I am
either expanding thoughts for future short stories, polishing
articles that
need a final buff, updating my website and blog or planning my
next strategic
move. I like to divide my time between writing, networking and
doing market
research, depending on energy levels and my mood.
Currently, I am nearing the completion phase
of an e-book –
a collection of personal essays, a selection of posts that were
either
published here or on other sites, rewritten with brand new
content. The
intention is to provide readers with a download that can inspire
them through
personal anecdotes that show it is possible to take hold of this
‘blind thing’
and turn it into a positive experience.
My helper elves and I are working furiously to
make my
second e-book available in time to launch alongside International
White Cane
Day in October this year.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I think my writing has differed from others as
I have grown
into the message of my work. Since taking up the craft of being a
writer, the
words and thoughts have not only shaped my writing on the page but
have given
me much to reflect on. The more I listen to the voice within, the
more urgent
it feels to write.
Think of a little pebble dropped into a still
pond and how
beautiful it is to watch tiny ripples move slowly out from the
centre. This is
how my writing seems to be moving too. The theme that has
‘dropped’ into my
life, has resonated with many others and now I am being asked to
teach, to
mentor and to ‘speak my life’, not just write about it.
Why do I write what I do?
One – because I love playing with words and
the magic they
give to uplift, to move and inspire: writing for me is creating
with colour and
tone, capturing images for the mind to see.
Two – because it is truly a part of me, I see
stories in
everything.
Three – because I have stories worth sharing.
It has been
the frustrating times – when things have gone wrong – that have
served as my
life teacher, posing the greatest test to my ability to persist,
to find other
ways around annoying obstacles, to push me forward until I can see
the light
shining bright at the end of an oppressive tunnel.
By sharing the insights I have found to be
most helpful, I
hope to bring a lamp to lighten the darkness so that others may
see.
How does my writing process work?
Imagine a butterfly flitting around to
whichever flower
takes her fancy, but wearing little red booties that keep her
grounded. That’s
a bit like me!
I love the freedom to choose which stories I
want to work
on when the inspiration is there and yet I can sit for hours and
days, lost in
time, to complete a writing deadline (yes, wearing my little red
booties and
sipping coffee to keep me grounded).
Writing energy does seem to flow best in the
early morning,
yet I also burn the midnight oil when the creative mind has packed
up and gone
home but the editor’s brain is committed to working in the quiet
hours, to
inspect the day’s writing.
Some days I work between two stories, allowing
thought and
inspiration to colour the writing, until I hit a blank. So I peer
inside the
other document, and stay there for a while.
Being a writer is a multi-faceted profession
and I actually
do enjoy the other sides of networking and marketing which some
see as a
necessary evil and interruption to their writing. For me it is an
added
pleasure to move into wider circles of fellow-creatives to learn
from their
successes and failures.
One part of the writing process I truly value
is being able
to block out specific time for writing, like J.K Rowling, who
guards the time
allotted to her craft, “ as a Hungarian Horntail guards its
firstborn egg.”
Now may I introduce you to two talented writer
friends
chomping on the bit to pick up the writing baton. We race from my
home city of
Melbourne to the United States to meet Amy Bovaird: and then fly
across to the
country of Colombia, to see what Alvaro Alvarito is up to hold on
tight, this
part of the run gets exciting...!Please check their blogs after 2nd June when they post their answers and continue the tour...
Amy Bovaird - is an upbeat vision-impaired
author and
experienced world traveller. She is legally blind with Retinitis
Pigmentosa
(RP). She worked as a specialist in second language acquisition
for nearly
thirty years, with a career taking her around the world. Amy views
life as a
personal adventure, and has traded her overseas experiences for an
every-day
adventure into blindness. Her book, Mobility Matters Stepping Out
in Faith, is coming
out very soon!
Alvaro Alvarito - was born in Colombia, South
America and
grew up in Europe. He is legally blind, a disabilities advocate, a
Podcast Host
for nearly 4 years doing Low Vision Bureau (LVB) Show, a Bilingual
Podcast
where he talks with visually impaired and blind people and
organizations from
all around the world, raising awareness about the ABILITIES of the
visually impaired and blind community. He has
been Blogging
for years and is a Social Media and Assistive Technology
enthusiast.
©
2014 Maribel Steel
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