Creative Infusion

"Make Writing a Happy Habit"

2012-03-19T00:01:00.001-07:00

Time seems to go so fast. It's the middle of March but it was just December, right? I find that I can get myself into too many things so fast that I am drowning in papers, photos of my work, and business. I have to work very hard to keep on a schedule. It's a habit that I have but sometimes forget.

Writer’s coach Cynthia Morris has been helping people get

their words out since 1999. She’s brought everything she

knows about how to get writing done to Make Writing a Happy

Habit.

www.originalimpulse.com

This 6-week online class works for writers of all levels

and genres who are ready to focus on and enjoy their

writing.

http://www.1automationwiz.com/app/?af=1436418

If you are a new writer or a seasoned one this class is for you. It will help you make a habit of writing. And, get and keep you focused.

You're not a writer? You only want to fling paint? Think of writing also. Write about your art or your process. I just had to write an Intention Statement for a workshop that I will be attending in Taos, NM. The statement could only be three sentences. I haven't done too much writing except here. I was very rusty and kept working and re writing until I thought I was going crazy. After many hours and lots of re writes it's done.

I use to use this blog for prompts for my Inland Empire CA Writers Club members. I would write a bit about something that had been on my mind and then post a prompt.

This is a famous photo that many writers have used for a prompt. Give it a try.

Don't know what to write? Where does this road lead? Is it morning or evening? What state is the road in? What's around the bend?

If you are a creative type you can cross over to other creative avenues. And I feel it is good for an artist to write now and then.

Check out the 6-week online couse at Original Impulse.com

Create something everyday!

Post Class

2012-03-09T09:57:00.002-08:00

As promised, photos of some of the papers that were created. The students said that they had a good time and now want to use the papers they created, in a project. So next Thursday which is our "Painting Day", they will bring their papers and a sub straight to create a collage. I am so proud of them.

The class was to start at 9:30am and be over at 2:00pm. We were throwing papers, inks and paint around until 3:30pm! They didn't want to stop. Some of the CirtaSolv papers were beautiful!

A mix of different papers.

Rubbings of stamps with pastels on newsprint paper.

A collage for collage, to copy/print to use in collages.

One of the hits of the day. FINE TEC Pearl Colors, watercolors. Shimmery!

Teaching these classes has given me so much. I enjoy working with the students and I am so happy when they create something that they are proud of and like. Their joy inspires me. I get so much out of these classes that I never knew I would. I was hoping to fill a need from some students of art, that had requested I teach some classes. I had no idea that there were all these added benefits to bring me such joy. I am so grateful to my students. You are Art Stars! <3

Collage Paper Class

2012-03-07T17:10:00.000-08:00

My hubby and I spent the day setting up for my new class, Collage Paper.
Four people have signed up for the class and I am so excited to share all the ways to make papers for collage.
We will be altering brown paper bags, newsprint, newspapers, card stock, tissue paper, Mulberry papers and National Graphic Magazine pages. Watercolors, acrylics, fluid acrylics, Glimmer Mist, coffee, Distressing inks, gesso and CitraSolv cleaner will be splashed around all day.

The weather was so nice today that I thought it would be great to have the class outside. It's suppose to be warm tomorrow also. I think the back yard looks like an art retreat.
I will have coffee and snacks for the students so they can keep their energy up throughout the day.

Who wouldn't want to make art on a beautiful day? I'll post the work in progress tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Collage Class 2/16/12

2012-02-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

Some friends/fellow artists kept asking me to teach a class. I wasn't sure and was a bit worried. But I got over that and did it. After a failed attempt a few months ago in a different venue I decided to try to teach this class here at my home. The students made two framed pieces of collage artwork, a gift box and collage jewelry (earrings and pendants).
With great success one person have never done any kind of collage or design. See her work above.

This artist had done collage before but had never had a design class. She was quite successful.

Artist number three has had many classes and she was one that encouraged me to teach a class. She is a wonderful artist and also enjoyed the design part of the class.

This is her jewelry. The pendant was made by collageing bits of colored paper onto gessoed watercolor paper. I directed them to cut out traditional shapes for the earrings and pendents. But this student saw two profile pictures and cut her pendant out to show them. It is a wonderful piece. Plus she has a set of earrings to match.

I am so proud of these students. And they where very pleased. The class moved a a good pace and we were able to finish with a bit of time to spare. I am inspired to teach another class. A request was made for a class on paper. Not just paper but how to tint tissue paper to use in collage and some other great papers to make for their stash. Collage artists are hoarders of papers and such.
After the class I was tired but felt really good. Everything I had semi planned worked. It worked for the students and it worked for me. I was satisfied. But, when it came time to go to sleep with a big smile on my face....I asked, "So, where did all this come from? Silly rabbit, you didn't even have an actual lesson plan!"
As I lay awake asking these questions...it hit me. Two great teachers that I have been taking classes from for about three years. This is where I received my education on Design and Color. They are Skip Lawrence and Topher Shinks. I could not wait to get up this morning to send them an e mail of thanks and gratitude. I hope I made them feel as good as my students made me feel.

"Create Something Everyday!"

Vacation Backlash

2012-02-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

After a wonderful vacation in Brookings, OR on the coast I was ready to get home. We were gone for 9 days. My husband and I drove. Well, I drove and he was co pilot. We were with his family in OR. They had rented a big house on the beach and we all enjoyed the view among other things . We ate, laughed, put a puzzle together, laughed, visited and caught up with each other. Had a beer tasting and discussion. OR is very passionate about beer. Oh and did I say laughed?
We went up there to support a cousin who is a dean for Southwestern Oregon Community College. The cousin, Jan, worked to get a new campus built in Curry County. She did it all with help, but was "the chief" in charge. Jan is an artists and used what she learned in her art life to get the land donated, what kind of tile went in the restrooms, the recycle cans and the chairs that went in the Commons. Someone said that she sculptured the campus. We were so proud at the grand opening when Jan gave her Thank You speech. One of the donations came from the Harvey Mudd foundation. We are so proud of Jan.
We left for home on Saturday 1/28 and really took our time coming home. I took pictures and we visited some small towns that were very interesting. We arrived home on Tuesday 1/31. Tired but feeling like we had been gone for a month.
I was itching to bet back to creating something. I had visited some galleries on our trip and was feeling like I needed to put some paint on something. I had gone to an Mono Print Class just before the trip. It was great to get back to printing again.

These are just two of the many prints I was able to complete in one day. No titles yet.
On Thursdays I have three to four fellow artists come over for a painting day. I was so happy to get back with my friends and create yesterday. I worked on some of my jewelery that I have orders for. You can see some of my creations in Claremont's "A Brush With The Past" (owned by another friend, Anne Seltzer). I'm taking these into A Brush... today.

Create Everyday. It is something that will bring you much joy and it has been known to heal many afflictions. Check back for a posting on the healing powers of ART!

The After Christmas Decorations

2011-12-30T15:43:00.000-08:00

You know the way you pack a suite case when you are leaving on a trip? You make everything fit. But when you go to re pack your stuff to come home it's hard to make it work. You didn't even add anything and all your stuff just won't fit. This is my story of my Christmas Decorations.
I had my hubby take all the boxes down the first part of December. I sorted through each box. Tossing things that were beyond keeping or donating. I gathered boxes to give some ornaments to the kids that are now out on their own. I made a very big pile to donate. Why is it that I can't put the few things that we used back into the boxes? It might be that when I am done with all the decorating and want to move to next phase of the season I start taking things down and put them in the boxes that are handy. So now I'm left with two strings of garland this little Swedish angel chime thing and a Santa candle holder. They will go into a box soon but not sure if they will fit.

What to do with all the Holiday cards? I use to keep them until the next year. They were always in a box that was handy that I could get to. I'd go through them in November and do a head count so I knew about how many cards to make. I have been making my Holiday card from the time I took a block printing class in high school. When the kids were small and we didn't have much money I'd make our cards to send out with the fronts of the cards we received the previous years. This year they will go in the recycle can. They are very pretty or cute but I am getting to the point where I want to minimize this kind of thing.
A friend and I were talking and she said someone told her that the time after Christmas and before New Years is a bummer of a week. All the stuff with the Holiday, good or bad has past and she just wants to get to the next thing. New Years. She starts taking decorations down right away and then makes the most of this kind of blah week waiting for the new year to begin.
I feel at a loss during this week. It doesn't feel right to start another project. But I just want to get back in my studio. I did have a burst of creative energy just before Christmas. I took some of my pages that are altered with CitraSolv and worked on some faces.

Happy New Year to all. May you have good creative juices flowing in 2012.
Create something every day.

A Day At Trails End Ranch

2011-12-06T23:09:00.001-08:00

Friends love you no matter what. You can be away from them for a long time and when you get back together you pick up right where you left off. It's been awhile since my friend Laura and I have got together.
Today I went to Laura's place. I say place because she lives on 52 acres in the hills above Claremont. She lives there with her husband, 2 warm and loving dogs, all the wildlife you can imagine in our foothills and some horses. I love going there. It's like leaving the rest of the world behind and going on a retreat.
Most of the time Laura and I get together we have lunch, and create. We make journals, resin papers, paint, tear paper and laugh a bunch. We were to create today too. I had some ideas of things to try. And Laura was going to help me with my blog posts. I brought lunch. She had dessert waiting. We ate, talked, laughed and pet the dogs in her warm and cozy kitchen. It's so relaxing there. Laura has her art work all around. From sculptures, to journal pages to collage artwork hanging on the walls. She also has artwork from friends on display.
After lunch and a yummy dessert we moved to the work room. Laura showed me some things on Blogger. It was a good lesson on how to post pictures to my blog. Then...we sat and talked and laughed some more. Out the large windows we watched deer walked through the yard and a big old owl flying around. We never did get the art supplies out. But that's okay.
The sun was setting and I really didn't want to leave. I took one last look out the windows at the beautiful view of the valley, watched a large deer wander though the back yard and said good-bye.
"It's a long and winding road that leads to your door" and I am so grateful to have you in my life Friend. Thank you for sharing your life and beautiful surroundings with me. You truly live in a sanctuary.
Now I will try and post a photo.

Not bad. It took me awhile but I got it.

Collaging Into the Night

2011-11-30T08:16:00.001-08:00

After a day and night of creating I thought it would be good to take a break.
Getting ready for an exhibit, show or art sale takes it's toll on my brain and body. I still believe that art can heal and it does have restorative powers. I am living proof. Creating all day and into the night does an over load though. It's like taking too much of your medication. The prescribed amount is what should be ingested. I think I over indulged. I went to bed late and woke up with a headache, fuzzy in the brain and feeling dehydrated. Art hangover? Things could be worse. So I'm drinking more water today an not spending all day and night in the studio. But the hair of the dog and all that.
So...back to work creating for the Gypsy Sister's art sale that starts on Friday afternoon. You know Edvard Munch, artist that painted "The Scream"? Well, that's me screaming until Friday.
Go Create!

Making Some Changes

2011-11-25T11:08:00.001-08:00

Updated some links and added some new ones that you all might like to check out.
Would like your constructive criticism on my new format of the blog.

Infusing Art and Writing

2011-11-25T09:24:00.001-08:00

Working with an a coach can get you going. They have fresh eyes. They listen, or they should, to your ideas, hopes and wondering how to put it all together. I have tried a few coaches. Some not so good. I think a coach needs to be patience. I know that one I worked with was a bit quip. But I have found a jewel. She is Laura Bray http://katydiddys.blogspot.com/.
We have been working together for a few months and I will say that I am more productive, focus and energized to get my artwork completed and participate in the shows and art sales that I am interested in.

I will be participating in a show that I have attended for many years. It is Gypsy Sisters and their brothers. I always wanted to be a part of this group and now I am. Our art sale will be Dec. 2, 2011. 4-9pm. Dec. 3, 10am-7pm and Dec 4, 10am-5pm. We will have the basement area of the United Church of Christ in Claremont, CA. 233 W. Harrison Ave.
Hope you can come by. There will be 30 artists with some of the most wonderful art.
And if you are wondering if hiring a coach is a good idea, I'd say yes. Just make sure that you shop around. If it is someone that does not ask you what you want to do or has their own ideas for you then they will not work for you and what you want to accomplish.
Happy Creating!

Getting Art Together

2011-08-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile. Things happen. Things change. Things get in the way.
I have been going non stop with art this year. I have some good classes under my belt and some great times sharing art with friends. The classes have a side benefit. You meet new people or you reconnect with people you have met before. All the art energy that is let out in a class can be overpowering. It's like constant little electric shocks or massive jolts. All the caffeine in the world can't give you what the infusion of creative influence can when you are with 2 to 15 other artists creating.
When I finish a class I am spent. I feel that I might not create again. But...after things settle down in my mind and I'm home putting things away from the class. I go back in my studio and sit. There are so many things that can come pushing back into my mind but like a good meditation I bring myself back to an empty mind. It can be a challenge. So like a Lamaze child birth I...breath and find a focal point to gaze on. Art ideas grow like time laps photography. Seed to full idea in a few minuets. But sometimes it takes days or weeks. That's fine with me.
After an art day with a friend Laura, the creative infusion is different but with the same intensity as being in a class with 15 other artists. But I don't bring myself to creating the same way. Once I'm home; I dig through my bags that I cart my art stuff back and forth in, papers, mat medium, and brushes are spread out on my work table. I finish the last thing I was working on or I put it on my easel to critique. When 2 artist work together it's a different electric shock that feeds the creative process.
If you want a jolt to your creative endeavors, take a class, meet with a fellow artist or writer.
And see what happens.
Create Everyday!

Another Creative Class

2011-03-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

I took a soldering class yesterday. I knew how to solder before but had not used my tools or created anything for about 2 years. Showed up at Garden of Beaden in Upland, CA with tools to create a decorated old bottle. Being the over zealot art freak that I am I decided to do 2 bottles at once.
My soldering iron was on the blink and then got so hot that I melted the copper tape that is put down first to solder onto. Not my best day but I was creating. There was electric problems and a class of 6 women had false starts but great endings. The participants took away at least the start of a decorated bottle or a complete with "necklace" donned bottle. My are just starts and you can view them on Facebook.

New Art Books

2011-02-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

I just bought some new art books. Not too exciting for you maybe, but for me it was. One is titled "A Daily Creativity Journal 365 Make Something Every Day And Change Your Life". The author gave himself a task of creation an original artwork every day for a year. He chose to make Skulls. And he challenged his readers to do the same. You can make it anything you want. It could be a poem, short story, small piece of artwork, even a skull. The most well known is the Julie/Julia Project. Another is Noah K. Everyday. Photographer Noah Kalina has been taking photos of himself every day since 2000.
I have not committed to anything yet. This kind of project could take over. Just think of poor Julie. And I tend to drop things when I get in over my head. I will say that I am thinking about it.

2010-08-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

I can see that life can get too too busy. I get on the ball that is my life and keep rolling along as if something would happen to me if I just stepped off. I could. Don't know why I don't.
I remember a time when I first had my skate board. In the 60's. I was rolling down the sidewalk like I was gas powered. Down hill and around the corner. I knew I was going way too fast but wasn't sure how to slow down or even get off the darn thing. As I came to another corner I saw a large viridian (green) lawn. I just leaned over toward the grass and rolled into the yard. My skate board kept going around the corner and down the street into a car.
I'm now going to try and roll into that green grass again and let the skate board go...
In need of a rest.

Birthday blues

2010-05-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

I did not want this birthday. I knew it would still come, but I thought that maybe I could stop it or head it off for a year or two I'd feel better. Deep down I knew it was coming and there was not a thing I could do. So I mourned. It is what we do when we lose things in our lives. We cry and grieve. And there is a process that we go through to come out the other side. There's some pain and feeling like we have not slept well for awhile. It seems a sand storm has pelted our eyes and they are scratchy. Our mouths and brains are parched. It's sometimes hard to put thoughts together. And our stomachs and chests ache with loss. This is mourning.
So I was morning my birthday? Yes. Silly? Yes. It's a big one. I am not saying what the number is but it's like the one before you're 30, or 40, or the the other big ones. Yes I was blue and I could not stop the birthday just like I could not stop the blues. It seemed that I was "misting up" with every comment my husband made and any little puppy or cat that I saw. I was hurt that my kids were not calling with plans to celebrate even thought I didn't feel like celebrating. This was the blues big time.
Mother's day came first and my wonderful daughter-in-law came over and cooked brunched for our family. We were all together. I was happy and just forgot about the birthday. It was a good day, good food and lots of laughs.
There is this thing called Facebook. You must have heard of it. Well the birthday wishes started coming and they have not stopped. It feels so good to be remembered. On my birthday my daughter-in-law took me to dinner. A great young woman. I will have dinner on Friday with my son and his girlfriend (just as good as being a daughter-in-law, another great young woman also). On Saturday I have a date with my husband for dinner and maybe a movie.
I love this birthday. After going through all the blue days and having the wishes for a good day and year, birthday cards and time with my family, I am through with the mourning.
This year will fly by as all the others have but I feel better and stronger.
Good by blues. And Thank You for all the best wishes.

Locked Out

2009-10-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

The benefits of hiding a key outside are many. You can be gone and know that the cleaning people will get in. You can be out to lunch and know that the contractor can let himself in and keep working on the house. AND the biggest benefit is when you get locked out you can get in and not have to break down a door.
My story...

Monday night I was tired. I decided I was not going to cook and ordered out. Going to pick it up seemed a lot easier. I fed our 3 cats and 1 dog in the garage, Lara, Fivel, Abe and Wilbur. But what I did not know was that I must have hit the button on the door from the kitchen into the garage.
Every other door was locked and only the very small window in my son's old room was open. If I did go in that way I would have had to gone head first and with nothing to break my fall I thought better of trying that.
So the only thing I could do was break the lock on the door. WELL let me tell you it was one strong lock. I did try to get the door off the hinges but with it so close to the garage wall I could not pry it off. So I drilled, hit the knob with a hammer and wedged a screwdriver under the flange but nothing worked. I began to drilling at the wood around the knob. Blasted thing. I was using the crow bar and hammer and things would not budge. By the way, Sears' screwdrivers are in-destructible. I used a large one and the shaft of it was bending but it held. After 45 mins. I poked through to the inter workings of the lock part and then broke it out of the wood with the mighty screwdriver. PHEW!
I was hungry and more tired and needed a drink of water. Or something stronger.
But I forgot that I had taken the pins out of the hinges and the door, yes very heavy as it is a fire door, fell on me and I caught it. But I was in. I had royally freaked the cats out and as soon as the door was free Fivel and Abe were hiding in the loft of the garage. My husband came home from work to put the door back up at 9 pm. Hubby just chuckled and told me I was a force to be reckoned with. He said that he was glad that I hadn't found the axe!
Yes I'm sore and my wrists and neck hurt. Oh boy do they. I could not sleep so was a bit out if it the following day. I start next week working for Dan, our contractor, on his demolition crew. I have to wait until my wrists are back to normal. Not really, I would not want to work like that every day.
Our good friend David, from Dan's crew came and put a new door in with the same kind of lock. Today I will hide a key outside. {:>)
Lesson learned.

p.s. Yes I did get my dinner. After I ate I had an upset stomach. Guess all that adrenaline and spicy pasta don't mix.

Art and words

2009-09-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

"Leave my loneliness unbroken!"
~The Raven
I was a big scardy cat when I was a kid. Many things would set me off. A fear would run through me and no amount of talking to myself could calm me down. Most of the time it was at night. The house was still, the parents turned off the tv and shut things down for the evening. And fears took off.
One year I was worried about witches. It seemed everywhere I looked, or anything I read had a witch. I pushed my bed up against one of the walls so there would be no way that anyone could come up behind me as I slept. I would make sure that my back was to the wall or I would sleep on my back. If "they" did get into our house, that was locked and blotted because of my dad's fears, they couldn't sneak up on me.
I was still awake when my parents went to bed one evening. Everything checked and re checked by dad, even the heat was turned off. As I tossed around from my back to my side I heard the "rapping, rapping at my chamber door." My door was not shut and the more I listened to the rapping, it sounded more like stepping, stepping walking down the hallway to my room.
The steps were very deliberate. Not fast, not slow. Even.
I listened to these steps for what seemed like twenty minuets. The hallway was only twelve feet long, so the person coming down the hall would have had time to come into my room, clean it, grab me, walk away slowly into the night and then cut me into little pieces.
I made up my mind that I need to time the steps and see if they were coming for me or just walking up and down the hall. I got my little alarm clock and watched the time go by.
"Only this, and nothing more."
"Darkness there, and nothing more."
"Merely this, and nothing more."
'Tis the heater cooling and nothing more.
It took many days before I mustered up courage, got out of bed, went into the hallway, then to the cooling wall heater where it rapped and tapped it's stepping sounds.

After A Long Trip

2009-09-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

The trip was a "long and winding road." I will now be writing and continuing making art.
The road that I've been on has included writing and art but the path took me many places.
I will write. I am committed to Creative Infusion. It has been said before. And the commitment has been here before also. Life needs to be somewhat guided for me. To fit everything in that I want to do will look like a class schedule for an over achiever. My parents would laugh.
This will look a bit different as I will add all art related info. Said that before.
We need to help and connect now more than ever.
I have friends that have lost their jobs and still trying to create. When you don't have a day job it's hard to keep the creative juices flowing. Paying the rent or mortgage becomes more important.
So, to try and keep the juices flowing and lend a ear, Creative Infusion is back.
Here are some lists of art shows and the like. If you would like your show added or info listed please contact me. We will spread the word.
Associated Artist 25th Annual Show -- Sept. 25th - 27th @ Victoria Gardens Community Center
National Collage Society's 25th Annual Exhibit November 6th - December 31st @ Mason Murer Fine Art, Atlanta, GA
Art Box Studio Art Show November 21 2:00pm - 9:00pm @1302 Monta Vista Ave unit 9
Upland ,CA
Cabrera's: An Eclectic Art Gallery 637 W. Second St., Pomona, CA (909) 230-1926/carcari@hotmail.com (she also does affordable framing)
Want your info here? Let me know.
Have a great week.
~ aleta

Making a Commitment

2008-08-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

— Robert F. Kennedy

Hello Writers,
Life happens as they say. Whoever "They" are.

Things have kept me from my writing and art. It is hard to let things go because life gets too crazy or things, (again with the things) get in the way.
Summer held the idea of lots of leisure time. I did have some of short trips to Cambria, CT, and the beach. But the other weeks, days, and hours have been spent on the run and putting my kitchen back together. The kitchen is almost done, still some little things left to do.
The other "things" is doing too much and not making myself take care of my writing and art.
The doctor and dentist appointments are musts but the things of running in circles seem to beget more circles and mazes have me hung up.
So what do I do? I signed up for Mike Foley's class. This is my way of getting back my focus. This will MAKE me write. And I hope it will keep me up on my prompts.
I was talking to a fellow artist yesterday and she said that she always needs a commitment and to state it out loud to someone. So she told me that she was going to put her sketch book on her bedside table. She sometimes wakes with ideas early in the morning.
What do you do to get your focus back? Have you let summer, the fun of it, or being bogged down by it, keep you from writing.

Use the prompt of our contest to write today.
"The road less traveled"

*And enter your writing.*

See you at the Aug 23 th meeting. And let Kathryn know if you want to read something.
Have a great rest of the week and weekend.
Aleta

September 28 Prompt

2007-09-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Good morning writers.

"Eighty percent of language lies to us."
--Deena Metzger

I have a tendency to over extend myself.
I over booked September and entered 4 art shows and signed up for two extra art classes. Plus all the usual stuff that goes with life. So I dropped one show and one class. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in something that I want to do it all. It happens with my writing too. I want to enter contests and send stuff off to magazines and take a class from Mike Foley. Take some more classes from UCLA's writing program and do the prompts and a blog. It can go on and on.
I need to stop myself and realize that I can't do it all. At least not all at once!

Here is a good book for keeping you writing every day. "The Write-Brain Workbook", 366 exercises to liberate your writing, by Bonnie Neubauer

We have set today as national hug your dog day. Or hug your cat.
We have 3 cats and one dog. They are part of our family.
My cat has habits that I laugh at and then remember that I have habits/rituals too. No I don't get on the bathroom counter and drink from the faucet. I don't get tissues out of the trash and drag them around either. I do however, sit on the love seat in the evening and read the mail or a book or a magazine. I iron my t shirts the same way each time. I brush my teeth before I shower. You get the idea.
Do you have some habits/rituals? Are they ones that you can write about? Are they ones that help you write?
If you are not into realism, try this one.
"I could have used a kick in the seat of the pants the day that..."
from The Write-Brain Workbook

Here are a few art shows that you might like to see.
"Off The Beaten Path" Mono prints.
White's Studio and Gallery
1232 Monta Vista #10
Upland, CA
Opening reception Oct. 5 6-9pm
Closing reception Nov. 2 6-9pm
by appt. 909.982.3349

"Dreamscape"
Oct 11 to Nov 2
Pomona Valley Art Assoc.

26th Annual Open Juried Show
Oct 13-Oct 27
PVAA

Both shows are at the Soho & Progressive Galleries
300 A South Thomas Street Pomona
Thurs. Fri. 11-4 Sat. 11-10pm (on 2nd Sat.)
Oct 13 6-10pm Artist reception
909.469.1599

Assoc. Artists of the Inland Empire
23 Annual Fall Open Juried Art Show and Sale
Saturday Sept. 29 9am-6pm & Sunday Sept. 30 9am-4pm
Central Park Community Center
11200 Baseline Road
Rancho Cucamonga

Have a good weekend.
Aleta

September 24 Prompt

2007-09-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

Happy writing to all Writers.

"It is the first shower that wets."
--Italian Proverb
I might have used that quote before but I thought it fitting after our rain.

"When I use a word, it means what I choose it to mean--neither
more nor less."
This is a quiz. It is from something that Lewis Carroll wrote. Now we all can go on the internet and find this really quickly. But try to remember this.
It's from our childhoods and a poem that maybe our parents or our kindergarten teachers lovingly read to us.
Let me know if you figure it out.

I have always wanted to be a ebullient person. I do have fits of being zestfully enthusiastic about something but I'm not generally that way. I'd like to be. But my inner
critic talks me down. I am enthusiastic about my writing and art most of the time. But I wish that I was a more ebullient person about things. It can get trying.
You know those people that are bubbling about everything. I begin to feel like I'm sick or something because I'm not gushing all over things. But for some they are, and it seems to be their personality. So, I'm happy for them... -- sorta, I guess. I can't get bubbling today. I feel too relaxed.

Today or whenever you make time to write. Use the word "ebullient". Be careful ebullient people can be "...wearing in a small place" (Deirdre McNamer)

Have a great week.
Make time to write every day.
Aleta

September 21 Prompt

2007-09-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

Good morning Writers.

Heres to a great weekend and try to write every day.

"I love the solitude of reading. I love the deep dive into someone else's story, the delicious ache of the last page."
--Naomi Shihab Nye

Have you all read and finished "Self Storage" by our Gayle Brandis? If you have and want to discuss it let me know. We could have a little on line book club chat.
I loved it. It took me awhile because I was forced to only read just before bed and I'd get so sleepy that I'd have to re read some paragraphs 2...no more like 4 times before I'd give up and go to sleep. But I finished it the last week and then couldn't go to sleep. I was so awake I decided to write something.
There are some books that I ache after I have read the last page. I just don't want them to end. I like the other life that I have been sucked into. It pulls me to the edge and I jump without being pushed. Now that's a good book.
If we write from the heart we can't go wrong. Let the words run out our minds, down our arm/s and out our fingers to the keys or pen.

So for today...Write about your favorite book. One you just finished or one you are reading now. Dig deep to find all the words that are locked in your heart about the book or author. What has that author done for you. Did they pull at your guts and make you cry, get mad, give you an ahhh moment? What is the line or paragraph that kicked you wide awake and start your mind humming?
If you have chosen a CA author, and you have even just a few paragraphs send it to Laura for Fresh Ink.
Don't like that prompt?
Write about an old man that hangs out at a cemetery putting flowers on the graves that have been forgotten.

See you at the meeting on Saturday.
Bring a friend even if they don't write.
Have a good weekend.
Aleta

September 17 Prompt

2007-09-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon,
Hope all had a good weekend. We have a CWC meeting this Saturday the 22nd. Don't forget to enter our contest. Deadline is Sept. 29th

"Writing involves a commitment greater than illness."
--Bernard Malamud

Our back door was always locked. It was in the kitchen and opened onto the screened in patio. The screen door on the patio was locked by one of those hook and eye things. I would come home from school and sometimes the doors would be locked. I'd hunt around the yard for a stick that was thin enough to slip in the screen door and flip off the hook. And as you can guess, it didn't always work. The stick would break or the hook was wedged and wouldn't release. If I found a good stick I'd hide it so if I got locked out again I'd have a stick ready. A Popsicle stick worked the best.
Once I'd get through the screen door the kitchen door posed another problem. The key was suppose to be in a drawer in a cabinet that was on the patio. The drawer was full of rags and I think that my dad thought that no one would ever guess that a key for the house would be in there. But sometimes he would get worried, or he might have thought that my mom was going to be home, so he'd leave the key in the kitchen drawer. So I'd have to find a way into the house without a key. I'd "break & enter". When I was skinny, (I know, hard to imagine now) I'd climb up on the washer and go in the thin window that was over the hot water tank. The window was four feet long and about a foot tall. I'd make it somehow. Then once I was in the window, that opened into the bathroom, I'd have to get down. I would slide on my stomach over the medicine cabinet until my foot touched the toilet and I'd step down.
By the time I was in Jr. High School this was not the way I could get in. I was too tall and was a bit too thick to fit through the window. I talked to my parents and they'd nod and tell me they were sorry for forgetting or whatever else was the problem. But it seemed that more times than not I was breaking into our house. When my dad thought that it was too dangerous to leave a window open and if I could get in then anyone could get in, he started going around locking all the windows before he'd go to work. Yes he was OCD. Still is.
I got creative in leaving a window open that I could fit through. And I always managed to get in somehow.

Today, take a piece of paper and pen. Turn the paper sideways and write. This is a good break for being blocked. Try this even if you're not having problems getting started.
You will have a back door through which to escape.
Write about a memory of being locked out/in. Was it really being locked out like I was or was it a group you could not join. Did you loose your keys or were there no keys?

September 14 Prompt

2007-09-14T09:29:00.002-07:00

Hello Writers,

"The words! I collected them in all shapes and sizes, and hung them like bangles in my mind."
--Hortense Calisher, Extreme Magic

My grandfather continued to do some work after he retired. He had been a carpenter by trade and when remodeling was done in downtown Chino the contractors called him for the "fine" work. He would remove nails carefully from deep carved banister or paneling and doors. The wood was saved and could be used someplace else. Sometimes things were left behind and would be thrown out so my grandfather would ask if he could take them home. He would then fix or strip paint off of desks, chairs, or doors and moldings. He gave me a beautiful desk and chair. He kept the doors. He'd put legs on the them, get foam rubber and make a couch out of the door. My grandmother would sew covers for the foam rubber cushions. There were enough couches for my brother, aunt and our patio. After the door couches he'd start to make other things out of the doors. Some were so nice that he'd replace the doors in his home with the beautiful oak ones that he salvaged.
He was using things that others were going to throw out. Things that someone didn't want were still good. And with a little effort the things were beautiful. Their found beauty was discovered under nicked paint.
I have many paintings that I did when I first started. They are crap. But some I have torn up and used in collage pieces. Some are so bad that my teacher told me to take them home and soak them in the bathtub and paint something else over them. Then some I have just painted on the other side.
We can do this with our writing too. Maybe someone told you that something was lacking in one of your stories/articles/poems. I hope you didn't throw them out! I hope that you went back to them and worked on them or turned them into something else. Maybe it was better, maybe not. But don't throw them out. Hide them under your bed. Dig them out and look at them again. They can be salvaged.

This prompt will take a little leg work unless you have an old desk, dresser or cabinet at home already. If not you'll have to go to a 2nd hand store or antique store. Look at the desks, or dressers. Open the drawers. Are there seals from the manufacture? Old pieces of paper? Notes, letters? Write about and old desk and what was in one of the drawers.
You can sit and imagine all this but to go out and find one is a good Artist Date. If you don't care for this idea go for a walk in a downtown area. Chino, Claremont, Upland, LaVerne, San Dimas or Pomona. You will find some interesting things to write about in the old stores there.
For the definition of Artist Date look up Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. This book is good for ALL artists that want to do something to get inspired.
Have a great weekend. Enter our contest! Write every day.
Aleta

p.s. I found and old wedding ring in the desk my grandfather gave me. It was very worn and whatever had been inlaid in part of the ring was gone. No diamonds just a peachy, gold and brass color with little flowers around the band.

September 12 Prompt

2007-09-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Good evening Writers.

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I took a little drive to Idyllwild. I haven't been in the town before. It was so pretty. Beautiful weather! I felt inspired as I walked the town and through the galleries. I had lunch at a cafe with very good food.

"Oh for the wonder that bubbles into my soul."
--D. H. Lawrence

I have been listening to some music from my era, 60s and 70s rock and roll. As a teenager I listened to the words but never really listened. There were some great poets posing as rock stars.
The next time you can take a few minuets kick back with some Beatles, Rolling Stones, Heart or any others you think you might like. Really listen to the words.
The poetry is wonderful.

So for today pick a song that you like or one you haven't hear before. Really take a risk and try Rap. Some of it is great. See if you can pick out a few phrases and
write them down. I like,
"You can't always get what you want, But if you try sometimes,
Well you just might find you get what you need!"
--Rolling Stones
These are simple words. But how could you turn this into a poem or a story about a young girl running around looking for all the wrong things to make her happy.

"Like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom
When the jungle shadows fall
Like the tick tick tock of the stately clock
As it stands against the wall..."
--Cole Porter
That one could be fun.
Have a good week.
Keep writing.
Aleta

2007-09-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Writers,

"I tell a story the way some people eat an Oreo cookie."
--B. E. Zalman

Did your parents want you to be something? Did they want you to be, say a math teacher and you wanted to be an astronaut?
Write about who you were and who you wanted to be.

My parents told me that I couldn't be a vet because I wasn't very good in science. I told them that I could be good but wasn't that interested. My mom said that if I was going to be a vet I'd better get interested. She also said that seeing how I liked to play school when I was young I should be a teacher. I thought that if I couldn't spell I couldn't be a teacher. So we went around this all through my jr. high and high school years. I really loved art and they told me that there was no way to make any money doing art. As a kid I didn't really care if I made money or not. I guess that's because I didn't need any at the time.
My parents told me to pick something and I couldn't. I liked a lot of things and was interested in many other things. But I didn't know what I should do.
I went to Europe just out of high school and that help me decide. I wanted to be an artist. The idea that I could die penniless and alone worried me though. Things where pretty good in the 60s and 70s for artist. But I was no Peter Max -- just a want-a be. So I settled on graphic arts. Wound up silk screening circuit boards for Xerox. Not anywhere close to what I really wanted to do or what I studied.
What did you do when your parents told you that they thought you should be a ...
Getting to know ourselves and who we are helps us write better. I remember this from Barbara Ed Marco-Barrett.
Set your timers for 15 minutes and write.

Have a great weekend. Do some writing and enjoy the cool weather.
Aleta

September 4 Prompt

2007-09-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

Good morning writers.
"When we lived closer to fire, when our lives depended upon the careful tending of the hearth, we had before us a symbol of the need for nourishment that lay deep in our souls."
--Anne Scott

One of my chores at a young person was to not only take out the trash but to burn it when the incinerator became full. I hated the burning part. When I was much younger I remember standing at our living room window and watching Mr. Baldy burn. I could barley see over the window sill but I remember the flames jumping and dancing over the mountain. It seemed that every year or so, some dumb person with a camp fire would set fire to the mountain. I didn't like fire. I saw it too many times and it always seemed that our house would be next as the flames came over the ridge.
When I was about 7 or 8 I was trained in how to light the fire for the trash. There was a way to hold the match and strike it. Fingers too close to the match head for me. Then wait just a moment to make sure it was burning and then place it on a piece of paper. If the fire didn't catch I had to light it again. I hated the fact that I was "playing" with the same thing that would burn our Mt. Baldy and threaten so many lives. But it was one of my jobs so I tried to do it without getting too involved. I'd strike the match and not wait. It was one fluid motion. Lighting the match and letting it go, in hopes it would land on the spot that would catch fire. Some days I'd go through a whole book of matches just to get one to catch. The act of throwing the match many times would put the fire out and I'd have to throw the match slower or hesitate a little longer to make sure the match was lit. I was under so much stress that my stomach would ball up and I'd sometimes loose my breakfast after the chore.
I still don't care much for fire. I do have a overly healthy respect for fire. And every time there is a story on the news about the "fires of summer" I worry about all the people and the land that will take so long to recover.

If you have any memories of fire write about those. Maybe a personal story or belief about fire.
Hope you all have a good week. It will be shorter so enjoy.
Aleta

August 31 Prompt

2007-08-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Good morning Writers.
I'm thinking of changing the days of our prompts. I know that some of you don't get around to read and write them on Mondays and Fridays.
I seem to have Mondays that leave little time to write. The prompts might come on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday and Friday.

"How much more cruel the pen may be than the sword."
--Robert Burton

What is the first recollection of someone doing something nice for you? I read about a man that said his grandfather built him a kite out of paper and some scraps of wood.
the author said that this act of his grandfather's was the first he could remember.
Can you remember when someone did something nice for you? How far back can you remember? Remembering is like retracing your steps when you have lost something or misplaced your keys. Start with one act of niceness and go back to another one.
After you have made notes and written about the different things you can remember, write a poem, short story or non fiction piece about the nice things or your remembering them.

After I read about the author's grandfather my mind jumped to things that my grandfather did for me. He was strict and harsh, but whenever I went to his house for the day, or weekend I'd have so much fun. He was building something for my grandmother once and there were scraps of wood at the base of his table saw. I think he was worried I'd get hurt. I was hanging around the saw and playing with the sawdust. ( I was about 7 or 8 years old.) He pulled out some nails, an old hammer and gave me the wood scraps. "Here, go build something of your own. and get out of the way."
I didn't know what to do. The wood was all different shapes and he was building "something" wonderful. I hammered a few nails in one piece of wood, knowing that I could never really make anything. As I played with the wood I saw furniture in the pieces and how I stacked them. I built a bed for my Barbie doll. It was a very crude bed, one you might find in a crude mountain cabin.
I built other things with the wood and was sorry when the scraps ran out. My grandfather recognized what I had built and he praised me for what I was able to come up with.
I will always remember those kind words. I knew he really meant what he said and the rest of his harness was softened a bit.

Hope you all have a good weekend and say cool.
Drink lots of water and don't go out in the heat of the day.
This message brought to you by, Dr. Possecoullie.

Aleta

August 24 Prompt

2007-08-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Writers,
"Memory is a net."
--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

A pair of black velvet shoes hung onto me. I was deeply in love with them. I can't remember now why my parents would buy me such a frivolous thing, but I wore them to something special, and then wanted to wear them every day. I'd come home from school, take off my school clothes, and play dress up. The clothes I'd put together were anything but chic, but I always finished the garb with the black velvet shoes. To me they really were the only thing that mattered.
When the shoes were no longer nice enough for special occasions, I wore the them every where. My mom had given me permission, so I took it. I wore them every day and even put the shoes under my pillow at night.
I'd have wonderful dreams of princesses and queens. There were balls and parties where me and my shoes were the attention.
My mom, being the killer of all joy, told me one day that the shoes had given into their end. They were too old and the construction was so broken that, my wonder shoes would kill my feet if I continued to wear them. I was forbidden to every put them on my feet again. As an act of defiance I continued to sleep with the black velvet shoes under my pillow for the dreams that they seemed to bring. I still used them for dress up and -- if no one was looking -- I'd sneak out of the house with the shoes and change into them to go to school and to feed our animals. I didn't see what my mom saw, the shoes were decomposing with every step. I only notice that every time I wore the shoes my feet would hurt.
I didn't take my wonderful shoes to school one day. I thought I'd be kind and give the poor old things a rest. When I got home the shoes were gone.
My mom had thrown them away. I found the beautiful things in the incinerator, waiting to be burned the next day. I rescued the shoes and took them to my room to clean the soot off and hide the poor shoes in my closet. The next day I found them in the compost pile. It was hard to get rid of the potato peelings and the smell of old coffee grounds. I used an old brush in the garage to scrub my black velvet shoes, that now looked like there would be no reviving them.
Before I went to school the next day, I pleaded with my mom not throw the shoes away. I promised that I'd never wear them again, but I just wanted them for the dreams. Eventually, she gave in.
A few months later I threw the black velvet shoes away. My mom had bought me a pair of lilac satin shoes for a wedding I was to be a flower girl in. And they were gorgeous!

When you write for this prompt, choose: a red velvet dress and how you feel when you wear it. How someone looks in the dress. What you would do for a red velvet dress. You hate red velvet. Red velvet with a blood stain, ( for the thriller writers).
Have a good weekend and don't forget about the CWC meeting on Saturday. Boarders Montclair, 10:15 am
Aleta

August 20 Prompt

2007-08-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

Good Evening Writers,
I feel like Hitchcock.
Wild morning for me today. So I hope that you don't mind that I'm writing in the cool of the evening.
It's still Monday, right?

"No matter how individual we humans are, we are a composite of everything we are aware of. We are a mirror of our times."
--Louise Nevelson

My son, Eric has many of my dad's traits. Eric even looks like my side of the family. Our son, Brandon looks like his dad. A big happy go lucky Swede. Eric has a short temper and is wiry. He's tall and slim and loves to eat anything Italian. Brandon is slow to anger and eats, white bread and potatoes. He's tall too, but built like his dad. Sorta a small linebacker. The things we inherit from our parents and grandparents we don't get to choose. All those weird and wonderful things that came from a family member we might not have ever met. I have a little toe nail that is split down the center, just like my grandmother. It's almost like we have extra lives like cats. There are pieces of us and our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles that live on. We don't choose those things but we do choose the clubs, friends, communities, and organizations that we associate with. Do you belong to the PTA, Kiwanis, CA Writers Club, a church? These groups you choose to belong to. How many groups or clubs do you attend? Are they all the same? Do you enjoy the group you are a part of?
These organizations and your family reflect in your writing. They are a part of you and you don't even realize how they influence your work. I have found that I love to watercolor paint hardware things like washers and bolts. I enjoy making them look old and rusted. My dad was an electrician and my grandfather was a carpenter/plumber. I might have got something from them.
Paint with words today, the things that come from the family, clubs and groups you belong to.
Did you go to a family reunion this summer? Did you see some cousins that look just like you? Did you join a new club? Are you active in a club? Or do you sit and take it all in? (Not a bad place to gather writing material.)
Hope you all have a good week.
Keep writing!
Don't forget the CWC meeting this Saturday.
Aleta

August 17 Prompt

2007-08-17T11:01:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

"I don't think anything is the opposite of love."

--Anne Lamott

And in the end...
Endings are things the we don't want to "give away". Don't read the ending first. If you know the ending you might not want to read the book, see the movie, or go to the play.
But today we are going to write nothing but endings.
Ending for plays, poems, short stories, etc. I hope that you feel free enough to go a little crazy with this. It can be a lot of fun and sometimes very revealing.

So...what is your favorite book? Or pick something that you don't care for. But it needs to be something that you know. Something that you remember.
Now, rewrite the ending. If need be go back and check the book and maybe use one of the last sentences to give you a jumping off place.
And really jump. If the book is an old classic make the ending a Si-Fi, if it's a humor story, make the ending a blood and gore ending.

Let me, or your other writer friends know what you re wrote and if you had any fun.

Have a great weekend and hope you stay cool.
Remember to KEEP WRITING!!
Aleta

August 13 Prompt

2007-08-12T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hello Writers.
"Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all."
--Ernest Shackleton

Today is about something spelled wrong.
But you need to write about the tension around the misspelling.
Think about buying a birthday cake for someone very special. The bakery misspells the name on the cake. You pick the cake up, and without looking at it you rush off to the party. You are late and the party is a surprise. When you get to the party the other guests hurry you into the kitchen with the cake. No one looks at the cake until it's time to light the candles. Someone then notices the misspelling.
Set your timer for 15 minuets and write about the the tension around trying to "fix" the mistake, or leaving it alone and what could be said to the birthday person.
What do you do? Write about your feelings and what others are saying.

Other ideas; a road sign that is misspelled, directions to a lawyer's office, your name misspelled on your driver license, some misspelling on an important report to you boss.
You get the idea.

Here's to a good week. Hope you all make time to write. If not every day at least 2 times a week.
Aleta

Auguast 10 Prompt

2007-08-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Good morning Writers.
Did you have a good week? I for one, am so glad that it has been a bit cooler. My house and dog sitting job goes on until Monday. In some ways I'm glad that it is ending.
It's weird to sleep in someone else's home when you hardly know them and it's even weirder to sleep there when they aren't there. My daughter is taking care of 5 animals at another home and spends her nights there. She is doing much better with this than I am.

"The moon develops creativity as chemicals develop photographic images."
--Norma Jean Harris

Many times poets use photographs for inspiration. There are many stories in one image. Texture, story, and colors can incite ideas. Then if the viewer has a connection to the photo, or another experience, that brings another connection.
In honor of Laura's poetry swap and our photographers in the group, take out a photo from a trip and recall the day, time, mood, and anything else you can come up with.
Was it a warm day/night? Who is in the photo? Did you take it and where you taking it for the place or the people in the photo? Can you remember the feeling or the experience of what the place is like?
You can compose and image and/or idea.

Today or when you sot down to write next time, take out one of your photos and look at it closely. Study it and see what comes to mind. Write down words or phrases and after a few minuets put the photo away and read the things you wrote.

If you need a photo go to Katheryn's or Cyndy's photos. Click on the link to the right next to this post.
There is much inspiration there. If you can form a free verse poem, do it! Send it to a writing buddy and see if they can send you one back.
Or if a whole story comes out...good! Send that to Laura for Fresh Ink.
Take a good 15 minuets for yourself and write. You deserve to write because you are a writer.
Have a great weekend and
KEEP WRITING!
Aleta

August 6 Prompt

2007-08-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

Good morning Writers,
Sorry I didn't post anything for Friday, 8/3/07.

"What I fear in writing is the safe decision."
--Anne Rice

I use to worry what people thought about my writing. Now I write what I want. It's not to say that I don't care about what people think, it's about writing from my gut.
Somethings seem like I'm writing in the zone. I talked about that before. But if I try too hard and wonder what people might think I'm not writing in the zone. Funny, I thing that's why I keep doing the prompts. I've asked before if you would like changes but I only get one e mail back so I keep going. I do hope that this is still working for you and that you can use these prompts. So don't be safe. Write me and let me know how things are going, in your life, the prompts, the pets, whatever.

Speaking of pets, I'm pet sitting a dog that is a "scaredy cat". She is big and lean. But I have to spend the night at her house because she "can't be alone."
So every night I pack my overnight bag and go spend the night with Diana. She won't go outside without me. If she has to "go", she will wait until I go out in the back yard with her. In the house at night I thought she'd bark if there where noises. But she looks up and acts interested, and then looks at me as to say, "So, you going to go check on that?" If I don't move she drops her head back to the floor and goes back to sleep.
But, when we go for a walk she is strong and confident. She pulls the retractable leash all the way out and acts like she is walking me. Diana carries her head high and trots with her chest puffed out. I feel and look weak compared to her. I wonder if it is the "secure thing." Being tied to me she has twice the power so to speak. It's like a united front; we walk together and she knows I'm right behind her. Diana is not afraid to go up to other dogs. She pulls and barks to show she is confident.
I guess there is something to be said about tying things together for more strength.

Today write about safety. Or being safe. the feeling of not being safe. What did it feel like? When you feel safe what is that like?

Have a great week.
And keep writing.
Aleta

July 30 Prompt

2007-07-30T10:01:00.001-07:00

Good morning,

"...Facts can obscure the truth."
--Maya Angelou

I'm cutting right to the writing today. Have a full basket of things to take care of that sadly do not include writing.

Write about a significant thing that really happened. Look for the truth you got form that event.
If you want to go on...Write a fictional event that exposes a truth. If the ideas that you come up with
all seemed "fixed", that's okay. It can take a few tries to get a real type result. Keep trying.

Hope everyone has a great week. We had a very good speaker, on Saturday, if you didn't get a chance to attend.
Hope to see everyone at the next meeting.

Keep writing!
Aleta

July 27 Prompt

2007-07-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hello.
Hope you all had a good week. I'm not sure, but have we been doing these prompts for a year? I can't remember when we started, but I have really enjoyed do this, and I hope that you all have found somethings that you can write about. If anyone knows when we started e mail me. k I'd like to do a little celebration via Internet.

"Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself."
--Cicero

My family and I live in a neighborhood of 50 year old homes. The houses seem to have a life expiration on them. A few years ago the roofs were all being redone. Then there was a faze of the houses getting new paint jobs. (And they all were needed). In the past two years everyone has been having the main line to the street done. The plumbers show up and the owners go out to meet them. They all have the same expressions. I know, we had to have our main line re plumbed two years ago. The plumbers and owners stand in the yard. The plumber points to the extra large Ash tree near the street. I know what they are saying. "This tree is beautiful but the roots have invaded your pipes. The old pipes are terra cotta and they crack and once the water drains out the roots go for the water." The owners look sad. You can see the dollar signs floating in the air above their heads. Some have had the plumbers just clean the line and send the man on his way. Then in a few months the truck appears with a different plumber. The story repeats. The neighbor across the street from us was the first one to have the plumber replace the main line to the street. She is a wise and savvy shopper so she got some day laborers to do the digging. The process seemed easy enough but when we had the plumber out to do ours we were not as lucky. With more dollars floating around our conversation the plumber told us that we had two lines going to the street and at a "y" of piles there were nothing but shards of ceramic.
The neighbors around us are now going though the same thing. Their sad faces and the dollar signs can't be missed. We've been there before and feel their pain of loosing pipes and replacing them. The yards are dug up and burly guys unload the trucks. PVC pipes littering the yard is a sign that the main line is the problem. Sometimes small back hoes are brought in to wheel around the dirt and rocks. But the look is aways the same on the owner's faces. Sadness at the decline of their home. And that the beautiful tree in the front of their home could do such damage.

Here are some words to choose from; ranch, fence, boards, farm, birds, clay, cup, pen, paper, magnet, coaster, bike, book, bell, disk, plate.
Choose one of these word and write it at the top of the page/paper. Now do some word association and write every word that comes to mind down the center of the page. Try to go all the way down the page to the bottom.
Now pick on of the words you like and write a poem or a story that seems to go with the word. Let the stream of writing flow and do not edit! There might be some really bad stuff but there might be some very good stuff. See what happens. If you get something out of this send it to Laura, for Fresh Ink. If you don't get anything then just remember this when you feel blocked. It is a good exercise to get your writing muscle going.
Have a great weekend.
Keep writing!
Aleta

Hawk's Visit

2007-07-22T23:24:00.001-07:00

New Art

2007-07-22T23:06:00.000-07:00

There's new art work at the Claremont Museum of Art. The artists are local and the art is a cross section being produced in and around Claremont. The Museum is located at 536 West First Street. Open Tuesday through Sunday 11am to 7 pm

July 23 Prompt

2007-07-22T22:50:00.001-07:00

Good morning (if you are up late and reading this on Sunday, Good evening).

"Only those that risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
--T. S. Eliot

Thank you to those who e mailed me about my Hawk prompt. I'll send the pics when I figure out how to do that.

Do you plan and rehearse your days, moments, life? I do. I'm working at limiting the amount of rehearsing that I do for my day. In some ways it's good to be prepared but I think that sometimes we write and rewrite our time and days until it doesn't look like us or who we really are. I have learned this almost too late. I lost the me I use to be after many years as a chameleon. Changing to fit or rehearsing what I'll say or do. But that made me miss me. So I'm on a walk about to get back to who I really am. I'm letting the wind take me, the real me, to places that I might not have visited before. I'm not literally going places. But I'm not rewriting, planning, rehearsing everything like I use to do. It's hard to make changes but it feels so much more real and true.
Think about your writing. It's easy to write in the flow and let your pen go on fire. Incomplete sentences, no punctuation, just streams of words. But do you go back and cut the words so what you first wrote has become something else?
Be careful that you don't loose the essences of your writing. If you do cut things. Keep those lines and sentences as seeds for something else. They can become a poem, short story of an opening for a nonfiction article. Don't be too quick to cut. Let it simmer a day or so. Sometimes change is not good.
Pick a part of your body. One you like or don't like. Give it a life. Sing a song of praise to the part. Try not to get sappy or use cliches.
Ode to My Toes sounds good to me.

Have a great week.
Please keep writing. We need good words in this world.
Aleta

2007-07-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Writers.
Another Friday, and I'm looking forward to Saturday & Sunday. Some weeks seem so long and others seem to fly by, and I can't keep up with the days. That's when I'm having a good week or having fun. It's when I'm, writing well or making art that is satisfying. Here's to a good weekend to all.

""Praising what is lost Makes the remembrance dear."
--Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well

At first I was sort of upset by a hawk that has been hanging around our front yard and the few houses near us. He/She was pooping on the cars and the driveway. And if you have never seen hawk poop, it is a real mess. I'd go out and wash down the cars so the paint wouldn't come off. The bird seemed to be calling to someone. It sounded lost. There was that lonely sound to the call. When I finely had a chance to see the bird, wow, what a beautiful thing. When he/she would take flight, my jaw dropped. Such grace and glide. Last weekend the bird was on the back fence. Our dog, Wilbur and my husband, Carl went close to check the creature out. The hawk turned it's head almost all the way around to watch them approach. The three just stared at each other. When the bird was done it took off.
The hawk has been here for about 2 weeks and I keep hoping he'll/she'll find it's way back to the Botanical Gardens here in Claremont. I've seen the birds at the garden and this one might be from there. Then I wondered why he/she kept calling out. Well, it's more like a whistle. That poor bird has been calling for days. So of course I just figured it was lost. Maybe because of the building in the foothills, the bird is looking for food. We have an invasion of squirrels too, so I thought that they were run out form where they use to live. Then one day this week I saw them. There are two and they called to each other. I felt better that the one wasn't lost here by it's self. I still wonder why they are hanging around my neighborhood.
They might not be lost. I might be wrong, but to me, it seems that they should be someplace else. But why can't they just be here because? Somehow I have the idea that they are out of place. This is a residential neighborhood, and some thing, some where in my mind has said that the birds are out of place in this area.
So I have decided that for now, I'm going to enjoy the hawks and forget about what my rational mind tells me.

Write about a loss. Or something that seems lost. A misplaced loss that is not really a loss at all.
Have a great weekend.
And if you would like some pictures of these beautiful birds give me call and we'll set something up.
Aleta

July 16 Prompt

2007-07-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Good morning writers.
Hope everyone had a good weekend. Did anyone do anything different? Did you take any pictures?
I have added Cyndy's and Katheryn's link for their photo galleries. Beautiful art!

"If you write a hundred short stories and they're all bad, that doesn't mean you've failed. You only fail if you stop writing."
--Ray Bradbury

Do you have a nutty relative? I had quite a few in my family. One was an aunt, (by marriage) was the nutty one to me as a kid.
When my uncle and aunt came to visit my cousins were young. You know, kids get dirty and out on "the farm" they seemed to get even dirtier, and more often.
My aunt Virginia, was a clean person. I mean she was very clean. Looking back now I know that she must have been a little OCD.
One day she was doing laundry again. It was just after lunch and she announced that we were going to clean up and take baths and change our clothes. I thought at the time she really didn't understand kids and playing. It was summer and we were 5 wild, fun loving kids that were not about to stop playing/getting dirty at 1:30 in the afternoon.
But her 4 did as they were told. My mom told me to just giver her some of my dirty clothes to make her happy. I was old enough that I didn't need a nap but my cousins did. I was to play along so my aunt could get my cousins down for naps.
I gave in knowing that I could go out and play while my cousins were scrub and buffed to a shine and put to bed. But my aunt had other ideas. We were all going to take naps and that was that.
I dug in my laundry basket, and pulled out some play clothes from the day before. I think she had slipped the night before, and cleaned out my basket but left two things for seed. As I was picking up the dirty clothes when my aunt came in behind me, pulled my shorts down and yelled, "Clothes! Now!" She grab the clothes I had in my hands, and made me take off the rest of the clothes I was wearing. She had preformed a magic trick like pulling off the table clothe and the dishes remain on the table. My aunt had got my shorts off me, but never knocked me down. I was amazed! After that though, I always thought she was nutty, magic trick and all.

Today write about a nutty relative. Are they nutty because you say so? They might not be nutty but they have something that is very different about them. Pick something that can be turned into a weird or different characteristic.
Have a great week and Keep Writing!
Aleta

Shameless Self-Promoters

2007-07-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

"From The Depths...!"

I'm part of a group called the Shameless Self-Promoters. We are having our 2nd reception this Saturday, 6pm to 10pm. 300-B S. Thomas St. Pomona
We are 18 or so artists and there are some great pieces. Our show is over the end of this month so if you can't come on Saturday the gallery is open Thurs. - Sundays 11am -4pm.
Hope to see you.
Aleta
SSP Website: www.ssp-art.com

2007-07-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

I hope you all are not hiding in your beds because of today.
Get out there and see what wonderful things can happen.
I have seen our good friend and VP of IECWC Cyndy Largarticha's Photo Gallery today and just want to say she has some great photos there.
I will put her link on my blog if she's okay with that.

"Sweet are the uses of adversity."
--William Shakespeare

Have you had an experience that was so vivid that it stayed with you a long time. Something from your childhood that was an awaking or a shock or a big scare?
Or was it something that just happened? I have one from my childhood. All it takes is for someone to mention a word or a place. The word for me is "Opossum"!
Or possum. It doesn't matter which word is used, or if I see a possum, I'm sucked back to a day in my grandfather's hen house. If you have a word that pulls you back to something that ties into that word, write about it. No word or place or person or thing comes to mind? I'll give you one. Or two.
King. Or Queen. You can't tell me that somewhere in you past or right now, those two words take you to something vivid in your mind.
Set your timer and write.
Those that are bored and want to hear the story of the hen house here it is.

When I stayed at my grandparent's house for the weekend, one of my jobs was to collect the eggs. Grandpa had "Bannie" chickens in a hen house that been an old green house. The house was nothing but strips of thin wood that form the structure. I went in one morning and made my way around the house checking the nests. The house was dark and covered by grape vines. Only one area was lit by the sun. The nests were in one dark corner away from all the perches. The nests were old orange crates that were built like high rise cubbyholes in a roll top desk. Those were the /big buck/ nests. The cheep side of the hen house had old buckets and barrels turned on their sides and stacked so some where up off the ground. It was in that very dark corner of the house I was groping my hand under chickens and empty nests to find the warm fresh eggs.
One bucket was tipped on it's side and there were rags and hay lining it to make the nest soft. One egg sat in the nest, and as I reached for it a fierce hiss and snarl made me jump. Coming out from under the rags was a possum. He had egg all over his face. Not what I had expected. I dropped the basket I was carrying and ran out of the hen house.
I can't hear the word or see the animal without that vivid image jumping to the front of my mind.
Have a great weekend.
Keep writing!
Aleta

Relax without drugs

2007-07-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

When I'm stressed I go to the kitchen to eat. Bad habit. Now I'm overweight. All I needed to do was pick up a paint brush or read a book or magazine. I have been an artist all my life and after ALL this time I finally found out that I need art to calm me down. Relax me. Bring me peace.
On Mondays I go to a watercolor class. From 9:30 am to 2:00 pm I don't care if I eat or not. I even forget to take a drink of water. That's ironic. After my class I'm so relaxed that the drivers cutting me off seem to fly by like cute birds not wild, crazy, very late for everything, motorist. If you don't paint, go to a craft store and get a child's box of watercolors and pick out one wide brush. It needs to be at least 1 inch. Buy some cheep watercolor paper and take them home. After a stressful day get out your supplies and a paper cup with water in it. You don't need anything formal. The kitchen table is a great place to paint. Put on some music that is not too up beat. (You will paint with the beat of the music and this is to relax you not make you wild.) Dip your brush in water and run it over the paper. Wet the brush again and slather it in a blue or green. Get the paint really wet! Then rub the brush on the paper. Stop! Watch the paint run and skip into the water.
Wet the brush again and load it with another color. Go next to where the first color stopped running and put your brush down and watch another flow of color. You can do this until you get bored or the music runs out. No formal training for this. It is pure joy. Do not try to make the painting into "something". Who cares what it "is". This is an exercise to relax, don't get yourself up tight trying to make something out of the paint, water an paper. That's another exercise!
Have fun and let me know if it worked.
Aleta

July 9 Prompt

2007-07-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

"What a surprise to find you could shift the contents of your head like rearranging furniture in a room"
-Lisa Alther, novelist

The idea for these bi-weekly writing prompts came out from Barbara DeMarco-Barret's (Author of Pen On Fire) speech to the Inland Empire California Writers Club.
The rules of the game are as follows:
*Assemble your writing implements, whatever they may be,
*Read the prompt,
*Set your timer for 15 minutes, and
...GO!

"He's a real no-where man/ sitting in his no-where land/making all his no-where plans for nobody..."
-Nowhere Man, The Beatles

Have you ever had a conversation with yourself? Not the kind where you ask, "Where's my *%@# keys? I can't find my *%@# keys! Where'd I have them last?" and so forth...
The conversation I'm talking about is the type where you ask yourself, "Who am I? What do I love to write? Why am I here?"
I hope you're answering: "I'm here to write."

Today, ask yourself what you would love to write about and DO IT!

For those who are stumped...

"In my desk drawer, I found..."

That was your opening phrase. Write for 15 minutes.

Enjoy your week. Hope to see you here Friday!

PS- my daughter is prepared to give a gold star to anyone who can connect today's prompt with the Beatles quote above...GOOD LUCK!