Tear the Curtain

What I Woke Up Wanting

Thu, 2 Dec 2010 11:55:35 -0700

I woke up this morning wanting to write a poem about hope. Woke up with this idea flitting around the edges of my mind, something about hope not being as fragile as it seems.

But I woke up too with a cold gunking up my throat and fuzzing up my brain so the thoughts were having trouble getting together in any coherent fashion.

Also my son woke up with all kinds of pain in his mouth from the braces put on his lower teeth yesterday afternoon so I served him cereal and Advil for breakfast. And I ended up taking the kids to school in two shifts: first the girl, who was ready on time, then back to get the boy, who got in the shower but forgot to get back out and was therefore all kinds of tardy. Though I couldn’t blame him (after the initial anger flash) because I suspect the shower felt really good and the Advil likely kicked in partway through and he probably was just basking in the respite from the pain.

Later in the morning, I set out to complete multiple online forms I need to do before tomorrow. And I’m still trying to fill them out, because the technology has thwarted me at every turn even though it’s supposed to be easier than filling out forms on paper.

I expect around lunchtime that I’ll need to make a run to the school to deliver more Advil to the boy. And while I’m out I’ll try to get my fuzzy brain to remember to run the other errands on my list.

I’ll pick up the girl from school, and then the boy from band practice. I will give them after school snacks and homework help and listen to stories from their day.

The hubs will come home later from work, and that will be good, but I’ll probably have to drag him into my tech vortex at some point, which is pretty much the opposite of romantic.

I’ll make it through dinner and the kids’ bedtime. And then climb into bed myself.

And tomorrow I’ll probably wake up wanting to write a poem about hope.

How to Write a Novel in a Month

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:49:35 -0700

Yesterday, as part of a job interview, I had to give a five minute how-to presentation on a topic of my choice. I decided to talk about how to write a novel in a month. This is what I said:

Two years ago, I decided to write a novel. In a month. Many people’s response was some variation of “Are you crazy?” And maybe I was--but I did it. In 30 days, I cranked out the rough draft of a novel--not perfect, but plenty to work with.

Just in case you think that would be a fun challenge for you or someone you know, I’d like to talk with you for the next few minutes about how to write a novel in a month.

We’ll use the acronym CRAZY to talk about the five factors I think it takes to succeed at this effort.

Community
Many people think of writing as a solitary occupation, but most writers actually need some form of writerly companionship--other people around who get it.

If you’re going to attempt a novel in a month, I’d recommend doing it in November and joining the ultimate writing group: NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month. Every year people sign up online to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of November. Sign up and you can meet up live with other Wrimos in your area. You get pep talks from established writers in your inbox. You’ve got community.

Ritual
If you’re going to tackle a big writing project, you’ll need to figure out a writing ritual that works for you. The formula I use is this:

T + P + M + S → 1667

You want to find the right Time + Place + Method + Snack that will yield 1667 words per day, which is what you’ll need to hit 50,000 words in a month. (1667 words usually works out to 3-4 pages and takes 90 minutes to two hours to write.)

For me, the best scenario turned out to be:

Afternoons + Chick-fil-A + MacBook + Refillable Soda

or

Late nights + Couch + MacBook + M&M’s

Your best scenario may look very different than mine, but you’ll want to discover the ritual that works for you.

Abandon
The tag line for NaNoWriMo is “30 Days and Nights of Literary Abandon.”

Let go of your perfectionism. Write like crazy & don’t edit. You can edit later; just get the ideas out now. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

Abandon.

Zzzzzzz deprivation
If you’re going to carve out two hours a day to write, you’re going to need to sacrifice something.

Might be sleep. In fact, it’s pretty much a given that you’ll need to give up some sleep along the way. But there will likely be other things you’ll need to sacrifice as well. Might need to fill up your DVR with shows and wait to watch them next month.

What would you need to give up if you wanted to carve out two hours a day to write? Which sacrifice do you suspect would translate into the most productivity in terms of word camp?

Yearning
You’ve got to want it. You’ve got to have a deep enough want-to to get you through the days when you’d rather not. You’ve got to find a motivation deep enough to hold you steady when other things are trying to blow you off course.

And that’s how you write a novel in a month: Community, Ritual, Abandon, Zzzzz Deprivation, and Yearning. Come to think of it, it’s a pretty good way to tackle any seemingly insurmountable goal. The kind of goal that makes people ask, “Are you crazy???”

So...got any seemingly insurmountable goals you might want to tackle? Any aspects of my CRAZY acronym jump out as potentially helpful? Let me know in the comments.

[photo: By Sommeregger (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons]

The Road to Seen (New ebook!)

Tue, 9 Nov 2010 13:56:30 -0700

As a writer and speaker and artist, I often explore the longing to be seen that lives inside all of us--right alongside the fear of being seen. I’ve put together a collection now available at the Kindle store, called The Road to Seen: Reflections on Invisibility (and its Flip Side). It’s a series of pieces reflecting on this theme through essay, visual art, monologue and poetry. Take a look and let me know what you think. If you want, you can even write a review!

Truth in Advertising: The Road to Seen is more of a booklet than a book. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ll recognize several of the pieces I’ve included in the ebook. But it’s not all reruns. And you might consider buying it if:

You want something to tide you over until a full-length book of mine hits the bookstore shelves.

You’ve heard me speak, liked my voice, and wish the conversation could continue.

You like that I’ve collected some of my thoughts on one theme--rather than making you dig through my blog archives to collect them yourself.

There’s some content I’ve never published on the blog, and you’d like to see it.

You think your Kindle (or other device) would like me.

You think reading books without paper is kinda cool and techy.

So, check out The Road to Seen.

And keep in mind, you don’t have to own a Kindle to read a Kindle book. For info on reading Kindle books on other devices, click here.

Poem Snippet

Thu, 4 Nov 2010 13:49:03 -0600

I wrote these lines a few days ago. Not sure yet if they comprise a complete poem all to themselves, or if they are rather a “poem snippet” waiting for more lines to come. But here you are, a few lines on hope.

hope
by kirsten
©2010

hope is light
that does not insist
on staying clean
but plunges into dark
and murky places
to search out
grab hold
redeem

Questions:
Does this image of hope ring true to you? How so?
What image would you use for hope? (bonus points if you write it out in poetic form!)

Baseball & Poetry (In Honor of the Fall Classic)

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:09:46 -0600

My inner poet cut her teeth on baseball.

Let me explain: When I was a kid, baseball games were my bedtime stories. I grew up in a baseball house--and growing up in southern California, within striking distance of Los Angeles, the baseball my family latched onto was the Dodger brand of ball. Now my dad wasn’t so much a Dodger fan as a baseball fan. Transplanted from the Midwest, if pressed, Dad would pledge some allegiance to the St. Louis Cardinals. But I cut my teeth on Dodger baseball, and there were years of my childhood in which, if cut, I, like Tommy Lasorda, bled Dodger blue.

At night, during baseball season, I’d climb into bed and turn on the radio. And Vin Scully told me bedtime stories. Vin Scully has been the voice of the Dodgers for decades now (61 seasons!), carrying generations of fans and players through the play-by-play action of the Dodger baseball season. Scully’s voice carried over the airwaves and out my clock radio speaker in mellifluous tones that wrapped me up in the action. He announced the game as if telling a story, narrating a dramatic production—and Dodger Stadium, tucked away in Chavez Ravine, was the stage (at least for home games).

And there was plenty of drama to narrate. Those were good years for the Dodgers—the late seventies, early eighties. I grew up following a pretty consistent core of players. The solid infield of Garvey, Lopes, Russell, Cey—and Yeager behind the plate. Dusty Baker out in left field (Bakersfield, we called it). Hooton on the mound, or Sutton, or Tommy John, or later Fernando Valenzuela, and later still, Orel Herscheiser. Lopes gave way to Sax, and Yeager to Scioscia, and I kept bleeding Dodger Blue under Tommy Lasorda’s enthusiastic leadership.

And Vin Scully’s story-weaving play-by-play. It’s masterful, really. Often poetic.

I love baseball. But truth be told, I probably love Vin Scully’s version of it. The version that pulls the story out of the play-by-play. The version that magically spins the straw of statistics into golden threads that mean something to the plot. That actually solidify the player in your mind rather than hanging off him awkwardly like so many cobwebs.

I have to think that the poet in me owes something of her development to the hours I drifted in and out of sleep listening to the voice--and the story-telling poet--of Dodger baseball, Vin Scully.

If you’d like to hear some of Scully’s poetic play-by-play, check out this gem as Scully calls the ninth inning of Sandy Koufax’s 1965 perfect game.

And, in honor of the World Series, what’s one way that baseball has influenced your life? (Comment below.)

Hope Quotes

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:14:00 -0600

I’m working on an upcoming presentation that revolves around the theme of hope, so I’ve been looking for some good quotations on the subject.

Here are a few I’ve bumped into so far. Which one do you like best? Why? Do you have any good quotations to add to my growing collection?

“In all things it is better to hope than to despair.”
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Hope is the dream of a soul awake.”
--French proverb

“When you say a situation or a person is hopeless,
you are slamming the door in the face of God.”
--Charles L. Allen

“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense,
regardless of how it turns out.”
--Vaclav Havel

“Hope is the thing with feathers -
that perches in the soul -
and sings the tune without the words -
and never stops - at all -”
--Emily Dickinson

I’m Looking for Joy

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 23:12:53 -0600

By Kirsten Wilson
©2003

I’m looking for joy

I’m looking for joy

I’m looking for joy
to roar through me like thunder on a dark night
the laughter of heaven whose rumble
leads me both to worship and to tremble

I’m looking for joy
that rises up from the ashes
of dreams burned in the incinerator
of circumstances beyond my control

I’m looking for joy
that will bowl me over with its power
shower me with peace and hope

I’m looking for joy that will help me cope.

I’m looking for joy
like a fountain
that bubbles up fresh
deep within
no stale water cycling through again and again
collecting bugs, collecting coins
but a fountain fed by a living spring
of mercies

Please--
I’m looking for joy
Who isn’t? Who’d turn it down?
What kind of clown would say,
“What? Joy? Not for me. Not interested.”

I’m looking for joy
but I settle for less
a quick laugh a cheap thrill
an expensive distraction
that never quite fits the bill

I’m looking for joy in all the wrong places

I’m looking for joy
but I get lost in the pursuit of happiness
too proud to admit the emptiness
too independent to ask directions

but I’ll lead an insurrection
against the fake colors and flavors
they tell us we’ll savor
$19.95
would you like to super size?
meals keep getting bigger
but they still don’t satisfy
‘cause this plastic joy they sell us
is a laminated lie

I’m looking for joy
I don’t need a platitude waving
easy-road paving
quick fix craving life

I’m looking for joy
that trickles deep into every nook and cranny of my soul
like when my grandma grew so old
body wasted
but with heaven so close she could almost taste it
could hear her Jesus
(come on now)
she could hear her Jesus
comin’ to take her home
she was never alone

I’m looking for joy in the face of the unknown

I’m looking for joy
that plants its seeds
and digs roots deep
joy that’ll keep

I’m looking for joy
the real kind
the deep-down stronger than steel kind
the full course, fill you up meal kind
the hasn’t met a wound it can’t heal kind

walk through the fire joy
you ain’t been hired joy
call me a liar joy
change a flat tire joy
am I preaching to the choir? Joy—
you got it already?
or are you with me on this one?

I’m looking for joy

Reflect

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:41:52 -0600

This past weekend, I enjoyed a couple of days with a wonderful group of women from Lakeland Community Church in Missouri. They’d invited my friend, Luci Stanley, and me to speak at their women’s retreat, held at Lake Doniphan, Missouri. As you can see from the photo I snapped with my cell phone, the surroundings were rather beautiful.

Autumn colors reflected in quiet waters. Somehow there’s an added clarity and beauty that comes with reflection.

It’s true with our inner lives, too. Any pockets of life where you’d like to find clarity or catch sight of the beauty? Maybe you could find a patch of quiet water on your calendar to stop and reflect.

(Sorry, Dora.)

Sat, 2 Oct 2010 13:51:35 -0600

During her preschool years, my daughter, Katie, had a great love for Dora the Explorer, as the photo above will attest.

Apparently this love has faded.

One morning a couple weeks ago, I woke up and shuffled out to the living room. Katie was already up and watching something on TV. She heard me walk out of my room and said:

“I. Am. So. Bored.
Aargh.
The only thing on is Dora the Explorer!"

Every couple minutes, she would burst out with a new exclamation, in full-on exasperation--directed mostly at the television, partly at me. It was so funny.

"I want to punch whoever invented Dora the Explorer
in the FACE!"

"No! Not that song!!!"

"Why would a GIRL be friends with a MONKEY?"

"Mom, how could you even STAND it
when I watched this show?"

(Sorry, Dora.)

4 Days, 4 Vids, 4 Questions (Day 4)

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 19:43:09 -0600

Today...a little Improv Everywhere. Because every time they stage one of their missions, I wish I’d been a part of it. (If you’re confused about this whole 4/4/4 thing, check out Thursday’s post. If you want more Improv Everywhere videos, go to improveverywhere.com--just make sure you have a fair bit of time, because you might end up staying there for a while.)

Today’s Video:

And the questions (Post your thoughts in the comments):

What’s so great about this video? Seriously. What does it do well? Where’s the genius in it?

Why do you think this video is popping up all over the interwebs? What makes it linkable and contagious? (If you’re tempted to link it to your friends--or already have--why?)

Assuming you have arenas where you’d like your communication to be more infectious (in the good way, not the creepy way), what can you learn and apply from this video?

What other question do you wish I were asking about this video? Answer it.