Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Awe

His ear is so perfectly formed--a masterpiece of flesh and elegance. I can't believe it, along with all his other pristine parts, was formed inside of me.

When I say "my" child, I'm keenly aware that while he is of me and E., it was his dna, his own magnificent impulse toward life that made him. We just offered the ingredients.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Showing Up

Just over a year ago I was feeling stagnant in my writing--my fiction felt mired in the endless need for revision and I felt I couldn't practice the daily advice I preached to my editing clients. I craved some sort of life adventure that would awaken my creative senses--I didn't know what kind of adventure precisely, just something that would change the way I looked at things and therefore, hopefully, wake up my words too.

Then I got pregnant. The universe is no fool--it heard my plea and answered it loudly (we were hoping to have a child, we just had thought it would happen a little later down the line).

Woo-hee. Nothing like a baby to change everything. I was so blase before. I took everything for granted in my life. Now I see how incredibly lucky I am, and how wasteful it is to squander time or talent. I would give all my teeth to have several hours a day again to write fiction. I know I'll have it again someday, but let this be a lesson to any of you who feel you can't make time for your writing because there's too much on your plate. If you aren't raising small children and dont' have a debilitating illness--MAKE TIME. You have it. You don't even know how much time you have. If you sleep fairly well at night, then you can get up early before work, or write in the evening.

But do it. Show up for your writing life when you can.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Make a Scene Giveaway

Here on my father's birthday, in collaboration with the dynamic Christina Katz--author of Writer Mama--I am participating in her Back to School Giveaway. Visit her blog for a chance to win one of two copies of my book Make a Scene--in hardcover! And stop back by here...I'll be giving away a couple more free copies of my book soon.