Great balls of cinders! Has it really been that long since I last posted? I knew this point would come. Anyway, I was waiting for my coffee to cool earlier today, just enjoying watching the steam wisp and dance its way into nothingness. I spent a good five minutes just watching the steam rise, the lack of a pattern in its movement; its complete and utter disregard for straight lines.
It is one of those 'little things' that you do not ordinarily stop to notice, but when I did, it swept me up completely - I was totally enthralled! I have a friend whose aim for 2011 was to record one 'little miracle' every day of the year. He was going really well for a start, but then fell down (as many of us have a tendency to do). I thought, "I'm going to try that, but just for one month: September". So in a couple of days my journal of 'Little Things' will commence. It need not be long, perhaps only a sentence or two. We live in a very special place, on a completely incredible planet, and take a lot for granted. Hopefully September will help me open my eyes a little more.
Please feel free to join in with your own 'Little Things' during September. I will be posting up my little things every few days.
Oh, and I was reading about NaNoWriMo - god, it's only a couple of months away, and I'm going to have a shot at it!
Must be crazy,
Luke
Saturday 27 August 2011
Monday 15 August 2011
When life mirrors the homily
Sunday morning was beautiful and vibrant; a welcome change from all the rain we have been getting. It was the twentieth Ordinary Sunday, and I sat in my church with my wife and my parents who were visiting for the weekend. The day's homily (sermon/message etc) focused on the way we react to and treat beggars in the street. There they are, crying out for aid for reasons unbeknown to us; stirring up a range of emotions and thoughts in us, the 'fortunate', the very instant they initiate contact. As they who beg are poor in material belongings, we who refuse assistance are poor in compassion and love. I thought about that point, deciding that yes, they may be there through their own doing, whether that be drugs, gambling or some other destructive pastime, or it may have been just a most unlucky series of events that brought them to the life they were now marooned in.
I went away questioning myself and wondering how I might react next time I was in that situation.
What happened later that day was most unexpected. I was presented with the very opportunity I had been left in thought with, although with a slight twist.
I was dabbling on the guitar after lunch and we heard a knock at the back door. Our neighbour stood holding a little bundle of joy - the cutest black and white kitten! She was wondering if we had misplaced her. She had been looking after her for a short while, but her son was having an allergic reaction.
Presto! To offer compassion and love, or not to offer to compassion and love? That was the question! Well, my wife and I are suckers for cute things. We took her in and gave her a bit of tucker which she gorged down in seconds.
Three days later, she is still with us. My wife was feeling a touch of guilt that she had stolen someone's new kitty, so we are going to put an ad in the local rag, as well as mailbox drop in the nearby streets. Little Chloe is very affectionate, healthy, and seems quite happy staying with us for now. I'll get around to posting up a photo of her shortly.
I'm going along to church next weekend with the hope that the homily is about the man that found a pile of gold...
With optimism,
Luke
I went away questioning myself and wondering how I might react next time I was in that situation.
What happened later that day was most unexpected. I was presented with the very opportunity I had been left in thought with, although with a slight twist.
I was dabbling on the guitar after lunch and we heard a knock at the back door. Our neighbour stood holding a little bundle of joy - the cutest black and white kitten! She was wondering if we had misplaced her. She had been looking after her for a short while, but her son was having an allergic reaction.
Presto! To offer compassion and love, or not to offer to compassion and love? That was the question! Well, my wife and I are suckers for cute things. We took her in and gave her a bit of tucker which she gorged down in seconds.
Three days later, she is still with us. My wife was feeling a touch of guilt that she had stolen someone's new kitty, so we are going to put an ad in the local rag, as well as mailbox drop in the nearby streets. Little Chloe is very affectionate, healthy, and seems quite happy staying with us for now. I'll get around to posting up a photo of her shortly.
I'm going along to church next weekend with the hope that the homily is about the man that found a pile of gold...
With optimism,
Luke
Tuesday 9 August 2011
Hacking and Slashing
What a liberating feeling! A few days ago I was dreading the task of decimating my WIP; now backspace has become my favourite button on the keyboard. I am one of those people who stringently checks the word count, satisfied with each new milestone - every hundred when I'm really dragging, and every thousand most other times. As I type this, I strangely have in my head the picture of someone who is dieting stepping onto the scales numerous times every day, with hope of catching a moment when their weight is less than it was before. This is what my writing life has come to.
While now somewhat deflated by the much-reduced word count, I feel as though a great evil has been purged and I am ready to press on forth! Well, not quite - the cutting is still in full swing (pun intended) although the end is nigh.
On a semi-related note, the short story that blossomed into a novel idea has been plaguing my thoughts so heavily that I had to write the second chapter. Am I committing a naughty? Or is it wise to write what is foremost in the mind? Either way, I am in desperate need of discipline. I'm off to read some other bloggers' thoughts on such things.
Sharpening blades (not real ones...) and giving grades,
Luke
While now somewhat deflated by the much-reduced word count, I feel as though a great evil has been purged and I am ready to press on forth! Well, not quite - the cutting is still in full swing (pun intended) although the end is nigh.
On a semi-related note, the short story that blossomed into a novel idea has been plaguing my thoughts so heavily that I had to write the second chapter. Am I committing a naughty? Or is it wise to write what is foremost in the mind? Either way, I am in desperate need of discipline. I'm off to read some other bloggers' thoughts on such things.
Sharpening blades (not real ones...) and giving grades,
Luke
Monday 1 August 2011
Frustcitement
Ugh, today I became simultaneously depressed and enlightened about the novel I am writing. I had a light-bulb moment whilst sipping my coffee - "You know what?" said my brain, "This plot is cliche, boring, and completely waffly!" The funny thing was, I couldn't help but agree with the sudden realisation, and at the same time hate myself for not realising sooner! But I have since been considering some serious revisions to begin hacking my current 25k words to shreds, slashing plain characters (found three already), really building the world in which the novel is set, and actually writing something decent! Well, that last part is wishful thinking, but all the rest is well and truly achievable.
I had the awkward moment's thought where I considered trudging forward through the tripe, since that is what much of the advice seems to suggest, however it seems positively fruitless when all I'll be doing eventually is making changes I could have made now. No point waiting until the pile of poop blocks out the light; best clean it while there is still some sunshine.
On a lighter note, the short story I wrote and my wife perused the other day, somehow morphed into an idea for a novel; seventeen chapters just planned themselves today. Such fun.
All this talk of tripe and fruit has me pining for some supper.
Bonne nuit,
Luke
I had the awkward moment's thought where I considered trudging forward through the tripe, since that is what much of the advice seems to suggest, however it seems positively fruitless when all I'll be doing eventually is making changes I could have made now. No point waiting until the pile of poop blocks out the light; best clean it while there is still some sunshine.
On a lighter note, the short story I wrote and my wife perused the other day, somehow morphed into an idea for a novel; seventeen chapters just planned themselves today. Such fun.
All this talk of tripe and fruit has me pining for some supper.
Bonne nuit,
Luke
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