Mid-Week Inspiration

Anyone need a mid-week writerly kick in the pants? I sure do. So today just sit back, grab a cup o' joe, and be inspired. Oh yeah, and feel free to steal these and spread the inspiration around.

Do You Need a Lucky Elephant?

Is there a certain amount of luck in getting published? Do you need to know all the lyrics to The Age of Aquarius, or master a writerly gangsta handshake, or own a secret publisher decoder ring? Is getting awarded a contract merely a crapshoot?

Sometimes it is, but most often it's simply writing a killer story, and guess what...that's probably not going to happen your first time out the chute. Think of your writing as a fine wine or an aged piece of Cheddar. Translation: it takes time. Experience. And tons of writing.

Most new writers don't want to hear that. I didn't. I was going to prove the system wrong. And actually, that's a good attitude to hold on to for as long as you can. Otherwise you'll quit.

"Perseverance is the hard work you do

after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did."

~ Newt Gingrich

SOIREE QUESTION OF THE DAY:

There is a character in A HEART DECEIVED that is deeply superstitious, especially when it comes to luck . . . to the point of rubbing the belly of a porcelain elephant. Who is it? Leave your answer in the comment section, and if you're correct, I'll enter your name in the soiree drawing.

Need Some Inspiration?

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Lately I've been careening through life on two wheels and honestly am flat-out running on empty. And I'm likely not the only one. Anyone else need a little kickstart out there?

I have several go-to places when I need my inspirational tank filled. Today I'll share one of them with you. Ever read any Carl Sandburg? Best poet of all time, in my humble opinion. I love to crack open The Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg and just peruse. So come along with me. Grab a cup of java and/or tea of your choice, sit back, and enjoy a few word combinations that only the great one could pen.

Disclaimer: Sandburg's poems don't rhyme and they aren't always pretty. I like them because his words make you think.

STREET WINDOW
The pawn-shop man knows hunger,
and how far hunger has eaten the heart
of one who comes with an old keepsake.
Here are wedding rings and baby bracelets,
Scarf pins and shoe buckles, jeweled garters,
old-fashioned knives with inlaid handles,
watches of old gold and silver,
old coins worn with finger-marks.
They tell stories.

PORTRAIT OF A MOTOR CAR
It's a lean car
a long-legged dog of a car
a gray-ghost eagle car.
The feet of it eat the dirt of the road
the wings of it eat the hills.
Danny the driver dreams of it when he sees women in red skirts and red sox in his sleep.
It is in Danny's life and runs in the blood of him,
a lean gray-ghost car.

FIRE LOGS
Nancy Hanks dreams by the fire;
Dreams, and the logs sputter,
and the yellow tongues climb.
Red lines lick their way in flickers.
Oh, sputter, logs.
Oh, dream, Nancy.
Time now for a beautiful child.
Time now for a tall man to come.