Writers inspiring writers

Evening on the Rise                                                                                                                                           Catherine Al-Meten

How writers open doors to other writers.

Writers write, and they also read. Through our reading we are influenced by other writers, and Madeleine L’Engle, the author of The Swiftly Tilting Planet, A Wrinkle in Time, and other works written for young people, inspired me and a whole class of 13-year olds over 25 years ago. L’Engle referred to some of the poems of Henry Vaughan in her books, and that let me to discover who Vaughan was. Because his poetry spoke to me so directly, I had to know more about him. He has remained one of my favorite sources of inspiration both as a reader and a writer. 

Henry Vaughan lived from 1621-1695. He was born in Wales and had a twin brother, Thomas who was a philosopher and alchemist.  Henry and his brother both attended Oxford University, and Henry left Oxford after two years to study law in London. By the time he was in his early 20s, Henry had married Catherine Wise, and they had three daughters. In 1655, after Catherine died, Henry married her younger sister, Elizabeth with whom he had four more children.

Henry Vaughan wrote poetry, essays, and literary criticism over the course of his life. He is considered a metaphysical poet, and much of his poetry focused on the relationship between humanity and God. Vaughan viewed this relationship as a restless and constant  search to find harmony through the connection with the Divine. He is viewed as a visionary rather than a realist, and was greatly influenced by George Herbert, another metaphysical, visionary poet of the 16th Century.  He says of Herbert’s influence, “a blessed man whose holy life and verse made many pious converts of whom I am the least.”

When we read and when we share a poem, a book, or an essay with someone else, we never know how we might pass along some kernel of hope, some beam of light, or some comfort to someone who will use that gift to create something even more beautiful. As we continue our journey through poetry this month, dig deep, search high and low, and discover something special to enjoy and pass along to others.  Here is a a piece by Henry Vaughan that I believe encapsulates the metaphysical poets at their best.

MAN.
by Henry Vaughan

        WEIGHING the stedfastness and state 
Of some mean things which here below reside, 
Where birds, like watchful clocks, the noiseless date 
        And intercourse of times divide, 
Where bees at night get home and hive, and flow'rs 
              Early, as well as late, 
Rise with the sun and set in the same bow'rs ; 

2.

        I would—said I—my God would give 
The staidness of these things to man ! for these 
To His divine appointments ever cleave, 
        And no new business breaks their peace ; 
The birds nor sow nor reap, yet sup and dine ; 
              The flow'rs without clothes live, 
Yet Solomon was never dress'd so fine. 

3.

        Man hath still either toys, or care ; 
He hath no root, nor to one place is tied, 
But ever restless and irregular 
        About this Earth doth run and ride. 
He knows he hath a home, but scarce knows where ; 
              He says it is so far, 
That he hath quite forgot how to go there. 

4.

        He knocks at all doors, strays and roams, 
Nay, hath not so much wit as some stones have, 
Which in the darkest nights point to their homes, 
        By some hid sense their Maker gave ; 
Man is the shuttle, to whose winding quest 
              And passage through these looms 
God order'd motion, but ordain'd no rest. 

Kristen Lamb's Blog: How Being Tired Can Make You a Better Writer

A great article for writers who are having trouble getting started, getting back to, or getting onto the next stage of  their Work in Progress.  When we have a large project, fiction or non-fiction, we need reminders like this to help put things in perspective. I highly recommend reading her article, and subscribing to her blog if you are a writer who wants to get down to business.

 Visit Kristen Lamb's Blog to read her article, How Being Tired Can Make You a Better Writer.

Being a author is more than writing

Recently, I was in a local bookstore chatting with the bookstore owner. She was complaining about a man who had come into the store announcing that he was the author of a book,  and he wanted her to promote and sell his books.  The bookstore owner was flabberghasted by the nerve of the writer who seemed to have no idea what his responsibilities were as an author. 

This morning while reading one of the writer's blogs I subscribe to, I read a thread labeled, "Do I need to write a press release?"  Made me wonder if any of the writers who regularly post on some of the blogs for writers, ever do their homework?  There's more to being a writer or an author than writing. 

Writing is a passion, a craft, an art, and an accomplished skill.  While we may seem to be 'born to write', all truly accomplished writers have learned the skills and rules of their craft. Excellent writers hone their skills, edit, write and rewrite, and really good writers learn to select good editors. 

Good writers read. Reading good literature helps a writer understand how to use language. Reading allows us to expand our knowledge, awareness, and reading exposes us to a wide range of good and bad writing, if we allow it to. At the end of the day, reading is my companion, and I am inspired by those who delve deeply into other writers for inspiration, understanding, or the sheer joy of immersing themselves in that writer's body of work. One good friend of mine is reading the complete works of Marcel Proust. Another reads and rereads the works of Jane Austen on a regular basis.  I reread Man's Search for Meaning and Gifts from the Sea regularly, but Shakespeare and  poets including Henry Vaughn, W.B.Yeats, William Blake, and contemporary women poets including Mary Oliver, Alice Walker, Wislawa Szymborska , Louise Erdrich, and Annie Dillard call me. 

Poetry, mystery, history, psychology, spirituality and religion, even politics and geography call me to dig deep and read. Learning, ongoing learning is another aspect of becoming a good writer. We begin writing from that which we know, but our writing is enriched by what we add to the basic outline or inspiration of our work. As Louise Erdrich said flippantly or not in an interview when asked by the New York Times reporter, "What advice would you give to other writers", she responded, "Take notes."  I carry small notebooks, large notebooks, spiral notebooks and bound notebooks, with me wherever I go.  A small spiral tablet in the pocket of my jeans or a stack of index cards in my jacket pocket, provide me with the necessary paper to take notes, jot down an idea, record a thought or experience, or remember the name and author of a good book. Paper napkins, the back of a book jacket, or any other scrap of paper can hold a treasure of ideas and recorded messages from walks, talks, or musings over cups of coffee and bagels. 

Copious notetaking and research is a major part of my writing experience. Whether I learned this from my long academic career, or whether this is analagous to bringing in the sheaves, harvesting the crops, and storing up for winter, for a writer, gathering ideas, thoughts, information about our subjects, descriptions for our settings, or photographs, sketches, and trips to refresh our memories are part of our writing process. 

Writers each have a style that suits the purpose of doing the background and research to gird and enhance the quality of our work. Also true is that each writer has a way they work best. For some like writer, Anne Dillard, the process is disciplined and scheduled, 

"A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections at a time."

Writing is a practice, and by that I mean if writing is to result in a finished product, it is more than the whimsical delight of putting pen to paper or tapping our ideas across a digital screen.  Writing can indeed be a whimsical delight, however, it must go beyond and around that if we are to arrive at a destination. To get a book written and completed, then published and marketed, it first has to be done as well as it possibly can be.  The practice of writing is written about endlessly. Everyone has an idea about how to develop as a writer. We are fortunate to live in a time when at least some want to support other writers develop, grow, and succeed in their goal to write and publish. One of the things we now need to do, is to unplug ourselves from the screen filled with blog after blog of advice, the writing group that endlessly critiques and challenges our writing spirit, and the endless number of distractions that may enhance your writing practice when done in small doses, but tend to become obssessions that take our attention, time, and body away from the task of writing.  Writers write, and a writing practice is in large part about dedicating time, space, large parts of our life and commitment of body, mind, and spirit to the task and art of writing.

What does a writing practice look like? Mine consists of establishing a routine and a set of priorities for what I intend to work on. I make a list of priorities, and then build my day's and week's work around that. When I have a large project, for example a book, I set tasks and priorities for the long haul of the project. 

While working on a big project, I always have a number of other projects going on. I learned a process many years ago about first making a list of those task, goals, and projects I want to work on. Next, I sort those projects according to the level of urgency or need. For example, if I want to enter an essay in a writing contest, I have an imposed deadline, and I work around that. In my writing practice, there has to be room for spontaneity.  I might be more productive with larger projects if I weren't so enthralled by some of the more fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants projects that I tackle. 

Writers differ in style. Some writers work on one project at a time to the exclusion of all other writing projects.  Others, work on a variety of projects at a time.  In both cases, writers still have to deal with distractions and demands on their time, energy, health, and mental energy.  Those of us who teach understand that the energy required of teachers draws from  the same well that writers need to be able to write.  Sabbaticals are good for giving writers time, energy, and focus to write. For others of us, we use our academic discpline and practice to devote ourselves to treating our writing as if it were a course we were teaching or a major project we were trying to complete.  As I would lay out a dissertation, thesis term paper, or class syllabus/outline, so too I lay out my major writing projects.  In addition, I have developed routines to take care of my health when I am working on a book. I plan my exercise, my meals, even times for having fun, and then I stick to routine. 

Writers set priorities that take into account the other interestes and demands on their time.  Each person has to determine what matters most to them. Family is important to me, and whatever I do revolves around the time I spend with my family and close circle of friends. Since I live far from people I am closest to, I travel a lot and I use technology to keep me connected when we cannot be together.  Because I can write on the go (thanks to laptops and digital tablets), the writing life is easier than it use to be for travelers.    

Other than family, since I have been a full-time writer, the priorities I set have to do with what to write. I have to determine what writing is worth my time and energy.  Writers have to determine what matters most, and what is best for them at any given time in their career. Just because you are good at something and could do it, doesn't necessarily mean that project, job, or work is good for you.  When I let go of doing things that are not supporting me, as a writer or as a person, I make room for doing what enhances and enriches me.  For three years I published an online journal. I began doing it because I enjoyed it and wanted to encourage other women to write.  When I stopped doing it, I still enjoyed it but decided it was not paying for itself, and I had reached the finish line for that particular project.  Taking a freelance job that does not pay what your time and energy is worth, is not often a good idea. There are times when we take jobs for other than financial reward; we take a job because it is interesting or may open us to a new area.  We use a job to help us hone our craft. There are many reasons to take jobs that do not pay well, but there will come a time when letting go of 'working for peanuts' will be the right choice. 

Writers have to raise their expectations.  Writers are not automatically entitled to success or to their books making it to the top of the bestseller's list.  We writers however, have to raise our expectations in proportion to the level and quality of work we want to write.  When our writing results in a book or piece of writing that we are proud of , when we have honed our writing skills and have dedicated ourselves to making our living as a writer, we then have to do what it takes to be successful. For newly-published authors (with either the mainstream publishers or as a self-published author), the work begins to distribute and market the book.  Even best-selling authors like Anne Lamont and Louise Erdrich, have to go out on the road to meet the public and talk about their books in an effort to get people to buy their work.  If you have published a book, that is your job as a writer. If you have an agent, publicist, or assistant, you will get some encouragement and help, but you still have to do the work. Walking into a bookstore and asking a bookstore owner to take a chance on stocking your books or promoting you, is not the way to go. Writers need to educate themselves on how the publishing business works, and how it is changing.  Companies like Lulu and CreateSpace provide all kinds of support, information, and good ideas for helping writers promote their work.  Before you complete your book, find out what you should be doing to help promote your book before and after it is published. Writer, Linda Formicelli and literary agent, Rachelle Gardner both have websites and blogs which provide helpful advice to writers. Writer, C.Hope Clarke, publishes a weekly newsletter with writing advice and encouragement, contests, and jobs. If you really want to become a successful author and if you want to sell your books, learn the ropes from those out there who know how to do it. 

Back to the Land                                                                         Catherine Al-Meten

As award-winning writer Louise Erdrich noted, "Writers make few choices, really, about their material. We have to write about what comes naturally and what interests us."  Writers write because they want to communicate about those interests and observations of life. I write because I hope something I have learned will help someone else. I write because I want to share the beauty of life, the hope that we can survive and accomplish a greater purpose, and because I just love the feel of words coming out of my fingers. If you are going to write and publish what you write, take on the responsibility of learning what you can about how to do it right. Writing is one thing I think we need to avoid the "learning the hard way" path. Learn from those who already traveled the path, and use your powers of discernment to discover what kernels of gold are to be found in their advice. Take responsibility for your own development and success as a writer, and keep on putting your work out to be read by others.  

Frilly Silly Filly, a poem

Frilly

Silly

Filly

Where it is you’ve been?

Prancing

Dancing

Trancing

‘Cross fields

into the Wind.

Frilly

Silly

filly

What it is, you do

all day

among the clover

the bees

the birds,

and you?

Frilly

Silly

Filly

So beautiful and new

to life in fields

and pastures

to streams

and hills

 and you. 

Frilly

Silly

Filly

How find you, life so far?

Running 

Prancing

Dancing

through

 life upon a farm?

Frilly 

Silly 

Filly

What wish you, on a star?

A friendly hand,

An apple sweet,

a friendly dapple mare

to roll a bucket 

for you to chase,

to nestle beside you

near a pile of hay

when comes the end of day.

2/19/2013

Thinking of a Frilly Sill Filly and My Darling Lola

copyright@Catherine Al-Meten, 2013

Mother and Child                                                                                                                        Catherine Al-Meten
Oregon City                                                                                                                                            March 2005

Poetry: Language of the In Between

Poetry is born from the times in between. The waiting times, the hunger times, the longing times, and the times when we seem to be able to do nothing more. Yet, in that space between times, images, sensations, emotions, and our chattering minds seem to find, in stillness, a moment to capture, a moment to find ourselves awake and alert to the eternal Now.  

From my latest book, Shadows: A Collection of Poetry, a stanza from "Waiting for Snow."

Snuggled beneath warm covers,

Propped up on piles of pillows,

High in the warmth of the white iron bed,

Doll-like in perpetual pose,

Straining, praying,

Waiting for snow."

 Spend some time in the stillness of your days and nights, sinking deeper into the language of the in between...poetry.  Consider too, jotting down your own experiences, observations, feelings, and imaginative, intuitive ideas. You never know, but that your in-between times a poem or a story or a tale or a painting, a vase, or piece of jewelery, or new invention might be seeded. 

Rainy Day on the Pier                                                                                                                                     Catherine Al-Meten

Snowed in or just wanting to stay by a warm fire and catch up on your reading? Stuck in an airport, or waiting in the car or waiting room for someone’s game, rehearsal, class, appointment or practice to finish? May I suggest getting my book, Shadows: A Collection of Poetry  for your Kindle.  Shadows: A Collection of Poetry is a fine collection of poetry and some striking photography, and it is  available now on Kindle.  You can also order a paperback copy and get free shipping  on Amazon.com. 

Why I Don't Do Meetings

Wisps                                                                                                     Catherine Al-Meten

For most of my life, much of each day has been planned. When I was a child, my parents planned my life. I had lots of free time to roam and wonder, to play and have fun.  When in school for many, many years, life revolved around school, homework, friends, and finding time to do all the things I wanted and needed to do. 

Once I began working, life continued to revolve around the hours of work, and since I’ve always had more than one job going at a time, life was filled with meetings, events, and activities including preparing for meetings, events, and activities. While working, I was also going to school, and because people have always been important to me, life revolved around friends...most of whom I met while, you guessed it, working or going to school, or both.  While working and going to school, I was also starting my own family. I had my Daughter in my early 20s, and after 2 years, became a single mother until my mid-30s. I married, continued mothering, began helping take care of my parents who were now aging and in fragile health, and doing all the other things I had been doing. As a teacher, administrator, and counselor, life continued to be about meetings, planning, preparing, activities, researching, learning, writing, discovering, activities, events, and more meetings. For many years, this lifestyle appealed to me, in fact fed me and nourished me, and I was perfectly happy in the rhythms of life.

When I was working an executive level administrative job on the East Coast, my Daughter had her first child. My granddaughter’s birth was a turning point in my life, and within a few months, I had moved to the Bay area to help my daughter with my Granddaughter. From that moment, my priorities shifted. It was a 8.0 earthquake event in my life.  One week I am working 24/7, responsible for multiple programs, budgets, obligations, and 5-year plans.  The next week, I’m sitting in a rocking chair in my bathrobe in the middle of the day rocking a 2-month old child--my granddaughter, and I thought at that moment, “There is nothing more important to me than being right here where I am with this beautiful child.” I felt then, and I continue to feel so grateful that my Daughter allowed me to come and help her take care of this lovely child who is now 6 years old. 

At the same time I became Yaya, I also resolved to commit myself to running my own businesses.  From that point, I have been a self-employed writer, photographer, and spiritual counselor.  Like many who work for themselves know, we can drive ourselves hard. Our work no longer depends entirely on someone else’s whim or plan. We operate according to our own schedules (often late into the night or days without a break), and we decide the direction of our work. A little over 6 months ago, I began leading workshops and meditation groups at a local yoga studio. I love what I’m doing, and am only committed to be there 2-3 hours a week.  I see clients in my home, at the studio and at other venues (bookstores, care facilities). My writing and photography work I do daily, and I arrange counseling for a couple of sessions a week.  

So, as you might see, though I am in charge of the planning of my life, it continues to be full of meetings, activities, and events.  At this moment, I am longing for some time to try out a different style of living. I realize that when I have a spare moment, I long for quiet and calm.  I long for an intimacy about life that doesn’t include work, obligations, meetings, or events. I long to live next door to my daughter and granddaughter so we can drop by one another’s house on a daily basis for tea, a laugh, a walk, or a talk.  I long to have someone else in the house that has been mine alone for too long. I long to get into the stickiness and fun and chaos and joy and struggle of life lived in close connection.  I long to catch up on all the years I’ve missed with the man I love. I long to find out what it feels like to just ‘be’ without anything on my schedule.  I long for a vacation that is actually about relaxing and not about more plans, meetings, projects, and events.  

Why am I writing this to address the question, “why I don’t like to make appointments? I long to not have to set my life aside  or take up space in my brain awaiting the telephone meeting or long-awaited call to a friend.  I’d rather be with my friends. I’d rather be with my family and those I love, and not just experience them as a date on a calendar, an item on an agenda, a plan on an itinerary, or a dream for the future. Life, for me, is in urgent need of living, now. Clearing my calendar, setting aside plans and schemes, and heading into a time when I am enjoying life as it is, regardless of where I am or who I am with.  

Making appointments means I’ve set time aside to meet; it also means until the meeting, I will be spending a great deal of time and energy preparing myself to be in some contrived experience that aims to create connection. Not sure that’s how I want to do it any more. I’d like to see what it’s like to live day to day. To take some time to smell the flowers and plant some. To go where my whim takes me, and to invite in more intimacy, connection, and love. Some who think writers and photographers live lives of leisure, will think I already live a life of ease. Others who know, may understand. It really doesn’t matter whether anyone understands, and this is something that I will need to remind myself of, because living up to the expectations of others is part and parcel with the way most of us live; indeed it’s what has been a defining aspect of my life. Now I wish to live from the motivations of love, connection, and communication with those who are truly the loves of my life.

I long to hear the call of Spirit within me, that asks that I follow the longings that lead me to live an authentic life of love, devoted to beauty, harmony, and connection. Peace within, peace without. A life lived mindfully can be of more benefit to humankind if for no other reason that to help recapture the simple need to appreciate ourselves, our lives, and our place in Creation.

Shadows: A Collection of Poetry

In late November, 2012, I put the finishing touches on a collection of poetry I had written over a period of 30 or so years. My original intention was to compile a little something for a poetry reading to which I had been invited.  What I thought would take a couple of weeks, became a major project, and an exciting adventure. Adventure comes in many forms. There are the adventures of traveling and discovering new places or people, or of living out a long-held dream.  My life has been full of adventure for I have been one who likes to keep seeking. What's next? What's on the other side of this experience? What is beneath the surface of these emotions? What would it be like if...."

Writing and publishing Shadows: A Collection of Poetry was an adventure on several surprising levels. Fir st, compiling, rereading, and remembering what had triggered the poetry, sent me back in time and deep into my subconscious. The poetry I had written reawakened me to people, emotions, experiences, and a great deal of unsettled memories.  The poetry came out of a place within me that was quite different from my persona...the "me" I had come to believe was how the world saw me.  It reminded me of a lot of deep-seated sorrow, grief, and unresolved issues that could only find release through poetry.  

For me, poetry comes from a place inside that finds langugage nearly useless. Only by connecting to how my experience links me to the world within and around me, can I relieve myself of that which holds onto me. Writing about the effects of war, loss, separation, and longing, can only be done in small pieces. Most of the time, the source lays quiet in a place of patient acceptance, or is channeled in a flurry of activity to turn "it" into something bearable and life-affirming.   Even to try to write about what poetry means to me or what motivates me to write, is nearly impossible.  

I say nearly, as without thought or intention, some small moment, some brief glimpse or inspiration will bring a distorted, chaotic mess into focus. The glimmer of hope that shines through even the darkest moment in someone's life, will touch me. The beauty of the sun filtering through a tree, or a bird appearing at my window will bring my world back into focus. And that is all. The willingness to be open to those moments, to see the blessings in the worst of times, and to light on a branch long enough to settle into building a nest of words that can find a home in a piece of poetry. 
That's all there is. That's the grandeur and the glory of poetry.

To catch a glimpse of how some of that poetry makes its way into the nest, read a bit from Shadows: A collection of poetry. 

Another adventure that came out of publishing Shadows: A Collection of Poetry, was the experience of getting this book ready, from start to publication to marketing. Out of an adventure I began long ago, and a dream I had to begin my own publishing company, I also gave birth to Whales & Nightingales Press and Writing Services, a company designed to assist other poets and authors get their work prepared, published and marketed. 

For more information about Shadows, visit the Facebook Page

Shadows: A Collection of Poetry's Facebook Page.