Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Daily Writing

Writers love to write more than anything else. It's something that's in us that just has to be expressed. But, many of us tend to procrastinate and do so many other things before we even get started. With the modern age, it seems we could be so much more efficient at this. To simply turn on a computer and start up where we left off should be easy...not that writing is ever truly easy. Butwe immediately get distracted by checking our e-mails, reading the news, surfing a bit, maybe doing a little shopping, checking in with friends on Facebook and Twitter...the list goes on.

It's best to have a set time to write every day. Not the perfect time - because that never happens - but a scheduled, and logical, time. For a night owl like me, trying to write at five in the morning would be a waste of time.

I like the way the creative process is described on the site Brain Pickings:
"Because creativity, after all, is a combinatorial force. It’s our ability to tap into the mental pool of resources — ideas, insights, knowledge, inspiration — that we’ve accumulated over the years just by being present and alive and awake to the world, and to combine them in extraordinary new ways. In order for us to truly create and contribute to culture, we have to be able to connect countless dots, to cross-pollinate ideas from a wealth of disciplines, to combine and recombine these ideas and build new ideas — like LEGOs. The more of these building blocks we have, and the more diverse their shapes and colors, the more interesting our creations will become."
In the post The Daily Routines of Famous Writers, there are some great routines by some very well-known, successful writers. You have to admire their persistence...and, for most, the lack of modern conveniences that we take for granted.

The point is, do whatever works for you, but by all means, do it. And try to do it daily. The writers in this article produced some beautiful writing over their lifetimes. Some are still with us, some are long gone. But, isn't that one of the coolest things about writing? Once it's in print, the words live on with us forever.

Monday, April 15, 2013

The Right Hat

I've always loved hats on other women, but I felt a bit silly in them. I do have an assortment of warm, knit hats for winter, but these are for walks in the cold or shoveling snow. Although I would periodically try on a hat that looked fun, I could never find a style that worked on me.

Out shopping with a friend a couple weeks ago, I showed her a hat that I had tried on a few days earlier. I thought that I had finally found one that fit just right, but I needed another opinion

She liked it as much as I did.

The final style: A Cloche hat...black straw with a small tie that circled around the back. It felt chic. It felt comfortable. It felt very Boho, very French - which, of course, I loved.

So, I guess it's true. There's a right style out there for everyone - even if you don't think you're a hat girl.