As I’m dodging the heat during these dog days of summer, I take the time to remind myself to slow  down and enjoy every moment. And… make time to hit the playground. Willow knows what I’m talking about:

So does Pango (below). Being carefree does wonders, even if it’s for a short while. Whether it’s playing around with words and stories, hanging out with our animal friends, human friends, or favorite jasmine bushes, or simply engaging in activity that lifts our spirits, it’s fun!

Playground ideas for writers:

– Write something different, inspiring, uplifting. I’ve been doing that lately and I give myself a lift each time. 

– Read something uplifting. Even a simple quote like this one will do the trick:

Nothing is too wonderful to happen or too good to last. ~ Florence Scovel Shinn

– Write a thank you note or any kind of thoughtful note to someone. I read an article about a woman who was hooked on painkillers. She couldn’t survive without them, until her doctor told her she had to stop, at least temporarily. She needed an operation and the painkillers conflicted with the procedure. So, for two weeks, she went cold turkey and to divert herself, took the time to write thank you notes to everyone, from her gardener, to the cashier at the grocery store, to the postal worker, and so on. Every day for two weeks. Then she had her operation, which was successful. Her physician informed her she could resume her painkillers. Well, guess what? She didn’t need them anymore. Gradually, while writing the heartfelt notes, her pain diminished to nothing. Writing in a positive manner does help.

– Single-tasking does wonders for the soul and the mind. I’m a recent convert after engaging in high-level, multi-tasking for years. I find my mind is now clearer, my thoughts where I want them to be, and the moments more enjoyable. What took me so long? 

There is so much more to playground activities (baking treats, taking walks in nature, gardening, spending time with loved ones). So many opportunities to play daily. We all deserve some playtime, don’t we?

Why do we incorporate the five senses in our writings?

Often it’s to help us show rather than tell. “There was a damp chill in the air” tells us (and the characters), indirectly, to grab a jacket. Instead of writing that “the orange juice was sweet”, how about, “it was like drinking a glass filled with sunshine.” Also, writing with the senses may help:

– make readers feel they are part of the experience in such a way as to breathe life into a setting, a person, an animal and so on.

– to keep our work from seeming two dimensional. Utilizing the senses fleshes things out to make them appear more real.

– to promote understanding in readers. Why does this house seem haunted? Why is the woman moving so slowly?

But writing using the senses can also help readers focus on the qualities of a person, place or thing. For instance, in my latest, MURDEROUS MEANS, a psychic is introduced. Readers are told that Heidi is around thirty, looks a certain way, and definitely behaves in a certain way. Is she legitimate or not? Where is she coming from? Why is she even in the story?

Using the senses of sight and hearing, readers have the opportunity to learn about Heidi’s qualities beyond just the physical: she has insecurities which make her appear arrogant; that make her engage in certain actions. She has her own agenda and won’t waver from it. Uncovering her qualities encourages readers to ask why Heidi behaves a certain way, which in turn leads to understanding.

I so appreciate gaining some understanding of myself when I’m reading about the behavior and mindsets of others, including of fictional characters. What can I learn from a situation is a question I often ask myself and have my heroine, Corrie, ask herself. This is how we grow as humans and how our hero/ines grow as the stars of our fiction. 

I’ve given up on writing a few times, but I keep coming back. Because, when I don’t write, I feel empty, alone, a little lost. There’s nothing quite like creating a new fictional world with new characters, predicaments, emotions. Especially scenes that involve overcoming negative emotions, such as anger, frustration, impatience. Every time my heroine, Corrie, has to overcome an emotion or a challenge, it’s most gratifying to witness the way she takes her obstacles down. And when she can’t take them down, she races (or even tiptoes) around them.

Writing can be a means of taking control, vicariously, of our own lives. Another driver was rude today? Let Corrie handle it. You wish you’d said something during a tense situation? No problem. Corrie can say those words when she’s in a tough spot. See what I mean?

This is what makes writing fiction irresistible. In my last post, I mentioned truths we discover about ourselves when we write. We also let off steam through our stories, which helps promote calmness and relaxation.

There’s something very Zen about writing, kind of like taking a walk in the woods or listening to the soothing sound of water in a running stream. Plus, what else can you do that will take you straight to the people you’d like to hang around? Book readers, librarians, other introverts and word lovers. Does this sound dull to you? Try spending ten minutes talking to any of the aforementioned and see for yourself. My local librarian always has something fascinating to offer. There’s nothing quite as gratifying as talking to another reader about a book you both enjoyed. Or didn’t. And introverts? They’re often gentle folk with a greater sense of understanding. As for word lovers…I have a great admiration for those who use their words thoughtfully, and with precision. 

When I take a pause in my writing, it means I’m recharging to return, full-speed to weave a tale for myself and others to enjoy. See what you’d miss if you give up on writing?