IT’S A RICHARD FARINA KIND OF THING

What do you do to keep yourself writing every day? What tricks do you have up your sleeve?  How have you compromised your ego and your false impressions of how writing is supposed to feel, appear and look?  You have to have some discipline if you want to get serious about doing the work–and you really have to drop your ego–completely! All of it–can’t even keep a drop of it hanging around to puff yourself up after putting out that purple prose of yours.  

Me love playing games of hackishness with my readers and writers–like to see how ‘poorly’ I can write and how great that feels not to have to put on airs for the audience—just the art and practice of letting go of perception–for starters! It’s really an incredible tool to have in your so-called tool box–that of not giving a shibam or a kersplunk.  With that–you must learn to trust the process and be determined to show up–and then set a goal and an intention which is constantly changing and incessantly mutable.  

And then–when it’s time to take your dog to the park, then know when it’s time to stop. Now.

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SPOOKIN’ WORD

Have nothing to pass on. You’re on your own today. Figure it out yourself. You can do it. You have to do it. Do you want to?  I love your spirit. It’s great. You can make it.  That intermittent space is a sign.  Can you read it?

Or do you need lenses, or perhaps an altering of your perspective? Stand over here.  There–is it now coming into better focus?  Amazing–isn’t it–the difference of such a seemingly minor key?   Horses speak the truth–but don’t get greedy about it–and spend all of your time with them.  

Small doses, or else!  Or else, doused with so much that it just becomes more water under or over the bridge–and no longer the drop that so perfectly and completely quenches your thirst.   Lately then–this is me stepping out of this perceived role–have been overwhelmed by the complexities accompanying the nature of satisfaction.  

This state has no borders–and it seems to want to increase in size and scope–and how I must work to resist being conquered by such stasis, thereby gaining more comfort and confidence with an edge bordering on uncertainty.  

Finally, a phenomenal line to draw with our purple crayon. Begin. Again. And again.

And again.

CREATING A NUCLEAR-FREE ZONE

Can’t get sentimental when it comes to telling the truth–or exploring the truth–digging into it, accessing it–finding out and figuring out what the heck it might be. So difficult and hard this is–as our emotions get involved–and the past bleeds with present and future. We project and hope–and dream in colors.  

Must consider way more than just our own ‘stuff’ when it comes to disseminating language, spilling it over the rim and through the cracks, while watching for the broken shards and chipped edges. Tension can build up inside and it can render a state interpreted as confused.  No need to let that stand. Purely temporary–of origin and dictation–that is, you can overcome it and move through it. Requires only a strength of mind and a ferocity of spirit.

Many paths, roads, currents are open–more than you might know or realize.  Trial and error a viable option and process.  If you want it, you can do it–just might not be in the way you had fashioned or imagined.  Tripling your output demands a bit of verve–and an ability to manufacture a curve from a route which seemed to be only straight.  What’s insane is the way we have been trained to accept without question one way of traveling this lane.  Peace out and good luck!

LOONY BIN!

Note to self–write notes to self. You are hereby given and granted permission to use writing as a means for accessing your memory–and for reminding yourself of certain THINGS that should not be forgotten. Such as, you are a good  person. Such as you can be a better person.  

Such as life is short. Such as you have more courage than you think. Such as learning is the critical piece and essential X factor when it comes to getting dialed into one’s potential.  Note to other self: Be okay with fumbling for the right word. Also be okay with temporary states of incoherence–and dissatisfaction. Stepping is also about stepping up to do the work no matter what.

And what matters the most from where I stand–on the edge of the proverbial cliff–is the amount of energy and commitment and integrity and caring and heart and soul you put  into each moment that you are writing. If you are not invested in it with your whole self, then it is my delicate argument  that the quality and verve of the never-finished product will suffer–mightily!  Note to last self: The longest journey in the world begins with the smallest step imaginable.

Each day is a new adventure and an opportunity to show and flow what you got–nothing need be taken for granted.  In fact, one can default into taking’s opposite–by giving, giving and giving all they got to what they got–and more!  Have fun and rock on!

FRAYING THE EDGES

Confession is not titillation. And it’s not gossipy or thrilling. Rather it’s investigative, and exploratory. It’s an examination of motivation. It’s a way of seeing and looking which gets you beyond the pale of convention and culture.  I urge to take on this idea, this means of transmission–as you make your way deeper into the interior of your own depersonalized landscape.  

The descriptor of such is the key to taking a more objective approach with a topic as delicate as it is intricate. Nothing could be more complex than YOU–not just who you are, but all the lives you have been–every thought, notion and potion you have exhumed and expunged–along with the network of cells comprising and informing your being–biologically and mystically.  The existence of a neurological capacity is enough to blow down the house of its house.  

What you want to do and know that you can do is keep enlarging your perspective as you simultaneously narrow and shrink the distance of such scrutiny. Closeness of sight combines with a broadening of scope—so that you see a picture predicated upon the most prized possession of all–that of life being the greatest of all gifts–and the test of your character dependent upon the quality of your generosity in relation to the range of your creativity.  That’s enough to contemplate for now—peace out and good luck!

78–STANCE DANCE

Do you know the close third person? It’s when you get into another’s point of view–and you really dive into what it’s like to be in their skin. You delve into what could be thoughts, feelings, intentions. You imagine their influences and intensity—and you easily leap into what they imagine regarding anticipated consequences, fears, hopes and dreams.

 It’s an amazing endeavor for you to be challenged with—and I highly recommend you take that risk–even partaking with historical or present-day figures.  Every bit of research you are able to front-load into your brain will serve you in this work. As well, you’ll benefit by putting this person, figure, character into a ‘here and now’ situation–a scene where something is actually happening–involving other people–and there is an exchange of ideas, thoughts, and viewpoints–and especially actions that force your close third-person characterization to come more fully into view–as he or she will be encouraged to respond and consider with mind and body.  

And as you take on this challenge–I want to encourage not to hold back–take it all to the furthest reaches–don’t be so careful with your prose. Extend your reach and ambition–the more  you put out there, the more you will discover and learn.  Good luck and peace out!

THINKING AND BEING

I personally try to educate myself as much as I can within the busy-ness of daily life–the expectation of weight of it–and no matter how I might feel about my sense of self–which honestly rendered is not at the level I’d like it to be.  But that is something I have to live with–and I want you to know this–that we can live with what we are dissatisfied with–and not have it encroach upon more motivation and efforts to learn and grow.

I have noticed how helpful it is for me to not just educate myself in the way that I’m alluding to here–by reading  material and content in a variety of areas–from history and psychology to ecology and ethics in a variety of forms, ranging from novels to essays, poems and interviews.  The key process in all this for me is to write about what I’m learning and to push myself to write about how I want that to impact me. Even if I’m not sure I know what I’m talking about–I’ll just force myself to stay focused and I’ll keep keeping my mind moving forward.  

I believe the quote attributed to Buddha has more than a grain of truth to it–the one that goes, “With our thoughts we make the world.”  With that, I have learned that as those thoughts get expressed through writing, they take on a deeper tint and resonance–and are able to more deeply make my world.  Good luck and peace out!