Lately I’ve been trying to focus on my disaster fantasy novel. I’d like to finish it, get an editor to look at it, really perfect it, and then get it published. Just read Be your own Literary Agent which gave me lots of ideas on how to jump start this whole thing. It really gave me hope, although I realize getting a novel published is really really really difficult. But the book gave tons of examples of authors who worked without an agent (sometimes self-publishing and selling their books out of cars) that are now very successful. Names such as John Grisham, James Redfield, and E. Lynn Harris.

Then this article in the Times about a fantasy writer whose book was picked up for a movie really gave me a lot of hope. So I really need to get cracking with this, and while it is going to be a real challenge, I feel like if worst comes to worse I can publish it online. I’m really excited. I wish that nanowrimo let you participate if you want to continue writing a novel but the rules say you have to start a new one, so I guess I’ll have to find some other way of motivating myself to finish this thing.

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are the funniest, most comically brilliant duo I have ever known. They met in 1978 while attending the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Their French & Saunders comedy show spoofs movies, tv, and pop culture in a hilarious way. Add to that the BBC’s amazing production quality and their spoofs are just so dead on. They’ve spoofed Madonna, Fellini, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? as well as Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I love that their subject matter ranges from the very high brow to the common everyday. And what pulls it all together is the amazing chemistry between them.

A lot of folks are more familiar with their later work, Absolutely Fabulous, which I also adore. They still put on French & Saunders Christmas specials, which we can’t really get in the states, but youtube has a lot of their work and you can also order it on netflix. I highly recommend checking their stuff out.

I was reading the six feet under fan site because I am totally obsessed when I came across this artist. I just love dioramas and I want to start creating a new series of them as soon as I get the chance. Matt Burlingame’s work is completely dark, surreal, and creepy. Some of his creations are actually a bit too violent for my taste, but for the most part I really love what he’s doing here. The photo below is a detail from Claire’s room in the six feet under house, and instead of beds all the characters have coffins to sleep in.

And by the way, I had no idea the art in six feet under was all done by actual artists that were commissioned to do the works — how cool is that?

http://www.mattburlingame.com/index.html

My favorite television show of all time is undoubtably The Twilight Zone. Rod Serling is a creative genius. The sheer output from this man’s mind is just amazing. His screenplays all start with a brilliant kernel of an idea, into which he infuses an atmosphere of anxiety and dread, finished off with a twisted ending that really makes you think long after the program is over.

(Read on …)

Money is something that most everyone worries about at one time or another. It can be the sole reason you go to work, or can be an excuse not to do something you really want to do. Or you can start to feel like the universe is abundant and that you can always create what you really want in life. That’s the premise of Creating Money, a really great book that will change your whole outlook on money.

But first you have to get past the fact that it’s written by Orin and DaBen, two spirit guides who speak through their human authors. And the 70s-esque cover which I’m not going to even put on this website because it’s just too cheesy. But if you can suspend the little voice inside you saying “these guys are crazy hippies and this is all too out there for me” you’ll really get a lot out of this book.

According to the book trusting in yourself and the universe, and putting that energy out there, is what will bring you more abundance. Worrying about money and feeling like there’s never enough will just keep you in a place where you won’t attract something better. And following your dreams, even if it seems like it won’t pay off financially at first, will always bring you more money and success than staying in a safe job or situation that isn’t right for you.

How cool is this…a little spot to read, meditate, or make out with your honey…the possibilities are endless. It’s like taking a mini-vacation with the Ewoks.

John O’Donohue is an amazing author of books which explore celtic pre-christian notions of spirituality. His works are a real antidote to our fast-paced consumerism culture. My favorite of his is Anam Cara, which means soul friend in Gaelic. He talks about the importance of friendship, deep and intense friendships which develop over a lifetime. And he really encourages the reader to be true to their own buried yearnings and to know themselves better. He feels that the highest purpose for us is to be creative. A really inspiring read.

“A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you.” John O’Donohue, Anam Cara

Threadless is an awesome company that will print up your unique design for a t-shirt and sell it. Designers submit their t-shirt designs and the public votes on their favorites. Then they get made into a t-shirt and sold. There’s some really great stuff on here.

I tried to get through the Artist’s Way but I just couldn’t. I think I got to chapter 4. Is this because I’m creatively blocked? Or because I have trouble sticking with projects to the end? Or perhaps The Artist’s Way just doesn’t work for me. It’s a little heavy on the religious aspect, and I don’t mind delving into spirituality a bit, but it seems to focus on religion in a heavy-handed way. Or perhaps it’s just too big a commitment, like taking a class, because you need to devote so much time to it. I only have one friend who actually finished it so I know I’m not the only one. So, has anyone reading this ever finished the Artist’s Way? Has it worked well for anyone out there, changed their life, made them an uber-creative person?

Why is it that sometimes I can write pages and pages of my novel, and other times I sit at the computer and just can’t write a word? Is there a relationship between working with clay, paint, and other mediums and creativity in writing? Lately I’ve been doing a lot of artwork in my art therapy classes with all sorts of different mediums, and it seems to be freeing me up to write. Perhaps any activity that relaxes your mind and gets your emotions out helps creativity. I also find that writing my worries down in my journal can free up my mind for creativity.

But lately, I don’t know, it’s like I can’t stop the ideas of where my novel should go from pouring out of my head. I can’t stop thinking about it. Which is a good thing! Maybe I’ve got hypergraphia — which Alice Flaherty describes as an overwhelming urge to write. I’ll have to pick up this book, it looks fascinating. She really seems to pinpoint what is so important in creativity, the emotional drive to make something. It really is so much more important than skill, which is also what Joanna Field was saying in her book On Not Being Able to Paint.

And there is fairly solid evidence that drive, and emotional involvement in your work, is even more important than talent in creating something new. — Alice Flaherty