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Dear Reader,
Okay what is it that I want to write about? Something has to be inside of me waiting to come out. Am I afraid or just lazy? Lazy sounds good. Tired may be the truth. If I keep typing something will probably show up. Can't stop, just keep hitting the keys and eventually the feelings I'm experiencing right now, at this moment, will show up on the screen. When I stop typing, I'm going back to editing my thinking. Maybe I'll have to hit the same key over and over again, to keep the momentum going, but isn't that what life's about? You keep going, no matter what comes your way. You may have to take a break and hit the MMMMMMMMMMM key over and over again, to take a little rest. To take a little "lie-down" as I call it in our house. It's sounds so much better than a nap.
When I think of myself taking a nap, for some reason I feel like I'm being bad. Taking a nap is something I should be ashamed of. But if I announce that I'm going to take a little lie-down, it sounds as if I'm sitting down to have a cup of tea and a cookie. A dainty little pinky-finger, cup of tea break in the day.
My husband takes a nap every day. No excuses, he simply goes into the bedroom, draws the darkening shade and does a lie-down. No, 'shame on me' he takes a real nap. He's willing to let dreamland set in for a bit. Not only does the nap provide a respite, it inspires his creativity. Frequently he'll suddenly wake up and rush to his computer, because he has an idea (he's working on a book about a new way to learn how to play the guitar). Sometimes all he needs is a 10-minute nap, but sometimes it's a real snooze.
I'm still working on my napping skills. I guess really, I'm still working on giving myself permission to take more than a lie-down. Since I'm a writer, and my husband is so inspired and filled with creativity after a nap, perhaps a nap should be in every writer's repertoire. And of course if I'm going to take more naps for inspiration, that means I could buy more nightgowns and pjs--guilt free shopping. After all, whatever I do, I do it with gusto. I put everything I can into it, and a new nightgown would inspire me for sure. What's that phrase..."Dress for success!"
If you think you're not a writer and you're having trouble getting started on this year's Write a DearReader entry, I hope today's column has inspired you. When I'm having trouble figuring out what I want to share with readers, I just start typing, like I did today. Even if the only sentence I can write for a while is, "I have no idea what to write about." Eventually a topic reveals itself. So my advice is to take a nap, then start hitting the keys on your keyboard, and don't stop hitting those keys until the magic happens. (Oh, and don't forget to buy new pjs, too!)
Enter this year's Write a DearReader Contest. The deadline is October 9th. You'll find all the info, including cash prizes and you can even read last year's winning entries. Click here.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
AUTHORBUZZ
AS THE POPPIES BLOOMED (Fiction) by Maral Boyadjian
It is 1913 and late summer in the Ottoman Empire. The sun rises, full and golden, atop a lush, centuries-old village tucked into the highlands where the blood-red poppies bloom. Outside the village leader's home, the sound of voices carries past the grapevines to the lane where Anno, his youngest daughter slips out unseen. She heads to a secret meeting place. She forgets that enemies surround her village....
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on AS THE POPPIES BLOOMED to read more and to email author Maral Boyadjian, you'll get a reply.
* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMAN WHO HAD TWO NAVELS AND TALES OF THE TROPICAL GOTHIC, by Nick Joaquin. Click here to start reading, and be sure to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin tote bag.
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