I participated in a study which is close to becoming a published work on Outdoor Education.
I just heard from the soon-to-be PhD and what she wrote made my day:
Your interview helped give words to the idea that where writing takes place matters in the creation of text and the preservation of memories.
Specifically, you used the word “texture” to describe the differences between when you sit and compose outside and when you take notes but compose the bulk of a piece inside looking out the window.
Other research echoed your experience, but your descriptive words really enriched the text.
I look forward to continued communication with you.
This affirmation is a blessing. I also received feedback from an editor:
Thank you for providing such beautifully written articles. I admire your talent and your devotion to your subject.
Mari Bontrager’s words and my regular presence on WeatherWimps.com are even more exciting - because she discovered me.
I’ve been struggling with the down side of the writer’s life lately: massive rejections, writer’s block, bah-humbug syndrome, betrayal of trust - the cosmic pie in the face.
I realize I have a blessed life compared to many people in this world. The sooner I begin to count my blessings, the sooner I start to feel better. Change doesn’t happen right away, but little shifts in the universe happen - like two affirmations “out of the blue.”
I do keep a gratitude journal - I can always find five things to be grateful for in my life: a healthy body, access to food, the power to make choices, a safe place to live, and understanding of basic survival tools in case my luck changes. Sometimes it’s the windborne scent of sweetfern, the sight of a hawk, or a warm cup of cocoa.
I also read the writers I love most and let their words resonate. Words have power and I have used words in a powerful way. I will again. Meanwhile I can read Barbara Kingsolver and just marvel at her mastery of words. I read this passage for the tenth time and thought THIS is Show, Don’t Tell:
Taylor is never sure when to argue with Barbie, who behaves like a tourist from another solar system who only read a toy catalog before arriving here. You can’t argue with someone like that about family values.
Thirty-five words reveals each character’s values.
I know what can be and I envision myself writing with this level of skill and mastery.
I keep an arsenal of motivational tools. I’ve worked Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way; read Covey and Silva Mind Method. Finding new tools is always helpful. The message is the same, but sometimes a fresh delivery is helpful. The Secret is well worth $4.50 to watch on your computer.
Movement - hiking, dancing, working out - rhythmic movement helps memory.
I also read biographies of people who are doing what I aspire to do. Few writers achieve success without risking failure. It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you respond. The writers I care about have negotiated failure using the tools I have been describing.
So what’s the secret to success? Think successful thoughts, cultivate visualization skills, believe with all your heart and accept failure as part of the process. It’s easy for those of us who have the power to choose. But even people in impossible situations - prisoners of war, political prisoners - use these techniques to change their circumstances.