I’ve heard other writers refer to ‘editing’ as ‘Cutting the fat’. So when compiling the ‘order of things’ for ‘Aries Fire’, I decided to write and edit the way an Aries personality acts…in one fast blub. Hmm…I wonder…Is it because Mercury–the planet representing communication, is IN the sign of Aries in my Natal Astrological chart that I possibly communicate like one?

My husband, also a writer, would say, “Just write a scene, you can always go back and put it in somewhere later.”
I thanked him for the suggestion, tried that, but it didn’t work. It felt slow and laborious. I was needing an instantaneous result. (Aries trait…la la la.)

I’m on a roll babee…SCREECH go the brakes. Ug. Coitus interruptus and writ-us interruptus are the same feeling for me. I’m in the middle of a scene and I glance at the clock. Sh*t. I have to pick up my daughter from school and drive her friends home from Robotics club. I peel my fingers away from the computer and realize I’ve not even brushed my teeth all day. No time…I snag a comb through my hair and stare into the mirror as a scene plays out in my head…Seira fights for her life against an evil brute. Her nails rip across the cold earth as he drags her to…No…he doesn’t drag her, he flips her over and she hits her head on a wooden plank…

I’ve got one of those brains that watches movies or reads books and then a year later I rent the same movie or pick up the book as if I’ve never read it! I actually LOVE the excitement of the ‘newness’ an unwatched movie or unread book provides (and ah, re-provides apparently).

I’ll pick up a book at the library or bookstore and my husband Dean laughs at me and says, “But you’ve already read that.”

“Oh. I have? Did I like it?” And then I open it again and sigh, “Oh yeahhhh.” Then it all rushes back. “I remember now. I LOVE this book!”

In my spiritual counseling biz I had a client who asked, “I want to be a writer. But I don’t know how to get a publisher.”

I suggested that she forget about a publisher and instead, to imagine the following (I advise the same for you). Forget about an agent or manager. Forget about an editor. Forget about the money you hope to make as an author or the notoriety. Forget it all and ask yourself this…How do I feel when I write? That’s the only question you want to ask yourself. And if your answer opens your heart, gives you a giddy feeling, or helps you to feel free or connected to something greater, makes you feel like you’re sharing something with the world, that you’re fulfilling your purpose somehow, then writing is your profession.

This post is an homage to my dad, (actor) who always supported my creative efforts AND humored me with the line, “Badges? Badges? I don’t got to cho you no stinkin’ badges!” uttered by Alfonso Bedoya in ‘Treasure of Sierra Madre’.

My husband, Dean, is my other ultimate support. A writer himself, he’s also my motivator (and the comma police!).

“How many pages did you write today?” He’d ask.

“Um…well. A…lot…of…words?” I’d reply.

…it really is a very good place to start. But when you’re wanting to write about a certain time or a certain person…where to start? I get that question a lot.

You may have the inspiration to write and all of the accompanying excitement, but you may be unsure as to the actual topic. Easy. As an intuitive channel, I’ve spent years studying how the brain works so I can help my clients get over themselves. The frontal lobe can be overworked like a muscle when you’re working out. You can push yourself to ‘think’ of a topic but if you’ve been doing that for hours the frontal lobe will get tired.

Coincidence. A co-incident is when you have a need and the Cosmos provides.  Stuck on a scene where Seira has to escape the Roman Legion while in dry dock on a ship. What kind of packing crates do they sport in the 5th century? Stumped. So I turn on the History Channel to escape. Lo and Behold a voice said unto me from the tv screen…”We’re just digging out one of the greatest maritime finds in Jerusalem…”

When I do travel, I always check out museums. Artifacts at museums are a WEALTH of information. Clothes, costumes, sculptures, fabric paintings are all oodles of happy goodness when researching a particular era. I just whip out my camera and snap shots of what I need. Sometimes it’s not just the works of art that inspire, but also the subject matter. In some carvings or paintings, you can get a sense of the customs, beliefs, or ideology of the time or the tools and materials needed to make that art. That’s so valuable when writing historical fiction. It’s not uncommon for me to spend hours researching the sound of gongs when, in actuality, the scene I’m writing might only contain half a sentence about gongs. But it’s so worth it since I like to be as accurate as possible when it comes to history. (I’m such a Capricorn Rising sign!)

I used to think I’d HATE research. That was years ago when I had to drive to a library with pads and pens and a gallon of tea plus quarters for the pay-phone. Once the internet came into my life I caught the ‘search engine’ byte and boy oh boy, did I catch the fever. It’s an art to peruse articles and images that can help me define when a fabric was designed or what kind of tree was used to make an instrument. I always keep a composition note pad around (remember those from grammar school?). Well, you can get them in different colors now so how cool is that? For “Aries Fire” of course, I used RED, baby! I’d scribble notes to take to ‘the google’ to refine my searches.

But as soon as I do I’m ready to channel some words. Of course, this is something that took a while to set up and actually implement with a child, husband, and dog. Somebody always needed food or walking. Once I set my schedule, I put it into three calendars: igoogle, dry erase board on the wall, and in my appointment book. THEN I make the announcement to the family, “I’m writing as of 9am!” Doing it that way keeps me accountable. I see it in every calendar I have and my family will remind me in case I slip into housewifery syndrome where 27 pancakes just doesn’t feel like enough to feed my daughter. Really, what it comes down to is not overcommitting elsewhere in my life. I love to write and can get so lost in it that I’ll forget to shower and pay bills. So I schedule my writing time when it suits me, not anyone else. (Yeah, right.) I find that working with my rhythms gives me a freer vocabulary, too. Then I’m not distracted by whatever else is ongoing in the day.