Bunny on the Rocks: Story Resolution

The day after we discovered that Pearl's favorite stuffy Chocolate Bunny was missing--left behind on the rocks near a remote campsite about sixty miles from Taos--Michael put in a call to the forest service office near Tres Piedras. Sure enough, someone special answered: an officer named John. When John heard that a five-year-old girl was grieving her lost bunny he said he'd do what he could to help. News came within hours: Chocolate Bunny was safe, recovered from the rocks, and now awaiting a ride home from Tres Piedras. She should be home by the weekend. Rescued by a "local hero" who works for the U.S. Forest Service. Thank you John!

Attachments,Yearning, and Chocolate Bunny

My five-year-old daughter took a camping trip with her dad this weekend. They returned home early--both with colds--in part because it never stopped raining. This morning, when we searched for Chocolate Bunny, Pearl's most treasured stuffy was nowhere to be found. Pearl tearfully remembered that she and her five-year-old friend Hawk had taken Chocolate Bunny out to play just before departure from the campground. And, yes, she thought he might have been left behind.

It was a heart-rending moment for all of us. Pearl began to weep, her grief deep and real. We went into action, calling a company in Utah that oversees the remote campground, and Michael left a message to be relayed, if possible, to the caretakers of the campground in northern New Mexico. Could they look for a little brown bunny on the rocks near campsite #36?

We're waiting for news. In the meantime, I am reminded of the strength of yearning, and the capacity of the heart to bond deeply to something as simple as a stuffed brown bunny--and the range of emotions, conscious and unconscious, that are symbolized and expressed by that bond.

Relationship, narrative, reciprocity, and David Abram

If you accept that story lives in relationships, in the push-pull of people with each other, within themselves, with their environment, then read David Abram's mesmerizing and brilliant book, THE SPELL OF THE SENSUOUS. 

"Late one evening I stepped out of my little hut in the rice paddies of eastern Bali and found myself falling through space. Over my head the black sky was rippling with stars, densely clustered in some regions, almost blocking out the darkness between them, and more loosely scattered in other areas, pulsing and beckoning to each other. Behind them all streamed the great river of light with its several tributaries. Yet the Milky Way churned beneath me as well, for my hut was set in the middle of a large patchwork of rice paddies, separated from each other by narrow two-foot-high dikes, and those paddies were all filled with water."  David Abram

Get your hands on this book and read on...

PAGE BY PAGE

My daughter announced today that she's making a 3,000-page book. The word count will be light but it will have scads of pictures. She's five years old. She asked me to contribute a drawing. When I complied, she added finishing touches. And then she marked off three more pages. "I'm doing four pages a day," she said, placing her palm firmly over the rest of her notebook. "Why four?" I asked. "Because that's just enough," she said. "You're right," I said. "When will it be done?"  "Soon," she said. 

I don't doubt her for a moment.

If you're writing a 300-page book, try my daughter's method and write four pages a day. You'll have a complete draft in 75 days. Even if your goal is one page per day, stick to it, and you will have your draft in less than a year.

One more thing--my daughter will tell you her book won't be perfect. "We don't want perfect," she says. "We want joyful!" 

She's very wise.

NO SLUGS, NO SLACKERS...

Today's quote comes from Thomas McCormack's excellent book: THE FICTION EDITOR, THE NOVEL, AND THE NOVELIST.

"Character is most keenly revealed when it's confronted with crisis, hard choices, urgent decisions. Thus, insofar as he's interested in revealing character, the author's job is to construct setting and circuitry that will call for decisions, for actions."

When you sit down to write today, ask yourself what your characters want and how far they will go to get what they want? Ask what they do about getting what they want--and also what effect their actions have on others? Finally, ask if the reader will care about your characters' goals? 

A REASON NOT TO WRITE

Recently a writer shared a list of all the reasons why she needed to wait until winter to begin her new writing schedule. I read it over, paused a moment, and responded, "There will always be reasons not to write."  

Those times when life seems most overwhelming--when it comes rolling straight at us full-tilt--present some of the richest challenges and also opportunities. No better time to be writing with full commitment to your practice. A writing life is just that, a writing life. It goes on, whether times are smooth or filled with upheaval. When you feel tested, I encourage you to remember the part of you that holds the passion for sharing your voice, your stories, your vision. Honor her. Honor him. Keep your pen moving on the page. Acknowledge your fears and let them know they will not stop you. Embrace risk and imperfection. Have fun. Connect.

KEEP THE ELEPHANT IN YOUR LAP

I turned thirty in a dinghy on the River Ganga, while a full moon and the fires from the corpses in the burning ghats illuminated the shores of the holy city of Varanasi. That trip to India years ago changed my life. I glimpsed my own mortality, dodged snake charmers and lepers, paid homage to living goddesses and glassy-eyed sadhus. I also met Ganesha, the elephant riding the mouse. Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati and one of the most revered and popular Hindu deities, is also known as the Lord of Success, the god of wealth, wisdom and knowledge, and the destroyer of obstacles.

What does Ganesha have to do with writing and the business of writing? For one thing, he is the Patron of Letters, and it's nifty to have him on your side during important writing sessions. He's also a cool reminder to hold onto your power. When you send out your book--to agents, editors, reviewers, readers--don't ship your power out the door along with the manuscript.

How do you make sure you haven't signed, sealed, and delivered your mojo?

1) Develop, maintain and reinforce strong, healthy boundaries that protect your writing space, your writing time, and your creative process.

2) Identify and de-fang internal voices that are working to stop you from writing. They represent your inner saboteurs, tricksters, gremlins.

3) Seek constructive, professional, timely support and feedback.

4) Understand the difference between writing goals and publishing goals and create a game plan for your career.

More on each of these in my next post.