New Meaning From Old Meaning

An Etymological Exploration*

Easter: 

First the name of a pagan festival celebrating spring

near the same day as the day now called Easter

Ancients derives a goddess of day

from the direction the light first shone

Dawn became an action of shining

a metaphor for gold

Gold: something precious

something new and shining

out of the earth

So Serious Saturday #27

Fiction needs a basis in reality. Exercising non-fiction muscles once in a while benefits an active imagination, channeling creative energies as it focuses on a subject. So Serious Saturdays will be an active place for critical essays or writing about reality in the context of real events - even when it is not written on Saturdays.

Type: Inspiration

Chasing Perfect

          The world insists we can be perfect. It is natural to buy a certain product or find the perfect soulmate or find one’s dream home or job, preferably both. These are achievable goals we should have. The goal in life is to be perfect.

          What society at least implies and what we see are different. When we fail to reach the achievement level we are expected to complete we often feel run-down, tired, and hopeless. We labor under the label of “failure”.

Warbringer Starts the Vernal Changes

Your sign was in the sky last night or this morning.
They said that. I did not see outside.
Sleep brought the first dreamless rest in two days;
I needed protection from predictive shadows.

Others spoke of restlessness.
Light from the moon eclipsed part of the night.
Overbright beams poured into bedrooms.

Is this breaking our complacency?
How you stoke our bloodlust?
Fights break out over less.
Wars stay because no one has figured how to stop.

Hitting a Sandbar

            “This killer whale and a dolphin swim into a sandbar. You think you know where this is going.” The man pauses. His eyes furtively dart around the shadows at the corners of the room. He is looking for his time.

            He screams, “Extinction!”, which just about kills the audience. He lets a wry smile crack his lips so that just then he resembles a twelve-year-old boy.

            The look is gone as the laughter fades. “I know, I know. Way to kill a joke, Daniel.” Some titters prove the last minute addition was worth it, at least to him.

Craft Wednesday #28 Off the Top

This blog needed a place for talking about writing. "Craft Wednesday" will be me talking about all things writing: how to write, why to write, and my own craft journey. I hope to learn and to share experiences with you. 

Off the Top

   A creative way to write is just by writing anything that comes into your head. Anything at all. I typed Constellations off the top of my head without writing it down.  It does not matter if it is spelled correctly, or if it sounds cheesy or dark or something else you are embarrassed about. Writing off the top of your head makes writing fun again, and editing pretty darn satisfying. A rough draft like this means that when you mine for what is salvageable you will probably chunk off portions or polish them up, whatever is needed. 

   But when you exercise your creativity, it is best to unleash it fully in a messy, hidden, and safe environment, like a crumpled notebook you stash under your winter blankets. Creativity, like any creature, becomes stronger with exercise, so daily practice will make your imagination as strong as an elephant.

Remember, have a space to let your imagination run wild.