I don't describe myself as a "nature writer". I do enjoy nature and writing about it, but don't study it, instead searching for things outside that pique my interest and encourage me to write my thoughts about it. Consider this piece of bark which for a few months now has been in our backyard and has not moved. A few trees in the area has been cut down, but the thought here is that brisk winter winds dislodged it from the branch or trunk it called home, age perhaps a factor as well in its separation and eventual descent. It rests now, part of the season scenery.
Most fascinating is this tiny holly shoot which has poked out. So near to our house, no feet will trample it, only the birds and squirrels can peer at it eye level. Ironic it is that it - this nature - reigns so close to a grounding wire and cement structure. As beautiful as it is, it has been "touched" by Autumn's "palette of brown paint," and also one of the leaves "chisled" by a critter of some sort. All of the above raises a thought. Spring being as welcoming and beautiful as it is, even the off-seasons can present worthwhile visions for the eyes. If those visions cause us to ponder and rest and wonder, perhaps we're all the better for it.
Steve
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Regular visitors to this blog - and I hope it is visited far more often than I post here, which is a reminder I must visit more often - know that this forum is my spot for transparency. So, this weekend I'm declaring my sometimes slug-like pace at getting things done, and my reluctance to venture into domains unknown or foray beyond my comfort zone to secure a goal.
For example, I was recently tasked with writing 10 articles in a seven day period (this serves as a hint for those who think the writing life is glamorous; it's work), and to accomplish this feat, I had to carve extra time into my toils, and I did this by rising at 5 a.m. Monday - Friday and writing and submitting 1 -2 articles prior to 7 a.m. So, I've proven that, when I need to get things done, I complete them. I read recently that you should not tell someone, anyone, a goal that is important to you. I forget the reasoning beyond the advice, but I think it had something to do with keeping it to yourself, cherishing it as part of you, don't share the goal which could become a personal accomplishment...whatever. Anyway, it got me to thinking about a book idea I've had on my mind for a while, which I toyed with by writing a few samples chapters last year, and then left it to rest. Those written chapters were completed due to an online writing group challenge, where on a daily basis effort one participant was rewarded with a prize. I was a recipient of one of those rewards, and after 5 days I looked at my effort, proudly basked in it, saved it to my hard drive, have not worked on it since, but have not forgotten it. There's a reason things stay on our mind: they're important to us for one reason or another. That's why this book idea, and some its already completed foundation, refuse to depart; it's important - to me. Why? It's an escape from the normal realm of writing life for me, which includes daily marketing, article writing, and conversations with editors. However, while I realize that it, much like this weekly blog post, may allow me a peaceful traverse from daily duties, the idea is sedated still. My writer's group knows about the book, and now you the reader are aware of it due to my "spilling" of it here, therefore the advice in the article read I've not adhered to. But that somewhat accountability is not the reason I should, want, need to resume it. I need to continue the journey because it is a part of me, no matter the "other" homes it may find, although that is in itself worthwhile. First and foremost there are thoughts, feelings that need an escape, which once on the page will come back to me in spirit-filled remembrance, which for me would make life fulfilling. Also, It's not about possible publication of the book, either. I in the past wrote a 192-page work of fiction that never left my PC, and once I got those words, that story, out of me, I deleted the document. Perhaps a late editor I knew said it best. "Always remember this: it's about the writing. That is what's most important - the writing." Steve Those who know me well know I am a snow hater. I'll rephrase that: I dislike snow when it falls and sticks to the ground, causes havoc to roadways .and forces sidewalk, front porch, and back deck shoveling.
The above being said, I must admit to finding this past Wednesday's 45-minute snow squall both fascinating and lovely. Fascinating because, the moment I received the alert on my Smartphone about the impending squall, it started right thereafter, and it reminded me of the one and only time I drove in whiteout conditions. Lovely, because it was interesting watching the atmosphere outside the basement library window go from cloudy to cotton, hearing the wind howl and see the driving snow eventually totally blanket the airspace in white. Yes, it looked fascinating and lovely...from behind the screen window. I was "buried" in the basement library all day, churning out articles and doing phone interviews amid stacks of books as the world passed by, changed rapidly by Mother Nature. I was thankful that, on that particular day, I didn't have to drive anywhere for appointments, that I have a job that allows me election of when and where to work. This morning, as I type these words, it's a chilly 15 degrees outside, but sunny. Tomorrow the temperature will rise to near 50, and this upcoming Tuesday to just about 60. If only it can be that temperate year round. Still, the snow squall was an interesting to observe, and I wondered as it lingered how the sparrows in the side yard bush fared. Did they huddle together on branches to stay warm, take shelter perhaps under the many fallen, rusty leaves that fell from nearby trees to the ground this pass fall? Steve |
Steve Sears is a New Jersey based freelance writer
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