Recognition, Recall and Remembering

Here I am. One year old. Note the beer bottle I was playing with near the chair.

It is said that in order to remember an experience in our lives we need to attach meaning. If we don't, our brains don't have any way to catalog the information for recall.

I've always been sensitive. Maybe that's why when I was in my late teens and early twenties I anesthetized myself with alcohol by binge drinking every weekend. I attached meaning to everything. I remember it all. Except for those weekends that is. My bad.

I have journals that date back to second grade and when I read an entry I can remember the day. I can remember the emotions, the joy, the sorrow, the embarrassment, even the location in some instances.

I remember this picture.

I know what you're saying. Uh huh. You remember that because you've seen the photo but that's not true. I remember the tree.

About fifteen years ago I was looking for artwork to hang on my living room wall. I'd seen an Ansel Adams of a tree that I liked but it wasn't quite right. I combed local art sales, trying to find the perfect painting, preferably by a budding artist ... or a starving one. I knew that I wanted a weeping willow in the mist. I wanted the light to be early morning. I'm not naive enough to think I'd find that particular scene but I was looking for a certain style of painting so that I could hire that artist to paint what I wanted. No such luck.

I'd been visiting my grandmother and asked about artists in northern Iowa. I described what I wanted. A strange smile crept across her face and she excused herself. She returned with this photo in hand.

"Is this the tree you're talking about?" she asked.

I gazed at the old black and white in silence. I wanted to yelp like Lucy Van Pelt when Schroeder finally plays a one-note Jingle Bells .... "That's it!"

My family had no other photos of this tree. We looked. I remember this photo, I recognize the chair ... I recall the emotion of intense happiness, true joy. I loved that tree and how I felt when I was there.

Pull out an old photo and write about it today. Don't have one? Tear out a magazine photo and write a back story to the person featured. Be creative.

Have a great day!
Much love and joy,
Karen

Want to buy Karen's book Children of Light? Go to www.casparapublishing.com

My Family Rocks!

Hello my fellow artists....

The attached is a photo I've probably posted before. It was painted by a great great aunt who was an artist. I post it every now and then when I need to remember that I come from artists ... that me being one isn't so odd in a family full of teachers, business people and others who excel at traditional jobs. It's because of traits from both sides that I can make being an artist work. Without the organizational skills I'd just be a wannabe, you know? Someone who wanted to grab the opportunities but had no idea of how to focus on what needed to get done.

All that to say ... I treasure all the gifts I've received from my family through genetics, example and teaching. Without you I would sink like Peter in this painting, doubting myself. As a family you've been supportive, creative and my touchstone. Thank you.

I'm including a writing prompt for my writer friends. How has your family influenced who you are as a writer? Have they goaded you? Encouraged you? (trust me, there's a difference!) Have you experienced inspiration, desperation ... what?

Comment with your stuff if you'd like. Keep it under 25 words.
God bless ... and lift your doubting butt right out of the sea!
Much love and joy,
Karen

Butt in Chair

Good morning,

The day is just starting and I'm determined to finish writing the first section of my next book. There has been a delay in the layout and design of my first book,Children of Light. I have to contact the Library of Congress today and change the pub date. Wish me luck!

This next book I had scheduled for spring 2011 but with the delays on the first book I've decided that I'll need to purchase some seriously expensive software earlier than I thought. Nuts! I had kind of hoped that I could continue doing what I'm doing and put off the purchase of the software, but it's been made very clear to me that I need to move ahead on my own time table. Isn't that the way of it?

All the research is done for the first section so the writing itself should go well. I usually research everything first, then write, then edit. This book's nature demands that I research, write and then move on to the next section, leaving all editing until later. Odd how each book develops it's own rhythm.

Caspara Publishing, LLC, will also distribute fiction in 2012. I'm looking forward to that. The first fiction book will be historical fiction with an anachronistic flavor. Keep your eyes peeled for continuing updates on the publishing company. I will start accepting manuscripts in late 2012 or in 2013.

I'd better get going ... Butt in Chair, you know. Write until you hit pay dirt. Have a productive and blessed day writing, my friends.

Much love and joy,
Karen