I’m an addict

All sorts of exciting things have been happening in my life lately.

In the past few weeks, I have managed to read through the first two books of my YA trilogy, and take a good serious look at them. Now I am in the process of launching into the revisions and editing of the first book. Eeeep! I would totally love to say that its ready to go out to the world, but there are so many gaps to fill in this manuscript, and much to add to strengthen it. What is good about it though, is that the bones are there. It’s a good start to the trilogy, and a great introduction to a huge cast of complex characters. So because I have been thinking a lot about new scenes, and delving deeper – I have also been writing! Like, actually writing. Not just talking about it. And I’m loving it. New scenes keep turning over in my head, and then suddenly I want to spit them out. I’m seeing my thoughts come to fictional life again, and I have to say – I’m totally addicted to writing. It’s a buzz. A fix to my mental dependency of creativity. I just guess I forgot how much I was craving it. Now I really know that I need to keep getting my fix.

Book II has some seriously awesome moments in it too. I read through it with completely fresh eyes, thinking that I would need to figure out the ending to this book. But once I got there, I sat back and thought, ‘Why am I trying to figure out the ending, when it’s already finished?’ Isn’t that bizarre? For the past two years I have been thinking and mulling this book over in my mind, when subconsciously, I already knew that I had finished it. Interesting, huh?

Book III is going to get its plan reworked once I finish the editing of these books, and then if it’s really lucky, I’ll try and write it this year. If it’s lucky.

But it’s actually really exciting rereading over some of my stuff. Some of it was utter rubbish – don’t get me wrong. And it was funny, because some of the really seriously rubbishy parts was some of the bulk prose I was writing during NaNoWriMo a few years back. I must have been seriously floundering around during that November to spit out the amount of ‘internalising’ rubbish that I did. Ah well – the good thing about Nano is that it means getting words out on the page. Some are crap – that’s just the reality.

In other news, I gave my library a good makeover the other day. A friend of mine wrote a blog post about the Benefits of a Standing Desk, and so I thought that it would be a great option to have a Standing Desk in my workspace at home too. You should all go and read her blog post, as she raises some pretty important points for us – not just as writers, but for a bunch of humans who now lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle. In amongst the makeover, I threw a load of stuff out. And I feel so much better for clearing it too. Environmental harmony creates good mental feng shui, which in turn, will hopefully help me produce some good books. Well… that’s the theory I’m sticking to.

 

New Light Casting Shadows

There has been a lot going on in my world lately – mainly surrounding my books.

I, strangely enough, am sticking to my plan. I set out to read my Urban Fantasy drafts this year, and I’m doing it. And there is a boatload to adjust and amend. But there is some good guts there, with some real gems woven within them. Good characters, evil characters, and so-so characters.

Both books definitely need work, but so far – I’m actually quite happy with it. Bear in mind that this is the first time I’ve actually reads them since I wrote them years ago, lol. They have never been edited or even revised. Raw drafts.

So my plan is after I finish reading the second book of this Trilogy, I’m going to look at my original plans for the third book and have some major adjustments inserted. And then I’m going to start my edits on Books I and II.

You see… there is so much happening in this world that I have created. And there is still a heap of things that my characters need to get through before the trilogy can end.

And then there is my friend, and she has suggested that perhaps I might like to keep writing stories set in this world – and you know what? She’s right. I would like to do that. It’s a world that I have built from the ground up. It’s a world that I love. But how many stories can really stem from just one world?

Then I look at all my other books that are all thrillers based in the real world, and I wonder why I couldn’t do this with my Urban Fantasy stuff. After all – it’s real world based.

Over the past couple of days I have been basically bed ridden with a super nasty head cold, but it has also given me a load of time to think about this world. And I have officially changed the title of the series from The Talent Trilogy to The Divitis Trilogy. (Divitis means Talented in Latin – don’t you think everything sounds so much better in Latin that English?) And I have also changed the Book titles.

So. It’s going to take a lot of work to bring these books up to reading scratch, but I think I can do it. No… I know I can. Wish me luck!

Here is a little taste of what could possibly come – sometime in the future…. Maybe.

 

 

 

 

SKIN DEEP! NEW Release from T.G. AYER

There is something seriously delicious about the release of a new book, and that long awaited anticipation of getting your nose stuck between the pages.

Well – today you can. Welcome to the new world of T.G. Ayer. As part of the release, this amazing writer has provided us with a bit of an excerpt, and even the first chapter to whet your appetite.

So, without further ado – check out this beautiful book, and go buy yourself a copy if it sounds like it’s something up your reading alley. (I highly recommend it!)

Amazon:
Skin Deep

Add to Goodreads

______________________________________________

EXCERPT:

“The cold cocking of guns set my body on fire.

It also did something worse. With mortal fear gripping me, my imminent Change wasn’t taking second place anymore. My body churned the fear and my Panther grasped at the visceral power of the adrenalin in my veins.

I ran.

A gunshot echoed around the garden, the sound ping-ponging off the aging brick walls of the surrounding apartment buildings.

I gasped as a blast of searing pain slammed into me.

As a bullet buried itself deep within my shoulder.”

DESCRIPTION:

Panther Shape-shifter Kailin Odel just wants to be normal. Leaving her clan, and her Alpha responsibilities, to live with her grandmother in Chicago had been the best thing for her. Only then did she discover her ability to track and kill the soul sucking undead creatures called Wraiths. Now she protected the humans, and had something to be proud of.

But, when she discovers the body of a murdered shape shifter, Kailin has to come to terms with the reality that her own kind are just as vulnerable as the humans.

The closer Kailin gets to the killer the more she has to face the intricacies of her people. When the time comes can she accept who and what her real purpose is?

Want to know more? Here is the first Chapter:

CHAPTER 1

Icy pain sliced through my bones, the muscles of my arms, and the flesh of my back. My spine and thighs rippled, shifted. Changing.

Damn. Too fast.

I spared a rueful glance at my new leather pants. And ran faster.

Had to make it to the Rehab Center a few blocks away. I ran, my speed super-human, my need super-charged, covering ground fast enough to make it to safety before my Panther took over.

I took the corner of the street behind the Center at breakneck speed, and headed for the nearest of the gaping holes pockmarking the rusted fence.

The wind changed before I stepped off the curb. My ears peaked and I skidded to a halt, panting slightly, my backpack thumping against my side. The scream of tires on blacktop echoed on the night air, shattering the silence as it grew ever louder.

Closer.

Followed in tandem by the whining wail of sirens. A battered sedan scorched down the street, suspended on the turn on only two wheels. The angry whip of charred rubber spiked the air. Horizontal again, the car jumped the curb and skidded sideways, avoiding a collision with the fence by mere inches.

I shrank into the shadows at my back, expelling a long, stale breath. My Panther, still confined within my body, bucked and jerked, craving release.

I let her surface.

A little.

For now, super-sight would be welcome. Unlike the ability to run like the wind while still in my Human skin, tapping into my Panther’s sight required a partial transformation—a risk I needed to take as my gut screamed danger.

Adrenalin surged, different again from the calm fervor of my wraith hunts. I blinked. Heat nipped at my corneas as I released my Panther sight—enough to give my eyes feline vision.

Sight, which sliced deep into the black nothing hugging the sidewalk, transformed my eyes into a solid Panther emerald. For the moment, plain old Kailin Odel was back to being Kailin of the Clan Panthera.

My cat sight adjusted, focused. The blackness surrounding the darkened vehicle changed depth and color, became lighter, clearer.

Someone shoved the rear door open, and I cringed as it creaked and complained. The occupants remained shrouded in the shadows of the vehicle’s interior. Something large, long and heavy hit the ground with a dull thunk. Then the sedan revved as unseen sirens drew closer, louder, and it spun around and skidded off the curb.

The battered car roared off, a police cruiser close on its tail with sirens screaming blue murder. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the parcel had to be awfully incriminating, for them to chuck it into the garden in such a flaming hurry.

My nostrils twitched at the stench of exhaust smoke, and my heart thumped as I waited to cross the street. I flicked a furtive glance at the dull red glow of taillights disappearing into the darkness. A breeze skimmed the sidewalk, ruffling my hair, and I hurried across the street as the sounds of sirens faded in the distance. I paused a few meters from the bundle, released my Panther’s nose and sniffed. Whatever I’d expected to scent on the air, it wasn’t the tang of copper drifting toward me—strong, rich and intoxicating.

Blood. Fresh blood. A luscious odor, laced with tendrils of the familiar.

I moved closer, my mind warring with my emotions. This was no bundle of rags, or some stolen junk those thugs had thrown away, but a living being. The blood surely meant the person now lying on the sidewalk needed medical attention.

I stood over the bundle, the cloying odor of the blood filling my nostrils, and hesitated in a moment of doubt and fear.

Now or never.

I took a deep breath and crouched beside the silent form. My hand quivered as I reached out and touched the scratchy, ragged fabric covering the shoulder of the silent figure. At first it resisted my tug, stiff against my touch, but one more gentle urging turned him toward me.

I gasped, my throat closing on the sound. My heel caught as I pulled away, and I staggered backward as hot horror burned through my veins. The face glistened, bloody and mangled. Raw muscles and ligaments lay exposed, bare. A low moan of horror echoed around me. Chills streaked up my spine when I realized the stricken sound had originated from my own throat. The familiar richness of him clouded my mind, clogging my throat and drugging my senses.

A Skinwalker.

My throat spasmed, silencing a shriek as he stared at me. His breath whispered—shallow, irregular, the sound ragged as he labored in his final moments. He gripped with desperation to the disappearing threads which held him to this mortal earth.

His face held my gaze, and somewhere behind ribs of ice my heart clenched, threatening to implode. My own face stared back at me, reflected from within eyes as blue as oceans. Eyes filled with excruciating pain and desperate fear. He didn’t speak, just studied me for a few moments with those glorious eyes.

Recognition. Gratitude. Relief.

Then… release.

Life flickered and sputtered out of his beautiful eyes—eyes unable to close even after his soul departed his mortal body. Eyes stark and ghastly within a face flayed of every inch of its skin.

Mere seconds had passed, although I would have sworn it had been hours. Screeching tires again interrupted my horror, and the sedan skidded beside me before I could do much more than scramble away from the body. The killers had managed to lose the cops, and now they’d returned to retrieve the body.

They hadn’t bargained on having a witness.

The cold-cocking of guns set my body on fire.

It also did something worse. With mortal fear gripping me, my imminent Change refused to take second place anymore. My body churned the fear and my Panther grasped at the visceral power of the adrenalin in my veins.

I ran.

A gunshot echoed around the garden, the sound ping-ponging off the aging brick walls of the surrounding apartment buildings.

I gasped as a blast of searing pain slammed into me, as a bullet buried itself deep within my shoulder.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognise that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practise given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes… I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It’s a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each other’s loves – it works wonderfully…

My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands – I shall forever remain cross-eyed.

 

CONTACT DETAILS:

tgayer.com

tgayer@xtra.co.nz

 

Autumnal Light

It seems to be during the autumn every year that I seriously kickstart back into gear. I don’t know what it is, or why this happens. But I guess that in my view, autumn marks the period of time that I settle down into hibernation mode and knuckle down for the long winter.

Our summer has been a long one, and we have only just come out of a drought. It’s been tough going on the land, and for the farmers, but it has also meant that we have enjoyed some pretty spectacular weather. Today is a perfect Autumnal day… With hazy light, it’s refreshingly cool when the sun is behind the clouds, and yet when the sun shows its face, it’s rather hot and humid. Unusual variations for our autumn. This has also meant that in terms of writing work, I have been rather slack. I’m currently waiting for my Cherry Blossom to turn from its brilliant green to its beautifully rich crimson, which usually really marks the starting period of productivity and writing that I usually launch into over the colder months.

This past week has been seriously testing my ability to multitask and focus. My grandmother ended up in hospital with respiratory and heart problems. My daughter (who took her very first step today) ended up having a serious throat infection, a middle ear infection, painful teething, and to top it all off – chicken pox. I was in the middle of trying to critique a manuscript, work, as well as all the other every other normal life tasks. Needless to say, everything was put on hold, and I endured sleepless nights, long hours of driving to and from hospital, and dealing with a sick, feverish, clingy baby. Sometimes life is very testing.

Things are getting better though. Abby only really has her chicken pox to get through now. She even took her first steps today by herself, thus marking her big Toddler Milestone. Gran is out of hospital… although she still needs a bit of love and care. Hopefully things will improve… and I’m back trying to critique a manuscript for a friend (although now I’m behind my deadline), and get through my own work.

Changing of the seasons means productivity for me. Here’s hoping I can stay on track and meet my own goals I have set for the year. I’ve got a load to try and get through this year.

One place that I always love to work and write is on the train – so I’ll leave you with two photos of the view from my gorgeous mobile office on the way home tonight – sorry it’s a bit blurry!

 

Where in the world do you want to be?

I know that I haven’t blogged in ages here at Parchment Place – but believe me – it hasn’t been without lack of trying. There have been numerous posts that were drafted and never finalised sitting on my laptop. One day I will go through them and set them up to post…

However, that all aside – I thought that I would give you all a little update on me. Life has been busy. Really busy. This year I set 13 goals to get through, and so far, I have managed to get through a few of them. This is how I’m going with my goals so far:

1. Write Venetian Nights. Currently 5k into it, and I can’t wait to get this highly charged thriller out to readers. (Still 5k into it! Argh!)
2. Renew my commitment to Parchment Place. Everything lapsed in 2012 due to the arrival of Abigail, but 2013 is the year to re-establish my blogging drive. (As you can tell, I haven’t been too diligent about this!)
3. Read a minimum of 50 25 books (Adjusted this figure down considering how busy I have been lately! So far I have read about 10 books this year, plus a couple of critiques for friends)
4. Buy a new car
   (Complete! Got a new car in Jan)
   
5. Read, review, and make a few decisions about the Talent Trilogy, and decide what work takes priority.
6. Pull together my graphic design portfolio, and do the odd piece of work for people in that field. (Work on this has begun! The portfolio has been partially pulled together, my Interior Design Portfolio is being worked on, and work has been done for some people.)
7. Publish, or secure a contract to publish a piece of my longer work.
8. Clean up my email accounts, and unsubscribe me from stuff I never read. All it does is clog up my virtual world. (Work on this has started too – however – it’s going to be a long road ahead to try and sort it all out!)
9. Take Abby overseas – preferably to Bali, but anywhere will do. (Not on the books yet – although we do talk about it a lot)
10. Make it through my best friend’s wedding in Jan with Abby in tow, and me as the best man. And also make it through my Mum’s wedding in March.
    (Done and dusted!)
11. Teach Abby all that I can possibly teach her, and have fun doing it. (This is awesome. I never knew being a mother could be so much fun! She changes and grows every day – and watching that makes me happy)
12. Let go of Mediterranean Dreams. Seriously. (Have sent this book to a friend to proof – partially let go!)
13. And lucky number 13 – Win the lottery. (You always have to chase after something a little unrealistic, but something that could potentially be real… right?)

So far, I think I’m going okay. But everything has been rather full on, not to mention working full time as well – which is going well, by the way. Naturally I would much rather retire on all my well-deserved lotto winnings, lol.

While I dream of disappearing to other places around the world all the time, at the moment I am so busy trying to do all these other things that I would much rather just focus on them and get through the goals I have set for this year than flit around the world. I have always written books to enable me to mentally escape.

There are many many books that I still want to write as well. Those of you who have read my work know that I based my books in areas that are either known to people as a luxury location, or they are based in a little known are… So here is a little poll for you all, dear readers… if you were to read a book – based on the below photos – where would you want to escape to?

 

Characterisations…

I have been reading a lot recently, as well as watching lots of different things, and what really intrigues me is characterisations. What traits or characteristics do authors pull from themselves and those they love around them to build their characters?

Every author wants to create the perfect characters – because by doing that, they then hope that everyone will love that character, just as much as the author does. Naturally we want our characters to have the best of the best characteristics and traits – after all – they are our creation, and in some way, we are playing ‘god’ with our books. We are the creators of these worlds. Some authors set the characters up to have no flaws, lots of money, perfect features, etc etc, and therefore a reader can then feel the character is a bit ‘plastic’. Fake. False. They have thoughts about that character of – ‘how unrealistic; no body acts like that,’ and so on.

The author can become quite baffled by this sort of response, and in turn, they utter such phrases as: ‘How can you say those things?’ ‘This character is amazing – obviously you have no idea what you’re talking about.’ ‘They are the perfect creation!’

And if you really really get down to the nitty-gritty of the matter – perfect characters are boring to read. Who the hell wants to read about perfect people all the time? The world is not full of replicas of Ken and Barbie.

By writing flaws into characters it can enhance interest in your plot, character drivers, and if you really hit the nail on the head – you can create someone that everyone adores and loves – regardless of the flaws that you weave into them.

Nobody is perfect. No one. We love those around us who have flaws, so make sure that you let your characters have flaws as well. Let them even flaw themselves with their own flaws and working through the issues. That’s what makes them believable. That’s what gives the book depth with character plots.

Give your characters strengths, but more importantly – give them weaknesses.

Lance Armstrong – Far from flawless. Definitely an interesting character that one could write.

 

2013 Progress

For a long time I have felt that there hasn’t been much active progress happening in my life, even though there is.

I have to remind myself that I am a new-ish mother, who works full time, tries to write, raise our daughter, and also be a wife who has a household to run. There are certain things though that need to give a little when I’m active or focused on something in particular. This is a juggling game that I seem to get quite good at sometimes, and not so much at others.

At the moment, I’m pretty focused on my best friend’s wedding, and getting organised for that at the end of this month. It’s a damn scary thought imagining him getting married, but in the same breath, I’m just so damn pleased for him – and the fact that the woman he loves is ready for her ‘happily ever after’ with him. I can’t wait to get down to Queenstown, near where the wedding is, with my little family, and have a few days down near where I grew up. Some places are just better to be absorbed within. There is no point talking about the fresh mountain ranges, the glistening rivers, the miles of grassy-rocky valleys, or the glaciers. There is also no point in talking about the enormous lake that has been described as a giant sleeping in the Southern land. This being the same lake that reflects the landscape and therefore utterly immersing you within it. No…. That is a magical place that one must visit themselves and revere within its beauty. A surreal place that I’m looking forward to introducing our daughter to.

Work has started again on Venetian Nights. At the moment I am reading through everything I have written so far, and adjusting parts of the storyline and my planning. I’m pleased with the progress to date – and feeling more and more excitement to get this project back on track. One day I would love to go and experience Venice in all it’s glory. In the meantime, I just have to use my imagination of what it’s like in reality, and hope that I’m on the mark. I do know some wonderful people who have spent time there though, and they will definitely let me know if I’m going off-track or not.

Car hunting continues! Perhaps we will have a new one this coming week – but perhaps not. It’s a complete pain in the ass, but a necessary evil. My mother in law has been a wonderful help by loaning us one of her cars to tide us over, but the time has come where we need to be settled with our own things again, and time for her to have her car back. But I will be forever grateful for all her help! We couldn’t have done it without her.

And now, I must fly again. Its Sunday night here, and I have to prepare for the Monday-it is onslaught tomorrow. Our office is in upheaval at the moment, so things should be a bit of entertainment.

Au revoir, and goodnight.

 

 

Lucky Number ‘13

And so we see another year out, and welcome another year into our lives. Every New Year starts out with a wealth of positivity and dreams of good fortune. I am no different in the hopes and dreams of my endeavours. And so, I lay before you all – a list of thirteen goals and objectives that I hope to meet or obtain for this 2013^th year. No – these are not resolutions, because I am not one to make resolutions… but these are the things that I would like to accomplish this year.

Whether they happen or not is a different story, and you can be sure that it’s a story that I will one day tell.

Some of these objectives are biggish, and some are a lot smaller. But regardless of size, they are still progress.

So here are the Lucky Thirteen for the 13^th year:

1. Write Venetian Nights. Currently 5k into it, and I can’t wait to get this highly charged thriller out to readers.
   

   Draft working cover

2. Renew my commitment to Parchment Place. Everything lapsed in 2012 due to the arrival of Abigail, but 2013 is the year to re-establish my blogging drive.
3. Read a minimum of 50 books (I managed to get through 52 in 2012 – but I did read a big chunk of those while on maternity leave!)
4. Buy a new car (Somebody smashed into me in 2012, and wrote ours off…. Actually, my husband and I wrote both our cars off within three weeks of each other.)
5. Read, review, and make a few decisions about the Talent Trilogy, and decide what work takes priority.
6. Put together my graphic design portfolio, and do the odd piece of work for people in that field.  
7. Publish, or secure a contract to publish a piece of my longer work.
8. Clean up my email accounts, and unsubscribe me from stuff I never read. All it does is clog up my virtual world.
9. Take Abby overseas – preferably to Bali, but anywhere will do. (I’m feeling the need of a Balinese holiday this year)
10. Make it through my best friend’s wedding with Abby in tow, and me as the best man. (Yup – you did just read that correctly.) And also make it through my Mum’s wedding in April.
11. Teach Abby all that I can possibly teach her, and have fun doing it.
12. Let go of Mediterranean Dreams. Seriously.
13. And lucky number 13 – Win the lottery.  (You always have to chase after something a little unrealistic, but something that could potentially be real… right?)

So there you have it. That’s the 2013 list…

Now let’s see how much of that I can actually achieve. (I can’t believe that it has actually taken me 6 days to get this post up on my blog! – but at least it’s there.)

And to launch the year off – I thought that I would share Abby’s favourite new song with you all. Quite appropriate, I think! 

 

 

Writing Quirks and Must Haves

Today I have the pleasure of having T.G. Ayer (Tee) hanging out with me at Parchment Place. Tee is a good friend of mine, a fellow kiwi (with a few african accents), and an amazing writer with a hell of an imagination. I have been hanging out with this woman for a couple of years now, and have treasured every moment.
Tee is a machine when it comes to pumping out books – and here she talks about the little things that keep her focused. I must admit – I do share a few of the same quirks – and I have no doubt that many other writers out there in the world also have their own little writing habits in varying degrees of severity. It would be interesting to hear from you all to find out what they are, and what gets you all in the mood to write.
In the meantime – I’ll hand over to Tee:

T.G. Ayer’s Writing Quirks and Must Haves
Until I thought about it I hadn’t realised that I do have a few ‘writing quirks’. Amazing what you figure out when you are forced to examine your process.
To start off with, I always need a good pen- my favourites is a LAMY Ballpoint – a gift from my dear friend Kim.
Because I am so easily distracted by emails, the Facebook and the Twitter, I prefer to go through them before I start writing, otherwise it will just bug me and mess with my concentration.
Part of my routine is to chat with my 2 writing buddies Patti and Cassie- we chat several times a day every day on Skype- have word wars and sometimes do butt-kicking duty
I must have my chap-stick right beside my keyboard; I hate having to get up and go look for it.
A bottle of water- absolutely necessary.
I usually make my lunch when I prepare the family lunches every morning. So it’s all wrapped and ready to eat when lunchtime comes around. If I have to do more than unwrap and chew then I get annoyed and might not eat lunch at all- which is definitely a bad thing.
A pair of fingerless gloves in winter.
Writing music- During the day, when the house is empty I write without music, unless the neighbours are yelling or annoying me with their own loud music or screaming kids. Then I use my music to drown them out. Once my girls are home, and because my ‘study’ is located in my lounge, I drown out extraneous sounds by sticking my earphones in my ears. Of course, when I am writing an intensive action or emotional scene I listen to Linkin Park or Daughtry or Melody Gardot- whatever suits the scene.
Editing music – When I am editing, my music preference is different. When I first started writing I used to listen to a playlist of all the Coldplay CD’s I owned. Now, for some reason, I always use that CD to edit to. It’s calming, and not intrusive enough to mess with my concentration while I edit.
I don’t snack while I write, amazing ideas come to me in the shower and I have an aversion to my treadmill which happens to occupy space in my study and which I just happen to not use on a daily basis. And that’s it as far as I can think of.

If you would like to know more about Tee, please go and hang out with her at T.G. Ayer.com, where you will discover her awesome Urban Fantasy worlds of Valkyries, Skinwalkers, and many other insights into her wonderful imagination.

 

Inner Zen

A to Zen – Click for a great read

It’s amazing how our internal thought processes seriously effect how we write, what we write, and when we write. Writing is a completely cathartic process, whether we know it or not. (I know that there are many stories of writers out there who are alcoholics, drug addicts, etc etc… but those a a few out of many. And perhaps writing wasn’t enough to actually help those people… perhaps they needed a bit more of something.)

I am a true believer that our bodies and minds will heal themselves through a series of motions, if we allow it. I didn’t know that this was happening years ago when I first turned to writing, I was writing my way out of some pretty emotional issues that I was having due to my parents breaking up.

Little did I know the process of turning to my inner worlds and writing them out would lead me to writing a number of different books and stories. I always knew that I had them within me – I just didn’t realise that I had the potential to access them, warp them, process them, and churn them out into a readable format. This process of creativity is truly amazing.

Over the past ten weeks I have been living more of a holistic lifestyle. Yes – this does mean daily meditation, a mixture of yoga, pilates, and walking… and I’m eating differently. I cannot be bothered putting rubbish into my system anymore. I have absolutely had enough of it. So I have actively persued to change my lifestyle for the better. And I feel better. Much much better.

I consider writing and creativity to be a very major part in this holistic process. Writing and delving into my inner worlds throws me into a very zen-like trance, and there are often times that I am amazing by what I come out with.

So I say this here and now – find your Inner Zen Mode. This may be through meditation, writing, or some other form of other creative outlet (because we all have one). But whatever you do – you need to find it. It’s an incredibly important factor in your life, and you need to pay attention to it. I don’t know how I would get through my life at the moment without turning to it.

Of course there are days that you’re gonna have that are a bit rubbish… but hopefully if you can delve into your ‘Inner Zen Mode’ – they will only be moment – not whole days.

Finding your Inner Zen Mode is good for the soul. And your soul will thank you for it.