Room Mag

Well, actually, I'd also like a bunch of material things, such as some new clothes and teas and coffees and maybe a gift certificate or two to a decent restaurant so that I can entertain my fantasy of being a real-life "foodie" and not just live vicariously as I watch the Food Network.

I'm caught up in my wants today for some reason. I blame early Christmas commercials, the music, the wreaths... all of this makes me think of presents. Not just receiving, mind you, but giving as well. I love giving gifts. I enjoy watching someone unwrap whatever material thing I have injected with good intentions and love, especially when the present hits the mark and earns a genuine smile.

As I make my list this year, I can't help but think lists are an excellent device for creative writing. In nonfiction, Lena Dunham's Not That Kind of Girl uses this device expertly. Leonard Michaels' "In the Fifties" is a good example as well, a listing that becomes a sketch of a narrator's experience of an era. 

I think it would make a good prompt for fiction. Each list item can help the progression and smooth out an otherwise more erratic delivery. I'm going to do this prompt with you, that is, if you do it...

Write a short list of presents, for Christmas or whatever holiday/birthday that best suits your purpose:
John, socks - silly-themed socks
Candie, self-help books
George, flavored hot chocolates
Mark, a wallet with a foreign coin in it
Terra, crystals and books on crystals, a candle
etc...
Then, beneath each character and present designation, write out the narrator's reasoning--a short sketch that introduces both the person and this person's relationship to the narrator. The challenge is to see if you can tie it all together at the end (a neat little bow, if you will).

Let me know if it's successful. Let me know if it's a disaster. Whatever, I think it will be fun.

I haven't reported much writing news lately, but you know how nothing happens for a while, then bam! There it all is? Well, something like that is going down, so I'll post updates soon. Work is forthcoming in Superstition Review, Sleet Magazine, Room Magazine, and there may be a fiction collection in the near future. Stay tuned...

xo Jen

Lessons (re)learned this week

Massive amounts of water can cure a headache
When the pectoral muscles grow tight, it's felt in the shoulders
Some stories sound better than others when read aloud, and this doesn't necessarily make them better
A martini with well liquor is a horrible thing
I am not good at photographing food
A bad mood can last a week straight if properly nurtured with negative energy
People will move, and move, and move, and this is difficult when one is still
Meditation takes dedication
There is nothing more rewarding than prompting a person to learn s/he loves to read
The corporate model does not work in academia
Emotion is there for a reason
Patience is an art
Writing is a privilege
Honesty is not always pleasant
Sushi is addictive
I do have a favorite literary magazine, by far
Nothing is ever perfect, no matter what
Reply All can be both embarrassing and enlightening
The outer membrane of a jellyfish is called an umbrella 
Light weights, when lifted regularly, can create  quite a bit of solidity and strength

Lessons learned (some for the third or fourth or twenty-third time).

I'll post about writing next week. In the meantime have a beautiful week!