"Lifelong Learning"

We tend to forget that learning is much more than book learning. To learn is to change. Education is a process that changes the learner. It doesn't have to end at college graduation or at age forty or sixty or eighty, and the best learning of all involves learning how to learn-that is, to change. The lifelong learner is essentially one who has learned to deal with homeostasis, simply because he or she is doing it all the time. Lifelong learning is the special province of those who have a profound practice, those who travel the path that never ends. (G.L. M.M)

I read this early one morning before the sun rose. These few words have found a special place in the folds of my heart. Take time today to read and re-read them. It's a special message to ponder on for the life we are give.

Until next time,

Sherry/treehugger-peninhand.blogspot.com

"Backstory" Opening Scene

Sometimes new writers overdo this. A small amount may be necessary for your reader to understand what's going on, but that's it. Period. Save it for later with action, dialogue and narrative.

When agents and editors open their e-mail, and read page after page of backstory, I'm afraid that could be the kiss of death for you manuscript. Tread lightly when using backstory. Learn to trust and give your reader credit for the intelligence they have.

Happy writing,

Magdalena

"Tree Lesson's" The Yew"

Lesson's of the Yew Tree

As a tree whose possible life outspans all other trees as well as much of the course of human history to date, the yew is symbolic of the sun of all wisdom. Just as the yew contains the lessons of all the other trees, so it is said, do we contain all the experiences, knowledge, and understanding of our ancestors? The yew tree reminds us of this possibility. It emphasizes the relatively brief span of human life and the short term nature of many of our beliefs and practices. As the culmination of the spiritual journey, the ultimate lesson of the yew is the transcendence of death.

To the Irish, the yew was the tree revered above all others. It is said to guard the doorway between this life and the next.

Yews are commonly found by ancient churches. Many are at least as old as the church, others considerably older. An ancient yew in Fortingall in Perthshire, Scotland is now estimated to be around 9,000 years old.

The yew is under the rule of the planet Saturn and because of its connection to bows and arrows, it also represents the zodiacal sign of Sagittarius--the archer.

This lesson was from the book "The Wisdom of Tree by J. Gifford)

Go hug a tree,

Sherry/treehugger-peninhand.blogspot.com

"A Character Worth Knowing'

There is no end of things in the heart.

Someone once told me that. She said it came from a poem she believed in. She understood it to mean that if you took something to heart, really brought it inside those red velvet folds, then it would always be there for you. No matter what happened, it would be there waiting. She said this could mean a person, a place, a dream. A mission. Anything sacred. She told me that it is all connected in those secret folds. Always. It is all part of the same and will always be there, carrying the same beat as your heart.

I am fifty-two years old and I believe it. At night when I try to sleep but can't, that is when I know it. It is when all the pathways seem to connect and I see the people I have loved and hated and helped and hurt. I see the hands that reach for me. I hear the beat and see and understand what I must do. I know my mission and I know there is no turning back. And it is in those moments that I know there is no end of things in the heart. (Lost Light-M.Connelly)

God, how profound it this? If only I could write something so beautiful. I can't tell you how many times I've read this. Over and over again, I read each line, immersing myself in the aura of this character's deep reflective soul. What a 'WOW' opening.

Sherry/treehugger=peninhand.blogspot.com

Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers: A Writer Hits a Brick Wall

Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers: A Writer Hits a Brick Wall: One day our writing flows. The next day we open the exact same manuscript and freeze.

A writer under contract has an advantage in this si...

"Grilled Salmon"

Grilled Salmon

Besides a hot dog or hamburger, why not 'grilled salmon' for a change. It's a fun change and healthy.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of salmon fillet or steak

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 TB salt

3 TB olive oil

3 TB lemon juice

2 TB lime juice

Recipe"

Mix water, brown sugar, salt, olive oil, lemon juice and lime juice in a mixing bowl. Pour into large plastic storage bag. Put fish in plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. Brush oil onto grill to prevent fish from sticking. Grill fish for 5 to 7 minutes each side. Serve with couscous and salad.

Happy Grilling. Hope your having a supper summer.

Sherry/www.treehugger-peninhand.blogspot.com

"The Writer's Road Is Never Smooth"

A smart fable:

High above the forest floor, a millipede strolled along the branch of a tree, her thousand pairs of legs swinging in an easy gait. From the tree top, songbirds looked down, fascinated by the synchronization of the millipede's stride. "That's an amazing talent," chirped the songbirds. "You have more limbs than we can count. How do you do it?" And for the first time in her life the millipede thought about this. "Yes," she wondered, how do I do what I do?" As she turned to look back, her bristling legs suddenly ran into one another and tangled like vines of ivy. The songbirds laughed as the millipede, in a panic of confusion, twisted herself into a knot and fell to the earth below.

On the forest floor, the millipede, realizing that only her pride was hurt, slowly, carefully, limb by limb, unraveled herself. With patience and hard work, she studied and flexed and tested her appendages, until she was able to stand and walk. What was once instinct became knowledge. She could amble, strut, prance, even run and jump. Then, as never before, she listened to the symphony of the songbirds and let music touch her heart. Now in perfect command of thousands of talented legs, she gathered courage and with a style of her own, danced and danced a dazzling dance that astonished all the creatures of her world.

Write every day, line by line, page by page, hour by hour. Keep your story moving. Use what you learn from it as a guide, until command of its principles becomes as natural as the talent you were born with. Do this despite fear. For above all else, beyond imagination and skill, what the world asks of you is courage, courage to risk rejection, ridicule and failure. As you follow your quest for stories told with meaning and beauty, study thoughtfully but write boldly. Then, like the hero of our fable, your dance will dazzle the world. (R. McKee)

What a wonderful fable to read and ponder on as a new writer. I shall read it often.

Sherry/treehugger