Fumiko Toda

Fumiko Toda

Ramona Ring.

Ramona Ring.

Women Behaving Badly - Alana Munro

Alana Monroe has something to say about women behaving badly. She also runs Support-A-Writer on G+, which encourages all new writers. She's kind of incredible.

And if you're not using G+ to network, shame on you. You should be. Start today. 

Gene Luptak is signing books!

Gene Luptak has not one, not two, but THREE book signings coming up. 

May 25, 2013.  10:30a - 12:30p. Eddie's Country Store, Pinetop, AZ.                                            

May 25, 2013.    1 - 2:30p. The Bookworm, Pinetop, AZ.                                                                  

June 1, 2013.      1 - 2:30p. Old gymnasium at the Pinetop/Lakeside Town Hall Complex.  
        

David Morrell, Creator of Rambo

In a way, mentioning Rambo in the title of this post is a bit of a cheat. Sure, the name is recognizable, but it's just one among a plethora of amazing things that David Morrell has accomplished over a long and illustrious career, which is still going strong. I've been intending to write this feature about David Morrell for several weeks, but frankly, I think I was a little overwhelmed. There is so much to say, that I didn't know where to start.

Photo credit:  Jennifer Esperanza

Last year, I attended the Tony Hillerman Conference. It was my first writing conference ever and I went with the intention of getting better integrated into the local writing community. I wanted to meet writers and feel like a real writer myself. One day at lunch a man sits down next to me and in my usual subtle yet winning manner, I proceeded to pepper him with questions.  How are you enjoying the conference?  Are you a writer? What genre? I can’t even remember what methods of interrogation I employed, or how many hundreds of questions I fired at him, but suffice it to say that he was graceful and kind. And if I'm being completely honest, my manner, while enthusiastic, was probably anything but winning. Over salad, we discussed novel writing and plot devices. I was in writerly heaven.

Photo credit:  Jennifer Esperanza

Suddenly, it was time for the speaker. As he was introduced, it became evident that this was a really, really, real writer. A New York Times Bestselling author.  Someone who had published many books and came equipped with four decades of experience as a writer. Had I really heard that right?  The creator of Rambo? My neighbor rose and took the podium. I realized that I had just eaten lunch with David Morrell. I was (and still am) a little chagrined when I think back to my naiveté regarding the novel writing business, not to mention my passel of questions, but I soon forgot about that as I listened to him speak.

Photo credit:  Douglas Preston

Since that time, I’ve become an active part of SouthWest Writers Group and have been thrilled to find out that Mr. Morrell is also a member and an incredible resource and inspiration to us as a group.

Photo credit: Matt Freitas

His resume is impressive to say the least. A Canadian by birth, he moved to the U.S. in 1966 and earned both an M.A. and Ph.D. in American Literature from Penn State. David taught American Literature at the University of Iowa for sixteen years, from 1970 to 1986. Early in his tenure, First Blood was published. He stayed on as a professor in the English Department, but continued to write novels, many of which became international bestsellers. As you can see below, he's even written a book about writing books.

Eventually, he transformed himself into a full-time writer. Lest you think he spends all of his time stabbing away at the keyboard, I should tell you that as he researched one of his books, David became a private pilot. He was also sent to a war zone in Iraq as part of a USO Tour.  He has been awarded numerous awards for his writing. His books number over eighteen million copies and have been translated into twenty-six languages.  Many of his books have also been electronically published. His website and blog include an incredible wealth of information, from a wonderful Q & A session with David, to video footage from Iraq. Please take a moment and visit his site. You're sure to come away enriched as a writer.

His latest book, Murder as a Fine Art, will be released in May, 2013. I’m anxious to read it, and fascinated by the setting, which is 1854 London. I would like to extend my thanks to David for his support in my writing this feature.  He is currently extraordinarily busy with activities related to his book promotion, yet he was most accommodating when I contacted him regarding an interview and feature. I also hear that David will be at the SW Book Fiesta, which is taking place on May 10 - May 12, 2013.  I hope to see you there!

You can read his full biography here and view his list of published books here. Note that credit for many of David's photos goes to Jennifer Esperanza, another incredibly talented person who hails from New Mexico.  Her photography website and blog are amazing.

In other news, the April missive from More Ink has been released into the wild. Read it here. Thanks so much to each of you for reading. If you're interested in being interviewed and featured at More Ink, drop me a line. Here are the details. 

Happy week and successful writing to you!

Lisa Timmerman, my hero.

Artists can be superheroes, too.

You've heard my adages more than once. It's never too late. Change, transform. Be brave. Get organized. Enable yourself to succeed. Today's artist, Lisa Timmerman, is the embodiment of these concepts.  She's a tremendous inspiration to me and I want to share her talent and courage with you.

           

Lisa trained at Loughborough and Bristol Colleges of Art and then went on to complete a degree in Fashion & Textiles. She worked for many years in the Fashion industry in London & East Asia before settling back in Leicestershire. 

In August, 2011, Lisa decided it was time to get back to her original passion. She decided to paint every day. At first, focusing on her dream of being a full-time artist felt selfish to her, but to her astonishment, when she informed her friends and family of this life-changing decision, she experienced nothing but encouragement and enthusiasm. This directly supports another of my maxims - you have the right to be happy. In fact, it's not just a right, it's an imperative. Find out what makes you happy and then go and do it.

After spending a week alone for the first time in twenty-five years, it became obvious to Lisa that something was holding her back. Lisa! She realized that in order to be successful in her new goal, she needed to set targets and stay focused.

Her goal? 50 in 50. That is, 50 paintings by the time she was 50 years old. This translated into roughly 50 paintings in 2 years, a lofty goal!  She drafted a strict timetable for herself. Her new schedule dictated that she begin painting every day at 7:30am.

Now, a year later, she's loving every minute of it. It isn't turning out exactly as she'd planned, but what does? She’s a little behind on her goal, but getting faster each day. Her fortitude and determination have yielded unexpected results; she’s developed a new style,  is learning all the extra bits and pieces that accompany being an artist, and has met many incredible people on her journey. Her world has opened up! She expects to hit her target goal by August of this year. I, for one, will be watching her success and cheering her on at the finish line. 

By any standard, Lisa has successfully accomplished her goals. She now has paintings in several galleries and public spaces around Leicestershire and has been selected to display 16 paintings at Parallax Art Fair at Chelsea Town Hall, London. She will be exhibiting in Holland this year, where she now has several works in private collections and was delighted to be featured in Aspire Magazine in February. Kudos to you, Lisa! 

Lisa can be found in her studio by appointment throughout the year and will be organizing drawing and painting classes in a large room above her gallery. But you don’t have to travel all the way to Leicestershire to find her – pop over to her Facebook page, or visit her website, which is still under construction, but should be up and running any day now. And while you’re there, give her a pat on the back for being strong, brave, and fearless! Lisa, I'm looking forward to witnessing your future successes and wishing you the very best. You're an inspiration. A superhero!

Lisa is one of Ink & Alchemy's newest Featured Artists. You can find more information about the program at my website and view the complete list of artists here. 

Happy Easter to you! May the day be filled with love and paint. Lots and lots of paint.

Joe Badal: Does this Lone Wolf have an agenda?

He certainly has an agenda related to writing. Although he only recently began writing novels, after serving as an officer in the U.S. Army and enjoying a long career in finance, Joe Badal is a born storyteller. His parents were storytellers who included Joe and his siblings as characters in their stories. These sessions instilled in him a desire to tell stories himself.

He also looks great in sunglasses, which is always a plus. 

He's the author of five thrillers, including The Pythagorean Solution, Evil Deeds, Terror Cell, The Nostradamus Secret, and Shell game. His next novel, The Lone Wolf Agenda, will be released in May, which is very exciting! 

I had the opportunity to speak with Joe for this interview and learned that his first published story was included in an elementary school newspaper when he was in 3rd grade. He loved the limelight and decided at that moment to become a writer.  

I often ask writers and artists if they have always been comfortable with their creativity, or if they learned to embrace it over time. Their responses interest me, I suppose because it took me so long to find my own creativity. Joe revealed that he's never stopped to think of himself as being creative. Writing is so much a part of his identity, that it is and always has been a part of his life and his passion. I admire this self-knowledge and certainty.

Joe believes that there is really one principal required to achieve success at creative pursuits: Follow your passion. If you're not passionate about an art form, then writing or painting or playing a musical instrument becomes nothing but work. Most of us already have a job; we don't need to take on a creative endeavor that is nothing but work.

Like many writers, balance can sometimes be a problem for Joe. He considered himself a very social person, and  so the isolation of writing was initially difficult, but he found that his best writing is done when there are no distractions. He often finds him self in a manic writing mode, and time seems to pass at warp speed. During these periods, it's difficult to have patience with real-life distractions. Despite this, he feels he is generally able to achieve a balance between his writing and the rest of his life and he loves the interaction that comes with book signings and speaking to audiences. Before Joe begins a book project, he does extensive research on his subject, but he remains flexible enough to allow his writing to flow in unpredictable directions.

He mentioned that during the writing process, his emotions run the gamut of sadness, joy, fear, elation, and anger. Writing about characters and their stories brings on this broad spectrum of emotions and it is these same emotions that he hopes to stimulate in the readers of his books. Although he writes fiction, there is an element of autobiography in every one of his novels because he borrows heavily on personal experience when writing his books.

I asked him if the opinion of others was crucial to his work. Here is his response:

I would be lying if I told you that feedback from readers is unimportant. I love to get positive input from readers. But if I never sold a single copy of a book, I would still write. The joy I get from writing is a kind of pleasure different from any other. 

Joe and I share the same viewpoint regarding the role of change. We both adamantly believe that change is crucial to creative success. We live in a world that is transforming rapidly.  The tastes of readers are changing. The book delivery system has changed.  Technology is changing. The entire publishing industry is in flux. Authors must adapt to these changes - or, better yet, anticipate these changes. Embracing change allows an author to maintain excitement about his work. It is Joe's belief that if an author fails to adopt these changes, his work will wither from lack of attention. Without change, the work becomes stale.

As you know, I believe that social media has placed an incredible amount of marketing and self-promotion power in the hands of those who create and because of that, I always discuss it with my interviewees.  Joe is one of those authors who have embraced it. You can visit him  on Facebook or Twitter. He also writes a  wonderful monthly blog, called Everyday Heroes, which will restore your faith in humanity. Joe considers Wattpad to be the new paradigm for book marketing; you can read sample chapters of his work there.

I'm honored that Joe has shared his time and talent with us on my blog and wish him the best of luck with the release of The Lone Wolf Agenda in May. The list of More Ink Featured Writers (and Ink & Alchemy Featured Artists) has moved.  They can now be found at the top of this blog. If you're interested in sharing your creative story, we want to hear it!  Contact me or visit my website for details.

Worden on Writing

When I knew him back in high school, I don't remember thinking of Pat Worden as a writer. I remember thinking he was witty, but try as I might, nothing comes to me regarding him writing, even though we were in English class together.

Now, though, when I think of writing and writers, he's the first thing that comes to mind. He has had a tremendous impact on me as a writer.  He was one of the first people to take my writing seriously, and one of the first to actively engage with me in critiquing and sharing my writing.  I will always think of him as my first mentor and writing partner and to this day, he embodies what I aspire to be as a writer. Creative, flexible, innovative, professional, and tenacious as hell. 

In my effort to tap into the processes of writers and glean small crumbs of wisdom to share with you (and take back into my own writing life), I asked Pat what he had to say on the subject of writing. 

Here's what he said:

I like to think I’m living proof that if you’re determined to write, you’ll write. Not only that, you can write anything. No boundaries. And you can be rewarded for doing so.

I’ve been paid to write speeches, articles, catalog blurbs, e-books, ad copy, even a riddle once. And I also get to write the things I want to write – novels, short stories, poems. Have even sold a few of these.

Once upon a time I was pretty sure that I was a fiction writer, period. Or maybe a poet, full stop. Didn’t think much about commercial writing, but if I did, I probably assumed that was for other writers. Not for me.

I think I also assumed that success, however it’s measured, was also not for me. I had it in my head that I would toil—write, that is—without recognition or recompense. Best case scenario, I figured someone might find my manuscripts after I’d been sundered unto dust and I’d get that literary runners-up prize: posthumous acclaim.

Luckily, I blundered into a couple changes of attitude. The first involved that perserverance common to all published authors: I just decided to keep writing, to keep submitting, to not let rejection beat me down. As is always true, it bore fruit.

The second was a determination to try new things. Commercial writing? Don’t knock it till you try it. There’s something simultaneously challenging and inspirational in writing within the format and framework that a paying client has set for you. It is creatively engaging, although I never would have believed that way back when. But it is.

You learn brevity, and the immediacy of message. You learn how to grab a reader’s attention. You learn how to gently, respectfully change their minds.

(And---Psst! It pays pretty good too.)

These days I have a very happy balance. Maybe about 60 percent of my writing time is spent on client projects, with the rest divided between whatever creative endeavor strikes my fancy, and blogging. Blogging is invaluable as well, and I recommend it to one and all. It’s nothing but self-imposed deadlines, the easiest kind to break, so it’s a great test of one’s discipline. If you can make yourself commit to it, it’s very rewarding. (I’d be remiss here not to issue a mass invite to stop by my blog and get a gander at my very opinionated take on culture, art, and literature.)

I write a lot, I see a lot of it in print, or at least on the screen, and I get paid pretty well for some of my efforts. No, it’s not a full-time thing, and it doesn’t fully support my family. Like a lot of us, I’m still working for a living. And I’m okay with that.

I now define success, in terms of writing, as simply being engaged. If I’m fully engaged in my work, any of it, then I’m a happy writer. Paychecks and readership are the gravy on top.

And that, finally, is the message I’d send. Engage with your writing, that’s all. Fully engage with it, make it a fully integrated part of your life. Write every day, work on improving your craft, try to get better and better. Rewards will come, I guarantee it.

****************

Pat can be found all over the cyber world. He critiques and pontificates at Worden's Cultural Deconstruction. He tweets. He's on Facebook and Linked In. Connect with him and be entertained and inspired. You can download  his third book, Voracious, at BookLocker. And while you're at it, you might as well check out Mind.net and Refrigerator Magnets.  

I want to thank Pat for taking time out of his busy life to share his experience with us. Working, raising a family, and writing.  It's tough to fit it all in. There is never enough time in the day, and so each time someone participates in my little project, I feel truly appreciative. If you're a writer (or an artist) and have something to say about it,  let me know. You'll find more information on my website. Please join me at More Ink, where I endeavor to post useful and  inspiring  bits for writers.

Have a creative and productive weekend! Write!

Heidi Keyes, artist and altogether happy person.

I'm honored today to share with you the creative story of Heidi Keyes. I have long been a fan of her work, and am drawn to the energy and life her paintings evoke. Now, after hearing her story, I understand even more why I love her art. Heidi & I both believe that happiness is a real and laudable goal. I admire her creative courage and want to thank her for being so generous with her story. One of my precepts at Ink & Alchemy is that as a community, we should help each other grown and learn. Heidi is a great role-model in this regard. I am  thrilled to hear that she will soon be visiting New Mexico and I would have loved to get together for coffee or lunch, but Truth or Consequences isn't exactly close to Albuquerque. I'm still crossing my fingers though. 

Q: I asked Heidi to tell us a little about herself and her art.
I am, in both my life and in my career, a very free-spirited person. For the past several years, the primary focus of my work has been travel, embracing life, finding loveliness in places that aren’t normally considered to have such appeals. Per my artist statement: “The world unfolds before us and has so much to offer, and the basis of my work is that to experience this journey, even in the smallest and most insignificant moments– as an individual, that is what makes one alive. I use washes to achieve an effect of impermanence, and allow my paint to drip freely down the canvas, embracing spontaneity in my work, as in my life. My art– it is about bursting from the bubble that contains us, sucking in a deep, staggering breath, and experiencing everything that is overwhelmingly colorful and beautiful and bright, even in things and places that normally aren’t considered so.” I try to live a very free, simple, adventurous, and joyous life—and I think that comes through in my work.

Q: When did you first know you were a creative person?
I’ve been very innovative since I was a child—always building things, developing ideas, creating and re-creating things. I was very lucky to have parents who always encouraged this in myself and in my brothers by encouraging us to be the best versions of ourselves, and to do whatever best suited us in life. I grew up on a farm in a small town in South-Eastern Wisconsin, so it would have been very easy for my parents to encourage me to pursue a more practical career—a nurse, a teacher, a dental hygienist—but they never made me feel like my dreams were unreachable. Their support and encouragement is still boundless.

Q: Have you always been comfortable with your creativity, or did you have to learn to embrace it?
“In my past life as an artist, I was caught up in the excruciating details. I insisted on perfection; I obsessed over the unrealistic notion of how I was convinced things should be. I found that over time, this caused a loss of creativity. Art became hard. I have always loved blind contour drawing, and one day, in a fit of frustration, I began to draw wildly with a paintbrush, with an emphasis on technique rather than end result. I was pleased and surprised at the level of sophistication achieved through the use of simplistic lines and connected forms. The figures I created were uncertain, unsure, and often pensive, but my lines were confident and bold.” No, I haven’t always been ‘comfortable’ with my creativity… for a time, in my frustration, it nearly ruined me and I stopped creating at all. It took a re-evaluation of both my work, and the way I lived and viewed my existence, to reach the place I currently am in my art. I’m still always developing, and I think that’s important. I believe that a certain level of discomfort is a positive, so that my work and my ideas never get stagnant, and I am always willing to experiment.

Q: Do you have any tricks or tips for others to find their best creative self?
Surround yourself with people that encourage you, but I’m telling you that you MUST be your own motivation. Create daily if you can, even if it’s only for five minutes. Reach out to others for help and become a part of a creative community. Accept both rejection and praise gracefully, and funnel them into an energy that helps you grow. Believe in the work you create, but never believe yourself to be above growth and improvement. Read, paint, create, sit in the sun, get enough sleep, call your family, ride a bicycle, climb a mountain, eat your vegetables, but don’t deprive yourself of delicious things. Do whatever the hell you need to do to make yourself undeniably and boundlessly happy.

Q: Do you have trouble balancing the other parts of your life with your creative pursuits?
Until last summer, creating art was essentially a “side-business” for me, although I always believed it to be my true career. For a time, I worked as an international flight attendant (which was an absolutely amazing opportunity) and then as an Admissions Counselor for an online university (which was not such a fantastic place, but introduced me to some of the most hilarious, wonderful, and good-hearted people in my life). Last year, I began to feel comfortable enough with my business and miserable enough in my 9-5, 5-6 days-a-week reality that I simply needed to make a change, so I made a leap. And yes, I gave up financial security, but I gained so much more when I started being able to work on my art full-time. My creative pursuits are now intertwined with the rest of my life, and vice versa.

Q: When you’re creating, what emotions are you tapping into?
Boredom, anger, mania, satisfaction, pleasure, happiness, apathy, determination—it doesn’t matter. If I waited to create until I felt ‘the calling’, I would never begin painting… and neither would most people. Making art as a job, as a career, means you have to force yourself into the studio whether you feel like it or not, just squeeze those paints onto your palette, grab a hold of that brush, and just begin painting.

Q: Do you feel change is an important part of being creative? How so?
Entirely. I never want to reach the point where I’m so comfortable that I stop stretching myself and considering new ideas. There’s no ultimate perfection in art, no end point on the journey. There’s only evolution.

Q: Describe how you use social media to promote your creative endeavors.
I reach out to the public around the world using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and various other social networking platforms, which allows me not only to make connections around the globe, but is also a fantastic medium for selling small pieces of original work and my prints. I post not only tidbits about my creative life, but work-in-progress updates of my newest pieces, and I encourage discussions about inspiration and ingenuity from both other artists and art-lovers. It’s just a really great way to make connections beyond the traditional gallery setting (which is also extremely important). My website is here. I also run (and try to update regularly, although I’m often less than competent at that) an art/travel/food/fun blog that can be found  here. Please join me at any of my sites - I would love to connect with you.

Q: Do you work best alone or in a group?
I typically work best in a setting when I’m alone with my work, a glass of wine or coffee, and my occasionally bizarre thoughts, but I’m attending my first artist residency at Starry Night Retreat in New Mexico this Spring, and all of the artists have the opportunity to create and collaborate together in a large studio (which is actually a renovated barn). I’m truly looking forward to being immersed in what is such a foreign environment for me and collaborating with other artists, writers, and musicians.

Q: How much do your life experiences affect your creative work?
100%. To me, art is life and life is art—the two are undeniably intertwined. My work is based on my world experiences, and the way I exist as a person is based on the life I've created for myself around my work. My long-time boyfriend, John Statz is a folk musician, and our schedule is very non-traditional in that we’re constantly creating and in a state of flux. We gave up “conventional security” to pursue our dreams, what we simply can’t live without—and I've never been more happy.

Q:Are there any specific websites or resources related to creativity that you’d like to share?
Absolutely. As I said earlier, I believe it’s incredibly important to be part of a creative community, and if you live in a place where this isn't physically viable (the middle of Indiana, perhaps), it’s entirely possible to become involved with one online. A few sites I recommend:

Skinny Artist, an artist directory and creative community, run by the ever so innovative Skinny Artist mastermind, Drew. By the way, I was thrilled to be recently included in the Skinny Artist's List of 21 Artists to watch in 2013! 

The Facebook page of Scottish artist, Trevor Jones. This fellow is not only mind-blowingly talented artist, he's incredibly funny, open-minded, a social-marketing guru, and honestly, I don't know ho he has the time for ANYTHING ELSE because he's constantly organizing and facilitating charity events and fundraisers. Truly, a really great guy and a wonderful person to be connected with.

The Brazen Bible is a 'live your best life' blog run by one of my dear friends, Jessica Manuszak, who also lives in Denver. As she refers to it, "a gutsy guide to kicking life in the nards". 

The Middle Finger Project, also not an “artsy” blog, but a truly inspirational and in-your-face guide to achieving what you actually want with your life. Why are you still doing that crap that makes you unhappy, anyway? 

Fine Art Tips, a more traditional but very informative and helpful blog/website with realist painter Lori McNee… a really great resource for social networking and marketing ideas, even if you don’t work in the same medium or style. …and of course, Ink& Alchemy. Thank you so much again for the opportunity to talk to you a bit about my work, Robin… and thanks for all you do for the creative community. Cheers!

**********************

Heidi has handed the microphone back to Robin now. Ahem.

When Heidi mentioned Skinny Artist, I smiled. I just posted the March I&A Newletter yesterday and this was one of my recommended links. This site is awesome. Go there.

It was absolutely my pleasure to have Heidi share her experiences with us and I wish her the best in what I'm sure will be an illustrious artistic career. Kudos to you, Heidi, for changing your life so that you could pursue what makes you happy. This takes real courage and I am in awe of you. Well done.

I love the artistic community and it makes me feel good to be involved in this way. If you have something you'd like to share about your art or your life that you think may help, encourage, or uplift others, drop me a line and let me know. We want to hear from you!

I'm really excited about the links that Heidi shared and I think I know what I'll be doing for the rest of the evening. Kicking life in the nards!

  

x

Rene Mullen, I hope you remember me when you're famous.

I adore meeting interesting people, and I especially enjoy meeting interesting people in interesting ways. Rene and I first encountered each other online, and when we realized that we both lived in Albuquerque and belonged to SouthWest Writers, it seemed obvious that we ought to get to know each other in person. We did, and I could tell right away that I liked him, which was a relief because the cyberworld can be a strange and mysterious place. 

He's articulate. He's funny. And he has a twinkle in his eye, especially when discussing query letters. He loves writing query letters, that much is clear.  He was gracious enough to agree to talk with us about his writing. Take note, everyone, I have a feeling that we'll be seeing much more of Rene, most likely on the NY Times Bestseller List. Let's listen to what he has to say before he gets too busy with fame and fortune to talk with us. Here he is and here is his story:

My name is Rene Mullen.

Pronounced “Rainy.” 

I write contemporary fiction with dark shades of horror and what is usually considered “women’s literature” (though I hate the term). What is contemporary fiction? Anything that takes place in the here and now, speculative or otherwise. Though my stories rarely give you time or place, the technologies hint at today’s world. Women’s literature? Well, by that most mean “Written by women” or “Strong female protagonist.” What they really mean is, “This is a man’s world, women writers and strong female characters need not apply.” Yes, I’m a male feminist. But enough about that. Who am I? And how do I get down and dirty with my writing?

I grew up in a tiny rural Connecticut town of less than 500 people. Unlike most from small town America, when I left, the car never turned around. I moved to Colorado where I went to college, met my wife because of a pair of boots, and took up writing fiction and short self-help non-fiction. But graduate school in Wisconsin had different ideas for me and I stopped writing anything but school papers for four years.

Two years ago, I picked up writing again with memoir and fictional short stories. Feeling I had novels trapped inside, and finding NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), I started writing novels in 2010. Since then I’ve completed three manuscripts. One of which is polished and is out in the ether seeking a willing and gullible agent.

Most writers will probably tell you about how they love writing or love to share their work and speak about the romanticism of the craft. For me, though, creativity has been an arduous uphill road filled with many demons and hurdles. Two hurdles in particular come to mind.

First is the Internal Editor, or as I call it, the internal Dark Passenger (a shout out to Jeff Lindsay’s “Dexter” books). Many writers, or wannabe writers, I meet say they have to wait for their muse to come knocking at the door. And even then, they have to wait until they can find time in their busy lives between children, spouses, work, chores, school, and all other walks of life before they can actually sit down and type out their stories.

I don’t wait for my muse, and I don’t wait for life to slow down for me. Instead, I’ve told my muse on countless occasions, “I’m going to sit down and type out some pages. Your company is welcomed and encouraged, but not necessary.” She usually joins reluctantly once I’ve started typing words down onto the screen. But if I wait for her to be ready, nothing would ever get done. Likewise, I work full-time, am part of three different critique groups, two committees, am a professional CASA volunteer, have a spouse, and I sleep and manage way too many hours of Netflix.

Writing is my passion. I find time to do it. Twenty minutes during my lunch hour, an hour after work. Right after dinner. Right before bed. Any time I can find. I’m either writing or reading.

The best part about this tactic of not waiting for my muse is that I both produce more, and, oddly enough, my muse comes along more often. She wakes me up in the middle of the night. She joins me for those short lunch breaks (though not as often as I’d like her to).

The second hurdle I face in my writing creativity is one that has shown itself quite recently. Stories I’ve written in the past were shadows of what they were meant to be. They were never the full story hidden inside me. Why? I worried people would read them and think, “Jeez, what’s wrong with this guy?” Stephen King may have embraced his creepy side, but I haven’t.Then I realized something. I was writing to entertain people, first and foremost, when I should have been writing for myself by remaining true to the craft and the story.

Since I’ve let go, my stories have become more vivid and lifelike. I get compliments constantly from my critique groups, and they can be some of my toughest critics.

This opening up of myself comes as both catharsis and a burden. Cathartic in that some of the plots and character development I paint are based in the reality of dark past experiences. I work with adults with developmental disabilities and children in the foster system. I’ve seen terrible things. I’ve seen the very best humanity has to offer. I also have my own sordid history. By turning some of those experiences into fictitious stories, they leave my subconscious like it just received a good back massage.

On the other hand, there is a burden that comes with this outpouring of emotion that I had not anticipated. Sure, my critique buddies love my work and truly feel for my characters. For this, I’m grateful and excited. But writing some of my recent dark scenes have left me nervous about writing. Just when I thought I’ve gone as far into the macabre as my creative mind will let me, my muse takes me by the hand and guides me further into the cave. I feel like a masseuse at the end of the day. I’ve managed to relieve the world of all that tension, but have, in turn, sucked in all that tension into my own body. It’s physically draining.

But that tells me that I’m where I need to be. Because, as it was explained to me a long time ago, knowledge (and creativity) is not a flower you pick, but a mountain you climb. The soreness in my bones is a sign that I’m pushing my own limits. And I can’t think of many artists who remain household names that didn’t push their limits to near breaking points. Stephen King embraced his macabre side claiming he writes what scares him. Hemingway needed alcohol to push through his tough writing. As a new artist and writer, I’m still soul searching. 

Currently, my polished novel seeking an agent is about a History professor struggling with her new-found identity. As the only person who knows Sign Language that is struck with a mysterious illness that robs people of speech, Dr. Helen Collins becomes the voice for the voiceless. Infected also gain urges for raw flesh. Zombies, yes. But this story shows how zombies are not always the monsters. Sometimes those who fear the unknown are far more dangerous and monstrous.

My second manuscript (not yet ready for the public) is about a young man who moves away from home for a new job in the big city as a social worker. But one of his clients is not who he seems. After that client goes missing, Kidd goes in search of the man known only as John Birmingham. At the same time, Kidd struggles with his own dark past and a mother who only points out his shortcomings but uses him as a crutch as well as for other personal gains.

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Rene Mullen, I hope you remember me when you're famous. Thank you for articulating your struggles so well.  Reading your piece was just a little bit creepy, because the struggles you mention are all too familiar to me. Best wishes to you as you continue down that hurdle-filled road. Keep us posted on your progress.

Please visit Rene at his website. You'll find links there to hook up with him at other social media venues as well. 

The art in this post is the exquisite work of Daniel Sprick. If you enjoyed it, you may click here or on any of the images to  satisfy your yearning for more art. 

As always, feel free to visit Ink & Alchemy or More Ink. We're taking over the world one creative project at a time, which might take a while.