The Merry Merry Month

I don't know that anything uber-special has ever happened to me in May, but if I were to name a favorite month, I think May would be it. It's usually a pretty month. Trees and flowers are budding, the grass is turning green (before it dies in June when I fail to water it), the birds are chirping, etc. etc. It's a transitional month, and I like the transitional seasons. It might be interesting to go back and see if I am more or less productive in May.

The goals for this month are posted at the side. I've added a couple more things this month. The first is to write Morning Pages daily. Which is how they are supposed to be done, but I have been slacking off big time. I know I write more when I do my Morning Pages. It could be that they really work. It could be that Julia Cameron has completely brainwashed me. I don't care. They do the job. When I can get all the gunk down on the page--the page that is meant for the gunk--I don't have to deal with it when it's time to actually write. So Pages daily again.

The second unusual entry is to practice banjo at least twice a week. This is another creativity booster. It's fun, even though I have to work at it. It's creative, but in a different way. While it takes time and patience to improve, I am at least good enough to plunk out a recognizable tune or strum chords that I can sing along with. In other words, instant gratification. Writing does give a tangible result--"I wrote 10 pages today!"--but it's a tangible result that can't readily be evaluated. I may think it's brilliant, but it might be veering off into a deadend direction or fails to move the story at all. Or I can think it stinks, but then realize after the whole thing is done that this was the pivotal moment in the story. With music, it's ephemeral but immediate.

I'm also going to start the cleanup of TNN for submission in July (I think it's July, we're doing some rejiggering). In any case, I don't want to wait until the last minute. So we're getting that party started.

So, is there something you can do that's fun and creative but has nothing to do with writing? How about giving it a try this month?

Brilliance or Betrayal

I opened my email the other day to find a notice from Amazon.com. "Since you've ordered merchandise by Julia Cameron, we thought you'd be interested....." It seems Ms. Cameron has penned a weight-loss book. Huh?

It's that time of year, of course. The ads for weight-loss programs, diet pills and tonics, and exercise equipment have tripled since before the holidays. The gyms all know that getting people to sign up now means lots of money for them, especially if they can get those people to take a one or two year contract. Because the vast majority of those people will have to continue to pay month after month while only actually using the facilities for a month or two. Why do you think they make you pay in advance or sign a contract? No flies on them.

But Julia Cameron? Creativity guru? The blurbs on Amazon claim that she discovered that people who unlock their creativity using The Artist's Way tend to get in shape as well. It's been a while since I did the program, but I don't recall any great body change. Maybe I did it wrong. Wouldn't be the first time that I failed to experience what others have. But it sounds like so much hooey to me.

We had a discussion at a Pirate's meeting a month or so back about whether we can separate an actor's private life from their work, i.e. Tom Cruise. Does the appearance of his being a total whack job ruin his movies for us? I believe the majority said, "yes." However, when it came to Russell Crowe and the reported violence, no one seemed deterred. Why? Is it that we think he's been falsely accused or that he's a better actor? Hard to say.

So does Julia Cameron's apparent selling out erode the respect I have for The Artist's Way? Not so much. It worked for me. Morning Pages still work for me. I think that D.B. is doing the right thing by doing the program. But this weight-loss book does leave a bad taste in my mouth. And it's not just that book. She's seemed to be pushing the whole add-on to The Artist's Way for a while now. She must have six or seven books related to the first one. But this latest one does seem over the top.

I'm one fan who will not be queuing up for this one. If you get it, though, let me know if it works for you. ;-)