Hearing and listening similar, yet, but not the same. When I force myself to “hear” how I believe characters in my novels should conduct themselves (about my books here), I jam them into flat molds. Inspiration comes when still my thoughts enough to listen. When I focus on what they elect to say, their texture and color is brilliant.
You know how answers can elude you until you take a shower or walk your dog?
Writing fiction is like that for me. Since my thoughts gallop like wild horses even before I’ve opened my eyes, writing Morning Pages is how I corral them. Those three pages of pen-to-paper stream of conscious that Julia Cameron recommends (I’ve blogged about her workbooks here) allow me to listen, not just hear.
Julia is also a strong believer that it’s never too early or too late to honor the creator within each of us.
Today’s guest, Jaye Marie, publishes detective thrillers and blogs from Hampshire, England. She came into writing later in life. Now 80, she’s written five novels and appears determined to make up for lost time. Check out Jaye Marie’s site to find out more about her and her books.
Here she recounts a time when her listening manifested into magic. Equally interesting to me, her visitor was North American! She explains, “Whether it is the truth or fiction is a difficult one. I was visited by someone who looked a lot like Mark Twain, and he did help me to write a story. He seemed very real to…
