It’s a premier summer day, my thoughts are bumping around in no particular direction. I stand at the edge of a pond hoping for inspiration but doing nothing to encourage it. A small dragonfly alights on my arm and stays. She stays, keeping me where I stand. I have been hijacked by a hitchhiker and I’m happy to be her ride. I find out later she is a chalk-fronted corporal, a pond lover with clear wings. She is exquisite and mesmerizing. I wonder if she’s stuck or maybe asleep. No, not asleep. She rubs her little face with her forelegs. Is she uncertain which direction to go? I peer closely and we stare at each other. She is taking a moment and enjoying the view from my arm.
Many writers talk about being ‘stuck.’ Some are in the middle of novels or memoirs. Some are at the beginning of a project, and some adhere to the spot of their last creative expression. Having experienced this ‘stasis’ myself, I have begun to wonder if we are actually stuck. Fear of going into the unknown is real. But isn’t there something to be said for sitting still rather than flitting about or bulldozing on?
Sometimes it’s right to stop charging forward and take in the 360º circumference of sky and universe. It’s good to stop struggling and accept that we don’t know what comes next. This release can turn to openness. And openness allows for new perspectives, characters, scenes, and subtexts. In these last days of summer find a place to lightly land, shed the purposeful striving. Let the soft random currents of playfulness loose. Don’t try. A small updraft will eventually appear. Float with it. The dragonfly stays for a long while. When she lifts off, angles her wings, and zips among the ripe cat tails at the edge of the pond my daydreaming is aloft.
Upcoming Events
One-Day Online Flash Fiction Workshop! Flash! Sudden! Quick! Nano! Whatever we call it, this genre gets right to the point. Join me on Saturday, October 14th 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. to create this snapshot genre. We will follow the AWA Method as we write, listen, and respond. Cost: $125 For information: maureen@maureenbjones.com
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