Lynn Viehl's 50th Book!

Just a quick note for all of you!

Here's a writer I've been following for quite a while, and based on her productivity, she's a real one. She's a MAKER. (See my previous post if you aren't sure what that is.)

Lynn Viehl's just published her 50th book! Wow! And this one is steampunk, so I can't wait to read it.

Here's a link to the 50th book, Her Ladyship's Curse. Enjoy!

Itchy

I woke with an edge inside me this morning, a call to do something more today. It's a lovely call, really, a voice in my brain bent on creating.

Will I listen? I haven't listened to the call much of late. I've filled my world with dishes, trips to the store, paper sorting, and other inane activities. It's as if I wish the voice to just go away, to leave me alone in mundane world and go off to call to somebody else. 

That is what separates an artist from one who is not. I write this, not to chastise you, but to goad myself into action. I'm not a writer if I don't write. I'm not a painter if I don't paint. I'm not a pianist if I don't play. Artists create. If they don't, they aren't artists.

I recently met an painter who, even at a young age, was compelled to paint. Any chance he got, with any medium at hand, on any surface, if given any free time. He listened to that urgent voice early on. And he painted, and painted, and painted. And he's still listening, still heeding, still painting. 

I've been going at this all wrong all my life. I've been locking this voice in a closet, letting it out only when I have a bunch of free time, when all my chores are done (which is not often). I've said I will write/paint/dance/sing/go to the ball only if I get all my work done. I've been my own evil stepmother.

That ends today. Permanently. I'm kicking my evil stepmother to the curb. I'm getting what I have to do done, but the rest of the time is mine. To paint. To create. To play. To turn my ideas into tangible, beautiful reality. I will not die regretting all things I never got around to creating. I am a Maker (as Orson Scott Card would term it), and it's about damned time I made something.

I have 14 hours until bedtime. Plenty of time to make something. 

It's about Damned Time, You Say

I won't apologize.

I have nothing to apologize for, after all.

I haven't been writing here on this blog. Yes, that's true.

But I've been doing so many other things!

I've been reading 3-5 books a week.
I've spent a month in Washington State with relatives.
I've organized and run two art camps.
I've helped plan a year of programming at the gallery.
I've planned out and begun a year of homeschooling for my two children. (That's the biggie).
I've edited a novel (for two writers).
I've half-revised one of my own novels (actually, 2/3 revised).
I've begun working on a collaborative series of novels (more about that later).
I've cooked countless meals and brushed my teeth countless times.
I've played piano (getting better all the time).
I've visited churches (haven't found one yet).
I've cleaned, swept, done a million dishes, vacuumed, scoured, dusted, washed, folded, put away, and pretty much everything else.
I've gotten back into Zumba, signed up for Zumbatomic training, walked well over a hundred miles, and swum nearly every day.
I've figured out why my metabolism is so low, and I'm on the road to fixing it.
I've helped a friend handle hard times and depression (and I've been helped by her, too).
I've drawn/painted/sewn/sung/cheered/laughed/hugged/kissed/praised/admonished/enjoyed the world in so many ways.
I've even slept. A lot. And it's been great.

You see, I've been busy living. And it's been a fantastic summer for it. Now my kids are slowly adapting to the homeschooling schedule, as am I, and the house is growing a little neater, day by day. But my priorities can't just be blogging. I'll do all I can to check in, but my blogs can't take precedence over my life. Living is what I'm here for.

I'd write more, but I need to head off to the store (yes, at 6:30 a.m.) to pick up some things for the gallery before I go to the track and walk for a couple of hours (yes, that means two hours). Then I'll come back, shower, and start homeschooling. Lots of living to be done.

What living will you be doing today?