Friday Five: Pokes to the Imagination

It’s been a chaotic couple of weeks. Husband is recovering well from his bike crash, and life is starting to return to normal. But with extra driving and not always getting enough sleep, the productive hours of my days have been a bit chopped up. Today, I’m at home with several uninterrupted hours for work, and the quiet and calm seem to be settling over me and waking me up in a happy way. Just a few minutes of solitary thought this morning, checking in at the Internet, and spending a little while with my current read–all this is stirring my imagination and getting me ready to work.

Things that have me thinking:

1. I have an empty house today. I love my family very, very much. And I love their company. But there is something about a quiet space that I know won’t be filled for a while that lets my brain expand. Which, ironically, is what will let me narrow my focus to my writing today.

2. Robin Brande posted on Facebook that her new book, Replay, is available FREE for Kindle today and tomorrow. Not only did this get my mind musing on what the new book is about (AWESOME opening lines: “I DIED. For forty-two seconds I died.”), but off I went thinking about how great it’ll be when I can actually read it ON my Kindle, which the guys know they’re getting me for my birthday in August. It’s a big birthday, which calls for a big gift. So I downloaded Robin’s book to my Kindle for PC account, but I think I’m going to save it for the summer and figure out how to get it from one Kindle account to another…another extra great birthday present. That’s assuming, of course, that I can wait that long!

3. I checked the movie times for The Lorax tonight, at our local theater. All three of us are huge Seuss fans, and this is a must-see. We’ve all been pretty zonked, so we may be joining the little-kid crowd at the early show tonight or tomorrow, but thinking about the movie makes me go back and remember the book and imagine forward about how the movie will be different–for better or worse. Either way, Seussalways gets me into creative mode.

4. I’m rereading a book I loved as a kid: Phyllis A. Whitney’s THE MYSTERY OF THE GULLS. I picked it up last night as a relaxing, no-stress, comfort read, and instantly I’m back in Taffy’s world, trying to help her mother save the old hotel while  digging out the secret of the locked room. Who doesn’t want an island where cars can’t come, there’s a goblin wood at the top of the hill, and your bedroom has an extra little nook just perfect for a little desk and chair, just for you? So I’m back in my nook today, with my desk and chair, ready to put words on the page.

5. Time.

As I said, the past couple of weeks have been broken into a lot of little pieces. I’m pretty proud of myself for getting a lot of little things done with those pieces. But to really look at a project, to get the big picture, you need more than pieces…you need a long stretch of clarity. Today’s the day to look at my nonfiction project and start seeing what all is there, to get a sense of what I actually have and what I need to do. I’ve only been home for an hour after all the drop-offs, and I can feel my brain breathing more slowly, relaxing into the day. Which means good organizing and good writing. Hallelujah!

What’s got your imagination going this week? What helps you tune into your creative self, to relax and know that you will write, that you will be productive? Here’s hoping some of whatever that is comes your way today!