What's Your Type?

Another lovely day! No one should have to work on a day like today. My apologies to my friends up North who may still be snowed in. I have just returned from a jaunt uptown to price some printers for the computer. Yes, I could have saved the time and gas by looking it up online, but I couldn't resist getting out and enjoying the spring-like warmth. Then I started thinking about all the different types of rambling. To clarify, you don't have to be a nature-lover to be a rambler. You may like to visit different cities or towns and look for eclectic restaurants or antique shops. You may enjoy yard sales or flea markets. You may be a history buff or interested in unique building architecture.

Unless I am on a strict schedule, I seldom hesitate to stop at small towns when I am rambling around. Usually something will catch my eye and entice me to stop. It could be hand-made quilts or woodwork sitting outside the door, or I might see something that I wish to photograph.
Ice-cream shops are my bane, especially the little Mom and Pop type shops or stands. Nothing beats an ice-cream cone packed with hefty scoops of your favorite flavor. And a milkshake made the old-fashioned way tastes so different than one from a fast food restaurant.

For writers, small towns can hold a wealth of story ideas. Park your car and walk down the sidewalk. Notice the landscaping, or lack of it. What period does the architecture appear to be from? Poke around in some of the shops. Talk to the shopkeepers and other locals. Ask which restaurant they recommend and try it out. Ask about the history of the shop or the town and really listen to the answers. If you want to photograph something in the shop, ask for permission. If they have business cards, take one, and leave one of yours with them. Ask if they have a website. This is a great way to be able to double-check information later. Always be courteous. Thank them for their time and suggestions. But above all, relax and enjoy yourself.

Happy Rambling!
StellaD

Observing the "Everyday"

The icy winds which prevailed over the weekend have blown away to distant shores. Other than two days of rain, this week turned out to be quite pleasant. While driving to work yesterday, I noticed a splotch of color off to my right. A long row of bright yellow daffodils nodded as I passed. My first Spring sign! And a prompt for me to begin carrying my camera with me so I can capture the awakening of the land. Also a prompt to clear my eyes of Winter sleep and become more observant.

I don't mind commuting, especially since I don't have to sit in stand-still traffic for hours. For me, the commute becomes a time of transition between work and home. If I've had a rough day at work or have a lot on my mind on the home front, the commute affords me time to unwind. When I arrive at my destination I am calmer and able to focus on whatever task is at hand. We can become so emeshed in our own tiny worlds that we sometimes miss what is happening around us. As I drive along, I observe the larger world around me. Each season offers a different view of this world, but it is the day-to-day changes that I become more keenly aware of. I note the changing patterns of the clouds, the slant of the suns rays, and seek to find the tiny rainbows that often appear when one cloud cries on another's shoulder. I doubt most of the commuters around me see this phenomena. I have seen a solitary deer, half-hidden by bracken, winding its way down a hillside. I look for the flock of ducks that reside in a pond along the way. What are they doing today? Are they beside the road eating, swimming lazily in the pond, or huddled together for warmth?

As you learn more about writing, study the world around you and practice writing about what you see. Describe not only the colors of the evening sky, but the mood it evokes. Pay attention to how it makes you feel and describe those feelings. When you are out in public shopping, or at a restuarant, observe what other people are doing. Describe what you see or hear, the mood of the people, and the atmosphere of the place. What time of day is it? Does the time of day have any bearing on what is happening, or how people seem to be feeling? I'm sure you have heard this all before, but by honing your observance skills, you sharpen your writing skills. Your reader will not only see the scene you describe, but will feel the emotions surrounding the scene.

So, get out and ramble! Observe the "everyday." Take along a notebook--and a camera--to record what you see. Spring is just around the corner. I've already had a preview, how about you? More on observance later, meanwhile, happy rambling.

StellaD

On a Sunday Evening

The sun, smiling warmly on the pasture behind the house, beckons me outside, but the prevailing Northwest wind says not. Today I will listen to the wind. All of yesterday and last night the wind whipped through the barren treetops and rippled the tin on the roof, making it sound like thunder. The Northern world, battered by these same winds, is covered with snow. Wherever you are, today is a perfect day to settle in with a good book. Or, if you're a writer, to work on your own good book, or perhaps think about the audience for your book. If, on a day like today, someone curls up with a book, wouldn't you like it to be yours?

What do people read...and why? Why do you read? Several reasons come to mind, but they can be broken down into three general catagories: entertainment/pleasure, information gathering, and personal insight. Whether a person is reading a book or a magazine, they are reading for one, or a combination of the three reasons listed above.

Now, as a writer, why do you write...what do you write? Do you write short stories, book length fiction or non-fiction, or articles for magazines, newspapers, etc.? Think of who might, on a day like today, be reading something that you wrote. Perhaps someone who is just relaxing for the evening, or someone looking for information for a future vacation or business endeavor, or someone looking for steps toward personal improvement. Of course, these are all generalizations. It is up to you, as a writer, to take these generalizations and break them down into categories that will define your target market. For the freelance writer, writing is a business, and the better you know your audience, the greater chance you have to sell your work. Wishing you success!~~~StellaD

Just Starting Out

It's cold beneath the Georgia pines as Winter waxes strong, with icy winds that speak of Arctic frost. A mug of hot chocolate wouldn't be amiss even this late at night...and a warm afghan to curl up in as night deepens. Welcome, on this Winter night, to my first blog. Witness, if you will, my first tentative ramblings and writings. But perhaps I should explain some things first.

Rambling: I use the term more in the sense of wandering, travelling, if you will; exploring the world around you. Especially the natural world with all its beauty and wonder. This is what I do when the weather is fine, or perhaps a little chilly (not like it is tonight!). Some call it Sunday Driving. I call it Weekend Ramblin'...getting away for the weekend or a day, or just a few precious hours, winding down from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and job stress. A change of scenery never hurts, and you return home feeling relaxed and refreshed.

You still may not be eager and willing to head back to work Monday morning, but that's beside the point. The point is to take what time you have to regenerate, to step outside the usual and get to know your surrounding areas. There was a reason our parents/grandparents went on Sunday drives. Because they knew it was important to their well-being to break the monotony of day-to-day living.

That, perhaps, explains Rambling. The writing is self-explanatory. I will be ramblin' around my area and writing about what I see, what I find, and encourage you to get out and explore, too. It's more important than ever that we take time out of our busy lives to relax and renew our relationship with nature and each other. It's 2007 and I'm just starting out, embarking on a new journey in a new area. I'm looking forward to sharing with you whatever I might find and to visit some old haunts, favorites of mine, places my heart yearns for when I am away too long. Won't you join me on this journey? As Robert Frost says in his poem, The Pasture: "I sha'n't be gone long.--You come too."

StellaD