My Writing Space

Finding Time

2010-04-13T04:47:00.000-07:00

Writing for magazines and ezines has kept me away from this blog. Working from home has its advantages and disadvantages as the home needs constant attention. Time and work management also depends on the family.

From the last month, I am writing articles for a green living website. It is interesting to research and write about green initiatives in India.
This year looks promising.

Good to be back

2009-12-18T02:15:00.000-08:00

I am back after almost three months. Lot happened in between. In October, it was time for a vacation after a long, long time. It was a well deserved break as I had worked very hard for the whole year.

It took some time to get back to routine. It’s always great to go on vacation but strangely home beckons.

I love to travel, mostly by road, train and plane. However, I do not enjoy travelling by a bus.Road travel by car is what I really like. You can stop anywhere you feel like. The way side restaurants always have a collection of people from diverse fields. I find the conversations interesting and amusing. This time I had my small note-pad to jot. I found some intriguing ideas, snippets and characters for fiction.

Ideas lie dormant to wait until the time is right. This is one market I sincerely want to pursue.

Writing in the Kitchen

2009-09-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, the painters and the carpenters captured my home! One week of unsettled life taught me how to concentrate with all the stuff lying around. Hectic week routine became confusing. Getting the kitchen into the living room made the dining table became my workspace.

I concentrated on reading and researching for articles, which are due for submission. The house is slowly getting back the semblance of order. I need at least three hours to arrange the rooms.

The walls have a clean and a fresh look. Kitchen has more space. I look forward to changing the drawing room curtains. The new round tables and the lovely lamp will make the corner perfect. It needs some flowers to add magic.

Inspiration and Ideas for articles on home décor, house renovation and how to let go of the clutter are struggling in my mind to come on paper. Yes, I did make a note for future use.

Butterfly Moments

2009-09-02T04:03:00.000-07:00

Ideas have wings, electric, colorful, fragile and enigmatic. Elusive and often like butterflies you need to catch softly. I am like a kid when it comes to writing. Books, stationery, colors, crayons, paper, pencils, spiral note-books, fabrics, textures enthrall me. A small speck of dust glistening in the sunlight can become an inspiration.

Keeping a list of ideas help to remember the flash of brilliance you had while looking at a picture or a wild flower, moon light on a window. I found recording on my mobile is an easy and useful option to keep my butterfly moments.

Changing Perceptions

2009-08-27T03:22:00.000-07:00

I am reading a book on Buddhist philosophy-‘Buddha in Daily Life’. It is heavy in content but written in a simple language.This was one of the first books recommended by senior leaders of the SGI (Soka Gakai International) when I joined this practice.

The book deals with Buddhists concepts and the meaning, it also changes the way you tend to look at things. The process is slow as you learn much about yourself as realisation dawns.

I am amazed to find many new angles to some mundane ideas after reading this book. Perhaps, I should also try writing introspective essays.

Title--Buddha in Daily Life

Author—Richard Causton

Muse Magic

2009-08-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

When the writer’s block raises its frustrating head, I visit this site for inspiration. The portal never ceases to charm. Many times when the ideas sulk and mind refuse to be coaxed this site provides hope. The writing prompts can clear a mind block.

The introspective, philosophical and extremely thought provoking articles provide almost a meditative experience.

Different aspects of creativity and creative thinking are vividly explored. This also has projects for kids and which can give fresh ideas if you're writing for parenting magazines.

http://www.creativity-portal.com/

Subscribe to the twice-monthly Creativity NewZine for creativity coaching tips, book excerpts, art projects.

Sinking Road of the Cyber World

2009-08-21T23:14:00.000-07:00

Researching the web on a topic is interesting and at times frustrating. It is easy to get distracted. I call it a sinking road of the Cyber World. In this forbidden world time takes on a totally different meaning. However, most of the times I do stick to my time-table and keep away from peril. On every Friday, an hour for browsing takes care of the temptations. This way most of my writing work and house work gets done.

Today, I have to complete market analysis of a site which accepts articles on the writing craft. I have to write the article and send it by the end of next week.

Organizing Work

2009-08-21T04:48:00.000-07:00

I found a good website to organize my work. Getting a home journal was an easy job. I could not get a planner which I had in mind. So it was a spiral notebook with motifs of Madhubani paintings printed on the cover. On 31st of July, I decided to make a calendar of August.

I had a ready list of jobs that needed to be done every month. It was easy to put it on the calendar in the columns. I could list any job, which had to be done twice a month (every 15 days) accordingly.
Each morning I go through the list of jobs to be done. Believe me; it has reduced the stress of guilt and frustration.

I have two different calendars, one for the office (writing) and another for home. My queries assignments and research are managed very well. The files on the computer are saved properly. I need to buy an external hard disk to store the backup.

August still has ten days left days and my report card is fine. At least 85% of the listed things have been accomplished. It had given me freedom to focus on whatever, I do.

I am going to follow Chryselle’s example and blog every day.

The site is www.flylady.com

Muse

2009-04-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

Muse

I Understand

The Certain Uncertainty

And the Uncertain Certainty.

But I

Have Hopeless Hope

Or Hopeful Doubts

I Search

The Sum of Nothing

Or Nothing in Something

I Laugh

at little Inconsistencies

And at the Illusion in the Visions

I Know

Life moves in one Direction

But Mind can travel in both

I Still Dream

Of the Impossible

And experience the Miracles around me

I am Enthralled

By the Infiniteness of the Universe

And can see the Oblivion

I Bow

To the five Elements

To the Creator, Nurturer, the Destroyer

I Accept

That time is a flow

And the only concept constant is the CHANGE

This was first published on my blog at Sulekha.com