Making Creativity Abundantly Clear

Julia Cameron, creator of The Artist's Way, has had a profound influence on my writing career. She's probably the closet thing to a guru or mentor I have. So it was with great pleasure I found her featured in the recent issue of The Writer magazine.

The article, The Abundant Life, is about her newest book, Prosperity Every Day: A Daily Companion on Your Journey to Greater Wealth and Happiness. Prosperity isn't about money, Cameron contends in The Artist's Way. Though she certainly understands how money pays the rent and puts food on the table.

Prosperity is about one's sense of abundance.

Some people, and myself included but I'm working on it, feel once they have enough money they can live the creative life. Not true. Creativity is an act of faith. It's that leap of faith that allows creativity to flow.

And in that flow is the abundance. 

Checking in and catching up

Here's where I've been of late. 

First, I've been writing a shitty first draft. And, you can thank the wonderful writer Anne Lamott for that. Check out #6 on this Facebook post of hers. 

 The wonderful writer Anne Lamott. 

It's not even the first draft of a novel. Though for the time spent on it, it should be. It's a stinkin' 750-word piece. Those are the most difficult, you know. The small word count is a killer. Filling up pages and pages with words, that's child play. 

Second, I just finished "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins. And, I'm still catching my breath. 

A "must read."

What a wild ride. A real thriller. I highly recommend it. The actual reading time was short because I couldn't put the thing down. 

Funny, I rarely treat myself to a hardback book, but when I read the reviews for "The Girl on the Train," I knew I would love it. Clever structure with the three narrators. Characters rang true. 

I'm one of those who can never figure out who in a whodunnit. This one really had me reeling. 

That's where I've been. Now, on to revising that first draft. 

Doggone good!

The Inquisitive Canine is a great Web site and its Doggie Blog is chockablock full of dog training tips, techniques and knowledge. The Inquisitive Canine. Certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant Joan Mayer really knows her stuff and loves seeing her students succeed.

Full disclosure: I get to help out with some of the writing and editing. I'm learning lots. My Golden Retriever, Libby, is the beneficiary of all my newfound insight to canine psyche. Our bond has grown stronger, thanks to my job. I've found Joan's approach to training – focus on the positive, reinforce the behavior you want – helpful in all aspects of my life.

The dogs in the picture are a friend's. They are, from left, Gavyn, Bryce, Cyrano, and Zephyr. Photo by Elizabeth Tuz. 

The Laughing Workout

The Plaza Playhouse Theater is where the action is come Friday night at 8 p.m. March 6 is First Friday in ol' Carp. That means there will be tons of dining and shopping specials in town. After wining and dining, come over to the theater for some laughs courtesy of the Plaza Improv Players. Laughing is good for the abs, and so much more fun than sit-ups. 

Rumored to be the best show in town. Laughing is believing.
Hope to see you there. 

Show, Don't Tell

Raise your hand if you have a physical reaction when you hear "Show, don't tell." If you raised your hand, I'm betting you took at least one writing class in college and/or worked at a print publication.

The editor, or whoever, may as well be saying "back to the drawing board." Grrrrr...

Talking up the Improv Workshop at the Plaza Playhouse Theater is an excellent example of me showing and not telling. To remedy that, allow me to share an improv exercise/game with you. This is from improvencyclopeida.org, a wonderful Web site for all things improv.

Dubbed Movie
Two or more actors play a scene, but they don't speak, although they can move their mouths is if they are speaking. Two or more players sit in front of the action and provide the speech. The effect is (or should be) like watching a dubbed movie. 

And while we're at it, here's a example of "showing, not telling." Check out the following press release. You'll get the info on the Improv Workshop and see the important elements of a press release.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Amy Marie Orozco

(805) 284-2622

improv@plazatheatercarpinteria.com

Improv Workshop begins on Jan. 12

Plaza Playhouse Theater’s popular Improv Workshop marks its fourth year on Jan. 12 with a move to Monday nights. Best suited to the 17-and-over crowd, the class is open to all interested parties and will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for eight Mondays. Sessions are held on the theater’s stage and include theater games and scene work. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants and is on a first come, first served basis. The workshop fee is $125 for new participants and $96 for returnees. Registration may be completed online at www.plazatheatercarpinteria.com or by sending a check to Plaza Playhouse Theater, ATTN: Improv Class, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013. Sorry, no drop-ins allowed. For more information call Amy Orozco at (805) 284-2622.

SUGGESTED CAPTION FOR ATTACHED PICTURES:

Improv Workshop begins Jan. 12_1: Plaza Playhouse Players improv troupe members Judy Sirianni, left, and Sherri Mendenhall perform in the holiday show last November.

Improv Workshop begins Jan. 12_2: John Pagano, left, and Judy Sirianni of the Plaza Playhouse Players create a skit from audience suggestions at the troupe’s holiday show last November.

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It is the mission of the Plaza Playhouse Theater to be a venue that is the center of arts and entertainment for the entire Carpinteria Valley community. A place where young and old can express their artistic talent in music, dance and theatre and also to enjoy what the world of entertainment has to offer. We endeavor to be a place that Carpinterians can proudly call their own. The theater is located at 4916 Carpinteria Ave. in downtown Carpinteria. The phone number is (805) 684-6380, and the Web site is www.PlazaTheaterCarpinteria.com.

Happy New Year!

Hope your 2015 is everything you want it to be and more. 

Looking for some good reading material for the New Year? Check out Carpinteria Magazine. See our cover with the Champagne glasses? You know there's gotta be good stuff inside. 

That's a capital idea!

What's red, showy, and screams the holidays?

Yes, the Poinsettia. Good answer!

Did you know that the Poinsettia is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett? That's why the plant's name is capitalized, unlike, say, a daisy. As you know, proper nouns begin with a capital letter.

dark chocolate -vs- Swiss chocolate

chardonnay -vs- Champagne

suit coat -vs- Nehru jacket

carnival ride -vs- Ferris wheel

The rules change as the language ages. According to AP Style, "Lowercase words that are derived from a proper noun but no longer depend on it for their meaning: french fries, herculean, manhattan cocktail, malapropism, pasteurize, quixotic, venetian blind.

World Wide Web is a proper noun. That's why Web site, i.e. not website, is the correct usage. As is Web page, but not webcam, webcast and webmaster. Go figure.

Back to the holidays. Want to know more about the Poinsettia? Read the article in Carpinteria Magazine, which I wrote. You'll find it on page 84.