two of a kind

 

My Stache of Ideas -- where I'm practicing my writing

For my inaugural post, I thought I’d touch on what has taken me so long to finally contribute to this project Sar and I have been discussing for months.

I’ve tried blogging twice before, with little success.  After some soul searching, I discovered that I didn’t choose to stick with it because I wasn’t writing about topics that are authentic to me.  I did them as experiments in ‘putting myself out there’ and ‘I need to blog because I need to promote my small business’. 

Sar has always been the more talented writer between us; for as gifted a creative writer/poet she is, reading poetry gives me a headache.  I couldn’t write a poem if you paid me.

We are both artistic, some of our talents overlap but most of them do not.  Together we are diverse—I enjoy jewelry making, leather work, fiber arts, sewing.  Sar is a very talented writer and has a knack for creating quirky, whimsical paper goods (she’s also gifted at napping, if you’re wondering).

And while writing doesn’t come as naturally to me, it is something that I’m challenging myself to explore and improve on this year.  I don’t envision myself becoming the type of person that goes to the coffee shop and journals in my notebook for hours, but I do hope to write a page a day this year and (of course) contribute on this little blog of ours. 

As twins, we are strongly bonded.  We’ve been close our entire lives and this little collaboration is a natural extension of our complimentary passions and interests.  I’m excited to see where this goes!

Tell Us: Have you collaborated before?  Do you have any advice for us?

-JCM

Have you ever read a book that made you shiver, but in a good way?

While cleaning out the pictures on my phone, I found a picture I took of a page in Chris Cleave's Little Bee. Little Bee is a haunting story that can not be justified with a short summary. 

This is the paragraph, which I still find indescribably beautiful (it's worth reading to the end):

"On the girl's brown legs there were many small white scars. I was thinking, Do those scars cover the whole of you, like the stars and the moons on your dress? I thought that would be pretty too, and I ask you right here to please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived." 

Truly, that paragraph still blows me away, and I've read it countless times.

Cleave's ability to maintain Little Bee's stoic, honest voice is impressive.  The line "a scar means, I survived" is one of my favorite lines of all time.   

Tell us: What are your favorite lines from literature?

-SM

Lately, I've been having quieter weekends.  

My sister, Jen, recommended Quiet, which is a study of introverts.  It's reassuring to know it's normal to look forward to, and enjoy, alone time. 

How I'm spending my Saturday:

• Pizza making- pretty excited about making the dough from scratch. Here is the recipe for Cast Iron Pizza 

• watching Tiny Furniture in honor of the return of Girls
• The Sopranos- I watched the series on Netflix two years ago, and am really enjoying rewatching it.  Such a good series.
• Handmade notebooks- I'm making the covers a bit differently than the directions, which I started tonight, and tomorrow I'll piece the notebooks together. I have some ideas on how to decorate, bind and stamp them.  Jen and I are also planning a collaboration, which we will share soon! 

Tell us: How do you spend your weekends?

-SM

Do you believe in coincidences?

Last week, I read an excerpt from Tom Peele, a Bay Area based news reporter.  He has a new book called Killing the Messenger. Then today, I watched a Tedx talk by Scott Dinsmore, a San Francisco resident.  

"Do one thing every day that scares you."- Baz Luhrman's "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)"

photo credit: google  

This year, at midnight, I wrote down my resolutions for the year. One specific goal is for my writing: write three drafts a week; I feel that I need structure with this one.  

The rest of the resolutions deal with exercise and finances.  Though the last one that I want to put out there is that I want to cook at home more than I eat out.  Fingers crossed on this one! 

There aren't a ton and they are not super specific; I tried to think of them as guidelines for the coming year. 

Tell us: Do you make resolutions?  Have you stuck to them in the past? Do you have any traditions, new or old?

-SM

This year, the bulk of my holiday gift giving was handmade notecards.  I've worked on them for a few hours on the weekends for weeks.  I am proud of how they came out, and seeing my family members faces when they opened these was priceless.  

I am so inpsired that I plan to start an Etsy shop.  Coming soon! 

I also gave my family some of the candles I made a few weeks back. They were a hit.  This is the website I used, which gives step by step instructions, suggestions, and will tell you how to figure out what materials you will need.  

We hope that you had a great holiday!

Tell us: Did you give any handmade gifts this year? Did you receive any?

-SM

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The premise of this book is that the middle school aged protagonist, Julia, find out that the days are getting longer.  The book follows her and her family as they and the enviornment adjust. I felt that the real focus of the book is how to fit into the world (on a normal day), and now how Julia has to try and fit in while Earth is rapidly changing.  

It also has a quote by one of my favorite people and poets, Jim Richardson! 

It was a quick read--took me about two days--and it's not super challenging.  I did enjoy Walker's use of a language.  Recently, I've been paying more attention to how writers describe situations.  

Now, I'm reading The World According to Garp by John Irving. 

Tell us: What books have you read lately? What do you look for in a book? 

-SM

While watching through the mall on Saturday, I just found it so weird that parents wait on line to have their children sit in a stranger's lap. This weekend, I sat down to write about the men who dress up as Santa and talk to kids at the mall (previous post). Such a strange idea. We, as a society, put trust in these people when we often don't trust our neighbors.

I know I'm not there yet and that the ending isn't there yet. This is what poets struggle with- when does a poem end, if ever?

I took a long hiatus from writing- about 10 years- where I'd only write once a year when I was at the Poetry and Prose Getaway. 

And suddenly, after working an "adult" job for a few years, I've realized that I can't ignore writing anymore. It fulfills me. 

 I still don't write everyday. But I do try to listen to my thoughts, and often I have ideas twirling in my mind for weeks before I make the connections. For example, I had been repeating the phrase 'I am always one step from my knees' for weeks before I used it in a poem.

 After reading an essay by Mimi Schwartz, sent from Peter Murphy, I've partnered with one of my best friends where we will choose three to four topics and then the other will decide on the topic. I will pick first and am waiting to hear about my choices! I'm looking forward to this new challenge.

 Tell us: how do you challenge yourself?

a draft of the poem below

Questions for Mall Santas

Do you spend eleven months growing your beard
so kids can sit on your lap and pull, just to be sure?

Do you feel underpaid and overworked
or do you like hearing simple thoughts?

Do you feel wanted?

Do you enjoy the long lines and bouncing
babies?  The occasional parental fight?

Do your own kids listen like these children do?

Do you think it’s strange how people let their children
sit in a another man’s lap but don’t say hello to strangers?

Do you rent to own the Santa suits?

Do you invest in steel-toed boots and do they protect
you from the tantrums?

Do you really have a white beard?

Do you feel self-mastery in your job?

Are you part of a union?
-SRM © 2012

As a poet, I struggle with my writing process. For instance, I know that I still haven't written the ending for this poem.  In the past, one of the reasons I've stopped writing is out of frustration. I don't always know how to sustain my writing: how do I come up with prompts? Shouldn't I be writing every day? How do I revise?

Next time, I'll talk more about the writing process and an exciting writing venture one of my best friends and I are going to go on.  

Tell us: How do you sustain working on your craft?  Any tips?

 

1.  This poem:  "A Meadow" by Lucie Brock Broido

      I like how the repeated words take on a different meaning when used. 

 2.  Candle makin'- how I spent my Tuesday and Wednesday nights. 

      before and after   

 3. Vegetarian Buffalo Wings

    sub chicken for cauliflower- I didn't even miss the chicken.  These seriously tasted like buffalo wings.   

4. Volunteering at Lunch Break   

       My first day is tomorrow; I am nervous but excited

5. Cursive/Calligraphy 

photo source: instagram 

     I keep seeing pictures of cursive calligraphy and I am mildly obsessed.