Mindy Tarquini
is the author of Hindsight (SparkPress, 2016), a gadget slave, and an
upmarket fiction writer with a weakness for quirky characters and magical
realism. Her second novel, The Infinite Now (SparkPress), releases
tomorrow and is available through all the typical venues. Mindy is very excited
about the launch. She is celebrating by working on her third novel.
Today she joins us with a guest blog post. Then read on for a very special announcement.
Nature vs. Nachos
Lao Tzu said, Nature does not hurry,
yet all things are accomplished.
Who is Lao Tzu? I had the same
question. And Google. It turns out Lao-Tzu was a Chinese Philosopher credited
with developing Taoism.
Oh. What’s Taoism?
Living in harmony with the Tao, which is an ordering principle that makes cosmic harmony possible. (Per Beliefnet.com http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/taoism/what-do-taoists-believe.aspx)
Which means what?
That nature doesn’t hurry, yet all
things are accomplished. And by their deadlines.
And that’s great if you’re a buttercup.
Or a mighty oak. Neither has any ability to fight their natural imperatives.
Allowed to proceed without obstruction, they achieve their goals. Not like us.
There’s that Girl Scout meeting we
promised to lead, the Bake Sale that needs four dozen Halloween-themed cookies,
and, well…it’s Nacho Night.
The phone rings, our texts beep, our
damned garage doors let us know they are opening and closing. Sheesh, even my
air conditioner feels the need to remind me when it needs a new filter.
The laptop is open, the word processor
primed, but Facebook sent a notice. Oh, and that webinar on how to write
efficiently starts in 15 minutes, and omg! Is this NOT the cutest little
journal for listing my story ideas, my character sketches, store my coupons and
chart my weight and calorie goals? Look! It’s covered in butterflies and
wistful sayings and comes with felt-tip pens (neon colors!) to highlight my
inspirations.
These are not obstacles; they are
distractions. And while the distractions happen, guess what doesn’t?
Your novel. Your short story. Your web
page. Your social media setups. Your necessary research and reading. Your
everything you truly would rather be doing, but for some reason are not.
Because you aren’t Nature. You’re a
writer, the protagonist in your own play and so used to putting protagonists
through the wringer, you don’t know what to do when your own way forward is not
choked with prickly pear.
Stop.
Just stop.
Do you only have fifteen minutes? Write
a page. Do you only have five? Write a paragraph. How about one? Write a
sentence.
Do you not have your word doc or
Scrivener with you? Then jot down subplots, note the character’s motivations,
gather those dangling plot threads. Go ahead, look up something you need to
know, then write down what you learn.
But wait, you left the cool
bullet-pointed-multi-colored-journal-you-had-a-take-a-course-to-understand at
home?
Do you not have a note-taking app
downloaded to your phone?
Oh. Yeah.
So long as those ideas and
descriptions, those turns of phrases, and to-do lists are bouncing around in
your head, they will never be anything more than a frustration. Once written,
they become something to work with, either a good idea, or a bad idea, either
something to be kept or something to be discarded.
It doesn’t matter their color coding;
it matters they are written down, brain-dumped, listed so they can be
considered.
The cookies are baking, you have a few
minutes. The phone has voicemail, you can pick it up later. And the nachos?
That’s what takeout is for. When our paying jobs need attention, we give
it, so why do we put writing at the bottom of the list? Our jobs are what we must
do. Our writing is what we want to do.
And it won’t get done if we busy
ourselves with all the things we think we need to before we can do it, or in
order to do it, or to get ourselves into the right headspace to do it.
Nature does not hurry because Nature is
always working toward its goal. That’s why all things are accomplished.
How about you?
Announcement
Spinetingler
Magazine announces that it will begin regular publication of a print magazine.
The long-running eZine will continue to publish web content between print
issues. The first issue will be published in November 2017 by Down & Out
Books.
“As
is true in life, the events of the past have a tendency to influence our
actions in the future,” said Sandra Ruttan, co-editor of Spinetingler Magazine.
“It is the support of our readers that has enabled us to return with this print
edition. With their continued support we hope to be able to continue to bring
exceptional short fiction and features to you for years to come.”
“I
am a life-long fan of short crime fiction,” said Eric Campbell, publisher of
Down & Out Books. “And when Sandra and Jack Getze, her co-editor,
approached me about putting out a print edition of Spinetingler Magazine, I
didn’t hesitate. The variety of features and quality of stories is
exceptional.”
The
Fall 2017 edition of Spinetingler Magazine will feature original stories by
Tracy Falenwolfe, Karin Montin, Jennifer Soosar, BV Lawson, Nick Kolakowski,
David Rachels, and more. There are author snapshots of Con Lehane, Rusty
Barnes, Mindy Tarquini, and others. Book features and reviews fill out the
magazine’s pages.
About
Spinetingler Magazine: Founded in 2005 by K. Robert Einarson and Sandra Ruttan,
the ezine (http://www.spinetinglermag.com/)
was later acquired by Jack Getze and transitioned to an ongoing publication
format online.
About
Down & Out Books: Celebrating six years as an independent publisher of
award-winning literary and crime fiction, Down & Out Books (https://downandoutbooks.com)
is based in Tampa, Florida. For more information about the magazine, or to
request an interview with the editors or publisher, contact lance@downandoutbooks.com.
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