Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Creativity

Are Writers Ever Bored Enough?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                  (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Two interesting quotes jumped on me in the past few days. One in the January “Vogue” magazine from an interview with Cate Blanchett and the other an opinion piece by a doctor in our local newspaper.

This blog idea came to me when sorting my yarn stash. Fun fur rocks!
This blog idea came to me when sorting my yarn stash. Fun fur rocks!

Blanchett talked about the creative process, “there’s a kind of unrest that I think happens in any creative endeavor. You are endlessly disappointed. I mean, no artist worth their salt is ever pleased.” She went on to quote legendary dancer Martha Graham then wrapped it up with, “And that is actually what keeps you moving forward and makes you stay creatively alive.”

It was a nugget of inspiration I needed after trying to figure out what I want to do when my writing grows up, if ever. It’s also testament to reading everything, because you never know where pearls of advice might be hidden. I’d started reading the article in the middle since I wanted to see what Blanchett said about the new movie she’s in, “The Monuments Men.” I’ve owned the book for years! Now it’s a movie and seriously, who doesn’t want to watch George Clooney?

The opinion piece in the paper centered on the need for children to unplug and venture outside, to actually play with something besides a screen. He talked about the need for children to not be so scheduled, they need boredom time. The line that hit me hard? “Boredom is the furnace of creativity.”

What a great and true sentence. Then I immediately applied everything from both articles to adults and writers. When was the last time you were creatively perfect or truly bored? Can’t remember? Of course not! Between the screens, schedules and sleep, who has time to be perfect or bored?

And that is the issue. Writers and all creatives need time to sit, stare out the window and be restless and bored. When I can’t solve a writing problem, I treat it the same way as a glitchy computer; back away, go outside and reboot. House cleaning and mundane tasks give my right brain a vacation, then while my left brain is carefully supervising sock folding; voila, a solution appears in my right brain. Amazing stuff.

Not perfect? Are you bored today? Excellent!

Read the play article here: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/01/why_children_should_play_more.html

Are Writers Really Swashbuckling Pirates In Disguise?

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by Kimberly A. Cook            (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Waiting for new books from our favorite authors is like the night before Christmas; we hope we get what we asked for and the gift lives up to our fantasies. One of my favorite writers is Elizabeth Gilbert and her new fiction book is titled, “The Signature of All Things.”

Gilbert is famous for her memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love,” but her first love is fiction. We have that in common. In the October 2013 issue of “The Oprah Magazine,” there is a wonderful interview with her about her writing life now and how she came to write this book.

A great quote in the article from Gilbert is, “Creativity is a scavenger hunt. It’s your obligation to pay attention to clues, to the thing that gives you that little tweak. The muses or fairies – they’re trying to get your attention.” Writer Katie Arnold-Ratliff does a very nice job of interviewing and profiling Gilbert. Pick up a copy of the magazine if you get a chance.

The scavenger hunt is such a wonderful metaphor for the creative process. It’s also how I buy clothes, shoes and houses; I know it when I see it. The same is true for my story ideas and plot lines. One small book review launched a novel idea and then a series outline. I gather random items into my memory and later a book idea or three spit out. Totally a fun scavenger hunt.

Paying attention is the hard part. With all the distractions, interruptions, noise and tech in today’s world, we have to be diligent to hear our muse speak up and point out clues on our daily journeys. Perhaps that is one of the things I love the most about being a writer, creativity feels a lot like being a pirate in search of booty – even in a grocery store line.

Can’t wait to buy my copy of Gilbert’s book this week, I always get hard copies for my keeper shelf. So climb aboard and raise the sails on the story ship. Fly the Jolly Roger high up on the mast. Let your muse sail into adventure today wherever ye are bound!

America’s Cup Or Bust!

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Late post today. I’ve been distracted by the America’s Cup. Began watching it when the Louis Vuitton Cup started it off in San Francisco. Decided to tune in for fun and expected to see the old sailing sloops with all the canvas. Holy Cow Cakes hold onto your hat Mabel! Saw these new fangled speed racing catamarans with steel sails and the crew looked like extras from the movie “Tron.” I was hooked again.

Long story short, this America’s Cup has turned into a comeback story of epic proportions. After being down 8 races to 1 to the Kiwis (New Zealand) today Team USA tied the series with 10 wins (only 8 count) to 8. New Zealand and Team USA go for the cup tomorrow, Sept. 25 at 1:15 p.m. Pacific, winner tomorrow takes all.

From a writer’s standpoint, this is history, character arcs, racing, water, danger and a hero’s journey all rolled into one. If you wrote this as a fiction book no one would believe it could happen. They’ve been showing the America’s Cup live on NBC Sports Channel, which I’ve recorded then watched after the day job. You can also catch up on their channel, www.youtube.com/americascup

I got hooked on the America’s Cup years ago when Dennis Conner was racing and those burly men grinding away with killer biceps didn’t hurt. It’s poetry in motion to watch the best do their jobs. Several years ago on Maui I got to sail on a former America’s Cup boat, America II, and it was a blast.

So, to watch a gunfight with catamarans which are screaming at up to 50 mph on the bay in San Francisco, tomorrow it is all up for grabs. Take a break and check it out. I will be!

Back story here:

Seen A Lost Pirate Or Super Hero?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Back to writing. Last Friday I stocked up on school supplies again, it’s a disease, then headed out to the parking lot. Happened to see two pirates walking past my car and into the store. Oregon is a great place for creative minds.

An interview in The Oregonian with Brian Michael Bendis described why he up and moved here and brought a big part of the Marvel comic franchise with him. I loved one line in the article where he talked about going out and about and seeing fun folk here in the land of Oregon.

“As you get older, you don’t leave the house as much, but when you do leave the house, as a writer or artist, you want guaranteed inspiration,” Bendis said about Portland. Read the article here: http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2013/09/brian_bendis_interview_top_sup.html#incart_river

Writers observe, record and imagine new and old worlds. What better place to do that than on our everyday errands? We must keep an open eye and mind to watch for unexpected surprises, like pirates in the parking lot.

I wanted to know when the official Portland Pirate Festival was this year, so I checked out the web site http://portlandpiratefestival.com/

It appears even our pirates are having trouble this year, so the next big festival is Labor Day weekend 2014. Perhaps those parking lot pirates were in search of another festival. One never knows. Need to mark it on my calendar.

Keep your eyes open matey and your notebook in hand. One never knows when pirates or super heroes may show up on your watch.

What’s Your Favorite Word Game?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Back from a quick mini-vacation to one of my favorite places, Sisters, Oregon. While hunting in a resale shop my friend dragged me into, I came across this treasure – a Yahtzee Word game. Now, my family is a big fan of Yahtzee, we always played it at the beach for New Year’s Eve while stuffing our faces with Chinese take out food.

My big score for $2, complete with all the parts!
My big score for $2, complete with all the parts!

But, I had no idea there was a Yahtzee word game. In these days of plug-in everything, it was fun to find a new old game with a familiar name. After we frisked the box to make sure it had all the parts, I ended up the big buyer with several other treasures added to the game purchase.

We got to talking about the games we played as kids and with family; like Chinese checkers and Go Fish, Tiddly Winks and fifty-two pick up stix. Ah, the good old days of a zillion parts to every game.

While I own three Scrabble sets, it’s never seemed all that fun to me, not sure why. I’m still a complete chess rookie, but ever hopeful. Heard about the Words with Friends app on folks phones, but I like the tactile sensation of moving pieces around – call me old school game girl.

With summer approaching and hopefully some fun down time for all, imagine what it would be like to unleash your inner old school gamer and replay some favorite games to treat your brain. It just might unleash fun and happy memories of the games you played and may want to share with new friends and family.

I remember the wicked Crazy 8 card games we used to get into while out camping with friends – too fun. Maybe you can stumble across an old favorite in a resale shop or online; there is a big market in collectible games now. (You can buy Tiddly Winks at www.fatbraintoys.com) But I’m good to go, I’ve got my Yahtzee Word game! What was your favorite game?

Are You A C.r.e.a.t.i.v.e.?

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by Kimberly A. Cook        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

In the land of orange pumpkins, are you an albino pumpkin? Do you stick out among friends and family? Do you consider gazing out the window to be mind work and eavesdropping on bystanders homework? Then you might be a creative.

This white pumpkin outside my New Seasons grocery store got me to thinking. How many times have I felt like a creative albino pumpkin in an orange pumpkin world?

Learn to rejoice in your unique role. (I prefer unique to odd, sounds more French) What are our creative strengths? What traits do we bring to the world and our planet? Here are a few.

Curiosity. Life-long learners, we never stop questioning or exploring the world around us. We embrace small details and the big picture at the same time. We believe connect-the-dots is not a game we only play as kids. Cats understand us and dogs know we are always up for an adventure.

Resolute. We will spend seven years writing a story and not give up on it because we know kids will want to read about a world of wizards, aka J.K. Rowling. When all about us are following the trend, we fight upstream like a salmon to create the next new thing, like Hobbits or Twitter or flash mobs.

Energy. When we get that aha moment which solves a dilemma or a writing challenge, we light up like a stadium spotlight. Power will pulse from our skin and we’ll type streams of words to create new worlds, save nations, celebrate love and heal pain. Comic strips may be involved.

Attitude. We fight for our characters, our stories, our books and our words. We know it’s not how many five-star reviews we have on Amazon.com, but how many hearts we touch, entertain and educate. We know our lives will end one day but our words and works will live on and that is enough. Except for intellectual property estate planning. Copyright extends seventy years beyond our death, so plan for it.

Time. Everyone has the same amount of hours on this earth and we choose to spend our time creating. Make art not crap is our mantra. Mastery of any craft takes work and patience. If we give up too soon, we miss our earned goal. We have to practice and hone our craft over time. Nora Robert’s number one writing rule, “Ass in the chair.”

Inventive. We like to create worlds and push boundaries. With our inventor hats on we have created tribbles, E.T., vampires, talking dogs, wizards, James Bond, Madagascar penguins and Garfield the cat. No one knows what will become of their creations, but we give life to new personalities out of thin air. We are Dr. Frankenstein.

Vicarious. Adventurers of space, foreign lands and haunted houses, we will create worlds we might never want to visit, but we will take others along for the ride. We invite readers into our fantasies and fears. In our stories we show humanity; the good, the bad and the warts. We teach with mental pictures.

Explain. We try to make sense of our world by crafting ideas and lands which inform us of how we have lived and how we strive to live in the future. We struggle to understand our roles on this planet and our life’s purpose through creating. We document the lives and loves of an entire planet and envision a future for all.

Be a proud albino pumpkin creative. We creatives celebrate the unusual, the great, the pain and hope of all people on a little planet called earth. Which looks kinda like a pumpkin. We are creatives, watch us soar!