Today I Write

I'm taking a writing class, "Writing Mastery: Productivity Hacks for Writers," by Jessica Brody (through Udemy). Oddly, the main instruction so far in this class is to write (LOL). Write daily, write early, write in "writing clothes" (clothing set aside to wear only for writing).

Brody says to get up as early as possible, preferably 6 a.m., to start writing. Tried that; turned off my alarm, went back to sleep. She says that people who say they are not "morning people" can make the change. I'd rather be writing at midnight, but that would interfere with how I function at my day job. We'll see how this exercise works out.

I have found it difficult to find clothes just for writing in. Bonus though: I found two awesome dresses I might never have come upon during this search: One still tagged and unworn for $4 at the Hospice Thrift Store and one marked down to under $10 at Target. Note: Until I started working out and needed exercise clothes, I hadn't shopped for clothes at Target in years. The Target dress would be great for writing in, except that it's too nice to set aside just for that.

Decision on this one: Don't let searching for the "write" clothes interfere with my writing. I have a hard enough time deciding what to wear for work.

Turning the corner: You're probably wondering why I chose the image accompanying this post. It's one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen: a burn scar — the remains of a burned out tree after the 2012 Fern Lake Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park. It matches the theme of this blog.

Dragonfly Wars relates to the conflicts inside and among people: between fear and curiosity, ignorance and acceptance, scars and beauty, the struggle of life, the freedom of life, the metamorphosis of death. Wikipedia has a wonderfully detailed entry about these impossible insects (akin to bumble bees in terms of how they can fly, I think).

I'm not sure why people concentrate so much on the metamorphosis of butterflies as compared to dragonflies, except that perhaps the changeover for butterflies is much more visible. Dragonflies start as "naiads" or "nymphs" under water and only emerge when the time is right (spring or summer, after up to five years). I don't know what prompts them to emerge as adults — that could be a metaphor within itself. Adult dragonflies live in their delicate yet sturdy flight stage for only about 60 days.

If you want to know more about dragonflies, check out this website: Dragonflies of Boulder County. (which is connected to the main page of the Boulder County Audubon Society).

I'm hoping to put up more posts on this blog more consistently, so please stay tuned! Suggest a topic, ask a question, let me know you're "listening."