Inspiration --Tiger Eye

Books are what inspired me to write. Books that transported me, and made me feel a whole gamut of emotions from fear to tears and more. One such book was Marjorie M. Liu's "Tiger Eye." By the time I'd finished reading that book I'd traveled to a Chinese dirt market, fallen in love with Hari, cried over deaths and guilts. And I knew, I wanted to write stories, stories that touched others.

Tiger Eye is on my keeper shelf. From time to time, I'll take it down and read through it again. Even though I know the ending, I enjoy it every single time. When I get a rejection, I read it. When I'm stuck in my writing, I read it. And I always come away energized and inspired.

So, when I heard Passionfruit games is turning Tiger Eye into a game...well, of course I did the Snoopy dance, whooped and hollered. How cool will it be go active into my inspiration?

For more info on the game check out Passionfruit

Blessings

My mother says there are different sorts of blessings. A person can say the words to you. Or do some action that translates into a blessing for you. Or, according to her this is the best, bestow a subconscious blessing.

A subconscious blessing is in response to some action of yours. It can be a lightning smile that illuminates the face for a brief second or a sigh of happiness. It is a blessing from the heart, requiring no conscious thought or formal acknowledgement.

On Valentine's weekend I was involved with a group of volunteers to host the fifth annual Valentine's Lunch at the Soup Kitchen (a Peace Ambassadors of West Texas project). We decorated, cooked, served, washed dishes, cleaned. We also visited, danced and sang. Both the guests -- the homeless and working poor --and the volunteers (a diverse group in terms of age, race, religion, socio-economic status) had a blast. Yes, I was tired by the end of it all, but smiling. Smiling from the inside all the way to the outside.

The breaking of a dream, a rejection, unanswered queries are all minor when compared to hunger and poverty. Life continues at its own pace, all we can do is live as best as we can. So, I haven't published yet, but I've done some things I can be happy about. And I've been blessed.

Writing Insight from a Pro

Found a lovely piece of writing insight today from an author I admire greatly for her productivity, straight talk, and sheer stubborness:

"Every time you write, you go to a construction site in your head. The words are waiting there, like a couple truckloads of loose bricks. They're not going to build themselves into anything, no matter how often you talk to your hands or mouth-breathe or get in touch with your inner Tinkerbell. You pick up the bricks. You mortar them together on a page. You build a story out of them. And that's it. The sweaty, nerve-wracking, non-glittery, unglamorous, orc-free work of writing."

Check out Paperback Writer: Where's the Mothership?">Lynn Viehl's entire post for a good laugh, a healthy dose of common sense and some more insights.

Thanks Lynn, you keep inspiring me. :)

Cool Photos

I recently came across some beautiful travel photography from a UK competition. Looking at the pictures I was reminded that even though writing and photography are different art forms -- words and visuals --some of the same factors are at play. An attention to detail, the ability to see something from a different angle, and then an ability to capture that idea.

The photographer of the year is a Bangladeshi and since I'm originally from Bangladesh...I'm mighty proud to present to you ...drumroll....

Cool Travel Photos