Quote of the Week

“I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.”

~ Jorge Luis Borges

 

How do you imagine paradise?

Photo Prompt 6; calling all photographers

Are you a photographer? Are you not really a photographer but happened to take a good photo one time? Do you want to see your photo on this blog? Are you curious about what I’d write to go with it? Are you annoyed by this line of questioning yet?

If you answered “yes” to at least one of these questions (and if that one is the third) then today is your lucky day! Email your photo to stefawrites@gmail.com and I’ll see if it gets my creative juices flowing. If I want to use it for a future photo prompt, I’ll let you know and of course you’ll get the mother of all shout-outs on the post itself and wherever I share online. If I don’t want to use it, I’ll let you know and delete right away. (I’d never use another person’s work without giving him/her credit or getting his/her consent. And to be clear, unless I give credit otherwise, the photos – not book covers/screen grabs/movie posters/etc. – were taken by me.) I look forward to your submissions.

Marfa, Texas. May 2009.

Picnic tables dotted the lawn like freckles on a sun-kissed cheek. Strands of lights twinkled in the trees, but the warmest glow came from the candles melting like ice cream cones on the tables. A trio strummed on a wooden platform, the bassist plucking time on a shiny upright. Dozens of pairs of boots stamped a dance floor into the dirt in front of the little stage.

They invited everyone they knew, and just about everyone came. For a long time it seemed like neither of them would find someone, and now everyone was thrilled to help celebrate their engagement.

“Thank you all for coming,” he said. “We’re so happy you could make it.”

“There won’t be a big ceremony, so this is about it,” she added. “It means the world to us that you could be here.”

They paused to let the kids race by, brandishing bubble wands that left an iridescent trail in their wake.

“I think everyone knows everyone by now,” he went on, “but here’s someone you haven’t met.” He motioned for a middle-aged man in a gray suit to join them at the front. “This is the judge who is going to marry us.”

“And, since you’re all here…” she trailed off.

Their families gasped; their friends cheered.

He held out his hand. “Shall we?”

She took it. “Let’s do it.”

They turned to face the judge.

“Dearly beloved…”

Let’s talk about goals

Obviously y’all know mine: get published. In a dream world what would follow is a book tour and a deal to write a sequel (which, by the way, is already semi-plotted out). In a complete fantasy world, there would be a million copies sold and a movie deal. The dream might happen, you never know. The fantasy is a supremely long shot.

If it did happen, though, I could fulfill a few dream goals. The ultimate is to establish a creative arts program where I select a group of artists and fund them for a year. I’d have an apartment building or dorm where they’d all live, expenses paid, so that they could concentrate on developing themselves as artists and not have to worry about paying rent or going to a time-sucking day job. There are so many artists out there who never feel like they can follow their calling because they are consumed by their day-to-day responsibilities. My program would give them a chance to really focus on their art. Imagine what a year’s time could produce! It makes me happy just to fantasize about it.

Everyone does it. When the lottery was a gazillion dollars a couple of months ago, I know y’all all were mentally spending it. If that dream had come true, would you have used the money to help meet one of your goals? Take money out of the equation – what goals are you hoping to reach?

A wonderful lesson in goals came to me recently from my BFF Dianna. She’s an actress in NYC and recently launched a campaign to be considered for a role in the next “Hunger Games” movie(s). She has a clear vision of how to make this happen, but she knows that it’s not going to be easy. The lesson came when she told me that even if she doesn’t get the “Hunger Games” role, she’s confident that putting her work out there in this way will lead to opportunities for other roles and chances to work with other people in the industry.

I love that. It reminds me that putting myself out there is only going to help me in the end. Experience, confidence, determination – all of that grows and makes me better. Getting published and thinking of what I could do with the fantasy money are fun to think about, but if none of it happens, I’m still a writer, still having fun and always improving. Those are pretty great goals to achieve along the way.

PS – Here is Dianna’s site. I’m so excited to follow her journey! Bookmark it so you can say “I knew her when…”

PPS – The first video explains what she’s doing, but this one really shows who she is. It makes me laugh every time. Enjoy!