ROW 80: Curiousity

Nano Nano.  Why is it every time I think of Nanowrimo I'm reminded of Mork and Mindy. *grin*  The 2012 site has been relaunched.  Be sure to check out the new forums.  I'm in the curiosity stage where anything and everything is possible.   Also just finished reading the 'curiosity' chapter in Writing Begins with the Breath and one of the touchstone exercises asked:

What are you curious about? What have you learned through experience and what have your learned from books?  Notice the difference between heart/body learning and head/mind learning. 

That triggered quite a few brain cells to start shooting here, there and everywhere.   My late grandmother was a great believer in brainstorming and creative thinking.  When you brainstorm, all things are possible and don't discount anything. Throw it out there on the table and see what happens.  I'm trying to keep that in mind as ideas pop up for my latest story. Herring says:

"If you already know where you're going, then your mind stops you from letting in possibilities from outside the box and focuses on its predetermined destination.  You will, in all likelihood, get to your destination, but the journey won't have been enriched by detours and unexpected synchronicities..  If you have already decided what your answers are, you destroy the spark of curiosity that sustains the work."

I just had an epiphany and pretty sure that's what happened when I was trying to edit Eyes in the Ashes. I wasn't letting the story deviate or let the characters steer me in new directions.  Decided I had a plan and this is where we are going and they (the characters) just simply stopped talking to me because I wasn't listening anymore.  Guess we need to have a come to Jesus meeting so can move forward.

Excuse a writer's crazy moment here.  Another touchstone question was "what is your character seeking?"  Since just starting the research and planning process for Green Ice, asked Hunter, my main male character to tell me and we somehow got around to women and he had caught a glimpse of a woman in some market in Europe. He couldn't tell me much except that she had long dark hair, beautiful smile, and she was wearing sunglasses.  She checked him out and then he lost her in the crowd.  Caught another glimpse of her a couple days later, but she got away.   Even though they were just fleeting glimpses,  he wanted me to find her.  Needle in a haystack, right.  I think I found her.  She looks quite similar to this gal

Sage Emile Allard.  She's a french scientist.  He's in big trouble.

Off to do some research.  Happy writing!

Oh - check out Daily Good.  It is the most wonderful sight on positivity I have come across. From an article about Why Creative Thinking is Inclusive Thinking:

"Albert Einstein was once asked what the difference was between him and the average person. He said that if you asked the average person to find a needle in the haystack, the person would stop when he or she found a needle. He, on the other hand, would tear through the entire haystack looking for all the possible needles. With creative thinking, one generates as many alternative approaches as one can."

Now go be curious and check out everyone's first days of Round 4 here.