Saturday, February 10, 2007
Stop Lights Revisited
I told my co-worker about the Scientologist and the stop light and she told me that when she was a kid, she and her siblings would chant at stop lights in order to get them to turn green as they approached. Often, this seemed to work. Incidentally, my co-worker is not a Scientologist.
I was thinking more about "The Secret," specifically about the part that says to only ask the universe for what you want once, because if you ask more than once, that means you don't believe the universe will deliver. I can't buy this. I think that asking more than once helps to cement your decision in your mind. It gives you the belief you need and gives you the opportunity to readjust your desires, if necessary. According to that book chapter I referenced on thickening thought forms, the act of repeating your desire made it stronger and signaled to the universe that you were really serious about bringing your wish into reality. This continual feedback also serves as a protective function. We wouldn't want all of the stuff we think about to come true instantly. Think about all the craziness that goes through your head when you're extremely mad. We'd be in for a mess if it was made manifest.
So, go ahead and ask more than once if you feel the need. If nothing else, the sheer repetition will provide you with the belief that your wish will be granted. Wish well.
I was thinking more about "The Secret," specifically about the part that says to only ask the universe for what you want once, because if you ask more than once, that means you don't believe the universe will deliver. I can't buy this. I think that asking more than once helps to cement your decision in your mind. It gives you the belief you need and gives you the opportunity to readjust your desires, if necessary. According to that book chapter I referenced on thickening thought forms, the act of repeating your desire made it stronger and signaled to the universe that you were really serious about bringing your wish into reality. This continual feedback also serves as a protective function. We wouldn't want all of the stuff we think about to come true instantly. Think about all the craziness that goes through your head when you're extremely mad. We'd be in for a mess if it was made manifest.
So, go ahead and ask more than once if you feel the need. If nothing else, the sheer repetition will provide you with the belief that your wish will be granted. Wish well.
Labels: co-worker, repetition, scientologist, stop light, the secret, thickening thought forms, universe, wishes
Friday, January 12, 2007
Repeating Myself
It's an unusual day for me to write, on a Friday, rather than a Monday, but I had to work Monday, so I took today off in order to keep from getting too far off track on my current story. Last week, I reread what I had written and had this horrible sinking feeling that I was repeating myself, that my work was stale. I couldn't pinpoint the problem, so I asked everyone at Writers Group on Monday evening. They were so helpful. One said that a certain amount of repetition is to be expected. Another said that I should keep going and the problem leading to my feeling would become apparent over time. Everyone seconded the idea that I should just keep writing. Here it is, the dead middle of the project, story six out of ten, and this is where I'm getting bogged down.
This morning, I woke and realized that part of my repetition seems to be coming from the fact that all of my characters are undergoing a shift in awareness. They are realizing that their current issues are mired in past events & psychological wounds and I'm doing quite a bit of flashbacking to show this. Literary types will tell you that this is a death-knell for a story and that a writer must keep the action going in current time. I don't know whether this is really a story killer, or whether I'm guilty of having my characters slip into memoryland, but I do know that it's very human to compare the present to the past and gain insight from the comparison.
The one thing I don't want to do is reread all of the previous stories at this point. I'd rather forge ahead with this one and fix it later if need be. No need to be thinking all of my stuff is crap just because I'm wading through some now. That'd be frosting the frog for sure.
This morning, I woke and realized that part of my repetition seems to be coming from the fact that all of my characters are undergoing a shift in awareness. They are realizing that their current issues are mired in past events & psychological wounds and I'm doing quite a bit of flashbacking to show this. Literary types will tell you that this is a death-knell for a story and that a writer must keep the action going in current time. I don't know whether this is really a story killer, or whether I'm guilty of having my characters slip into memoryland, but I do know that it's very human to compare the present to the past and gain insight from the comparison.
The one thing I don't want to do is reread all of the previous stories at this point. I'd rather forge ahead with this one and fix it later if need be. No need to be thinking all of my stuff is crap just because I'm wading through some now. That'd be frosting the frog for sure.
Labels: flashback, frost the frog, problem, repetition, story, writers, writing
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Hurray for Repetition!
That Resentment post of mine sure shows my cranky side. Gosh, I hate missing out on important information. But, I'm also a cup-half-full kind of gal, so here's the up side. Even though I resent not having gotten most of the tech memos sent out, at least I don't stay in the dark forever. If the information is important enough for me to know, eventually I'll catch on, or it'll catch me. The key to this is REPETITION.
I love that human beings keep repeating stuff to each other, be it the latest gossip, the newest toy, the coolest YouTube video, the most critical healthcare report. There's so much information whirling around our heads that it's impossible to track it all. Hearing something once, unless it's REALLY important, is not likely to stick with us. I watched the Numa Numa video a couple of times yesterday. Do I remember the song today? Nope. Gotta listen again.
When I really want to understand something, I go out of my way to enhance the repetition. For example, I listen to the music of Dave Matthews Band over and over again (ad nauseum, if you ask my family), so that I can cement it in my head and comprehend its nuances. As a creative person, the understanding gained from this form of repetition assists me in splicing together my own creative products. A side benefit to this particular repetition of songs is that it allows me to turn my brain into an iPod. Instant download if there's no exterior music source to listen to.
Repetition = Eventually being in the know.
Repetiton = Enhancement of creativity.
Repetition = Exercise for our neural synapses.
Repetition = Memory booster.
Hurray for Repetition!
I love that human beings keep repeating stuff to each other, be it the latest gossip, the newest toy, the coolest YouTube video, the most critical healthcare report. There's so much information whirling around our heads that it's impossible to track it all. Hearing something once, unless it's REALLY important, is not likely to stick with us. I watched the Numa Numa video a couple of times yesterday. Do I remember the song today? Nope. Gotta listen again.
When I really want to understand something, I go out of my way to enhance the repetition. For example, I listen to the music of Dave Matthews Band over and over again (ad nauseum, if you ask my family), so that I can cement it in my head and comprehend its nuances. As a creative person, the understanding gained from this form of repetition assists me in splicing together my own creative products. A side benefit to this particular repetition of songs is that it allows me to turn my brain into an iPod. Instant download if there's no exterior music source to listen to.
Repetition = Eventually being in the know.
Repetiton = Enhancement of creativity.
Repetition = Exercise for our neural synapses.
Repetition = Memory booster.
Hurray for Repetition!
Labels: creative, dave matthews band, music, repetition, resentment, splice, youtube
