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Sunday, March 28, 2010

Spring Cleaning and Fresh Ideas

You know I don't normally spring clean.  Cleaning is an all year round affair.  But this seems to be the time of year when I clean more than usual.  Today, I dragged winter coats and boots downstairs - there should be a celebration just for being able to type those words!!  Never mind that there is still no sign of grass in the backyard and snow piles are fighting tooth and nail against extinction - we're almost there.  Another month and fingers crossed, I'll be rollerblading.

So aside from dreaming of far away places where everything is lush, green and warm,  I'm considering new titles for a newly revised story.  Why is it that a second title is harder than the first? 

The first seems to come from somewhere deep in your gut and for a time it seems right.  The second - well this one isn't coming that easy.  I've even settled on a few titles until a google search or two quashed all three - too many others have thought that was a pretty awesome title too.  I even wondered for a time if with so many fun and witty titles out there, is there room for one more? 

With title ideas stalling,  I took a break to make a date with the vacuum cleaner.  It's amazing what a mundane activity like that can do for your creativity.  So the title isn't there quite yet, but it's closer then it was and the dust bunnies - well they're shivering in fright in the far corners where they're safe.  For now.

But that's not all - a date with the laundry came up with a completely different turn for a new story.  Is it the mundane routine of these tasks that makes the brain hunt for something, anything to prevent boredom?  I don't know but whatever it is, my house will be spotless as long as housecleaning gives payback like this.

How do you get stalled creativity switching back into high gear?






And for something a little more fun than hunting dust bunnies - The Long and the Short of It is having a treasure hunt.  There are Easter eggs hidden on author sites throughout the web, including one on my site.  Tons of prizes to be had - check it all out at the Long and the Short of It.  The contest begins March 29.

Here's what you're looking for - the classic easter egg in varying colours. 


Good Luck!

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

2 comments:

Marcia Colette said...

Ugh. I've been wrestling with a title for weeks now. The title I thought I'd go with on my second book, not gonna happen. It gives away too much. So, I'm back on the title bandwagon again. Like you said, the first came so easily it was like magic. This one is like pulling teeth from a shark who already has his jaws chomped down on your arm.

Ryshia Kennie said...

Isn't that it - give away too much or too little? Although after having said all that - in the end I like my second title much better but the idea sure didn't come easy like the first.