WRITING PROMPT From Midnight Pages:
Close your eyes. What do you hear, smell, taste? What do you sense at an energetic or intuitive level? Spend some real time. Find at least twenty-five things. When it gets hard to add to the list is when it gets interesting…”
VIGILANTIA
Vigilantia: lying awake, sleepless, vigilance. The silence and stillness of midnight might feel suffocating, dense, and thick—heavy with foreboding. It might have you lying in bed, heart pounding, afraid of the dark.
Under the cloak of night, your hearing is heightened. Sounds startle you awake as you drowse. Your mind can ramp up: haunting memories, recriminations, regrets, and stuck thoughts keep you from your rest. Some “insights come up as well and sensations: the surge of adrenaline, pricklings on your neck. You might feel the weight of the dark bearing down on you or you notice movement in the shadows. Maybe you have the sense you’re being watched. Something lurks in the dark that’s imperceptible during the day. You might feel like you are not alone, and that subtle presence over your shoulder seems familiar. You wonder if it’s been there before, maybe even always. During the day, with music blaring and people talking, you just don’t perceive it. Ask what message all this has in store for you. Don’t reject what you hear. Don’t dismiss. Allow.
Night belongs to the spirits. –Proverb
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The Book Junkie Reads . . .Reckless Dreams Interview with . . . Diane Riis . . .
How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
My writing is eclectic, humorous, woo, spiritual, odd-ball and playful. And can be a tad academic. But fun, light academic! At least in this particular book!
Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
Writing flows when I can get out of my own way. If I get hung up thinking about how it’s going to sound or what so-and-so is going to think of it, I can get pretty jammed up. So I unload all the things that might be standing in the way with a blast of writing: my hang-ups for the day, who is occupying space in my brain, things I should be doing instead, my objectives, whatever, then the decks seem cleared to write.
What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?
Mindset is everything! But I am not a routine person or a “disciplined” writer. When it’s time I write. The way I stay in the mindset is by following joy. There are days to do the writing, days to do the marketing, days to go out into the garden. If I trust it, they balance out and everything gets done.
Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so which one(s)?
I am writing a version of myself in virtually every story, even if sometimes it is a shadow-side character or some thin, small thread that is running very deep. In my recent cozy mysteries, I am very much bound to Jilly, the lead character, who is a witch who doesn’t quite trust herself of the heritage/training she is a part of. She is slowly developing her intuition and coming to trust her magic as she goes through the series. I hope others will learn to trust theirs’ too as they read and see her develop. She’s me a number of years ago in that regard.
What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year? Yes, I intend to finish three more of the cozy mystery series (The Belly Witch Cozy Mysteries) as well as a book about Wicca for post-patriarchal church women. It’s non-fiction but it’s also based on my former self as a mainline, traditional (though liberal) minister of 25 years.
Oh, yes, and a book for women writers…Self Love for Writers or something like that, because all the imposter syndrome, writer’s block, overwhelm that stops or slows women writers comes down to self- love, self -confidence and self -compassion (in my experience as an author’s coach.)
Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern? What would you do with this time?
I’d take a long Sabbatical and stop trying to make a living coaching, editing or marketing. I would write and explore gardens all over the world. Learn permaculture-basics in the Amazon. Go have retreats in caves and write about it. Take a cottage by the sea for three months and just write. Bliss. Thanks for asking!
Thank you for spending time with us.
Website: https://www.themidnightpages.com
Blog: https://www.bellywitch.com
Website: https://www.earthandsoulpublishing.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianeriis.71619533
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