Meera Lester

ACCESSING THE POWER OF YOUR DREAMS . . . January 31, 2012

Years ago I took a seminar to learn how to work with my dreams. I kept a journal of my dreams and also wrote about what was going on in my life at the time.  I had many dreams about my feet and shoes. Because in my early twenties I had studied yoga in a small village in India, I naturally evaluated the dream symbols of shoes using the lens of yoga, meditation, and spirituality.

Those feet-and-shoe dreams actually foreshadowed a path that I would have to walk. Not an easy path, either. The soles of my shoes in those dreams seemed important–perhaps reassuring me that I would be grounded–at least that’s how I interpreted the dreams then. I made particular note of the imagery of the sole, but now I see that the dreams might also have been directing my thoughts to the realm of spirit, my soul.

The day of reckoning finally came. The entire structure of my life quaked and shifted on March 4, 2002. At 3:15 a.m., my 46-year-old husband passed away following complications of a heart transplant. Shortly after, our family business (my source of income) was taken away through a buyout that I didn’t want; but I had to accept. I capitulated under pressure. Then our family home had to be sold. I was in a dark place and I could not see the light.

After so many years of dream work, I believed if I asked a soul of a loved one to meet me in the Dream Time, it would, even if I couldn’t remember it. So in prayer, I began to ask my late husband and also my Indian yoga teacher (who had also passed) to meet me. I sought comfort and direction. Then a powerful dream came.

I wrote the following in my dream journal: I am acutely aware of light. It is the effulgent light body of my Teacher, as imperceptible as a vapor and subtle as a whisper. I sense that somehow my thought is contained inside a sparkling cloud that is my soul. But inside this diaphanous cloud, light has entered. I recognize him as that light. His thoughts are somehow touching or imprinting mine. But I am plagued with seemingly unaswerable questions. Why is it that I’m not identified as a body? Where is my body? Who is doing the recognizing of my Self and my Teacher?

When I awoke, I felt comforted and sublimely at peace. And, I knew I had plenty of spiritual work to do.

In my dream journals, I see instances of great characterization. In other places, there tidbits of sparkling dialogue. Often, my dreams hold great action scenes, or suggest foreshadowing or a prediction. You can put your dream images to work for you. As well as being a powerful aid in a spiritual search for Self, dreams can help you as a writer. You might want to tackle a memoir or works of fiction or nonfiction or a screenplay. I suggest keeping a journal at your bedside to capture all your nighttime flights of fancy. Write your dreams upon awakening. Use a symbol dictionary to decipher them and unlock the meaning. Each dream, I believe, bestows a gift upon the dreamer. Claim those gifts. They can help you as you walk along your life’s path as a writer.

Copyright 1/31/2012 by Meera Lester

WRITING AGAINST DEADLINE . . . January 20, 2012

Something magical happens in my brain when I am up against a tight deadline. It’s almost as if the stress of the deadline causes neuron firing into my brain’s creative thinking centers. I have no idea of how. What I do know is that impending deadlines bring me creative gifts. That’s not to say I don’t feel stressed; I do, and  the tighter the turnaround time on a project, the more stress I feel. But also, that stress somehow triggers more creativity in my thoughts. Not only do I push against the work, but while I’m pushing–that is, researching, organizing, and writing–I’m getting ideas for a mystery novel, a new blog about gardening, a magical realism story, a recipe book, and historical works of fiction that I promise myself someday I’ll write. These ideas I capture in a little notebook I keep next to the computer where I’m working on the book project.

Even as I write this blog, I’m against a impending deadline (with only two weeks left to finish) for one the biggest books I’ve ever pulled together for a publisher. I awoke to the sound of rain sheeting against the window like a thousand tiny tacks  being flung against the glass. Snuggled under a down comforter in the dark, I relish the warmth and peace of the winter morning and would like to lie motionless for a while listening to the wild sound of nature, like a banshee mournfully moaning. But that deadline marches  ever closer and I have no more minutes to waste. I get up, close the window, and kick on the start button of my computer tower. We’re still remodeling our 1947 northern California farm cottage, so the computer is on the floor next to a makeshift desk. I throw on sweaters, jeans, and boots, for I have to feed the chickens and fill the sheep’s water container.

I make a pot of coffee and while it perks, I head through the orchard to the chicken house. “Good morning, ladies. Good morning, Houdini.” He’s the rooster. “Good morning, Mystery.” I pick up Mystery, the black feathered giant Cochin chicken that is viewed with envy by the other hens, possibly because her beautiful legs and feet are covered with feathers. If  left in the hen house, Mystery gets pecked senseless so I put her in a separate area for her safety. “Good morning, Sheep.”  With my chores completed, I return to the house for a cup of coffee, a container of yogurt, a handful of blueberries and a few nuts–my breakfast. Thus finished with chores and fortified with food and drink, I greet my deadline with anticipation. Somehow this process always works for me for as soon as my fingers touch the keys, my brain is flooded with new ideas and thoughts that inspire my creative musings. Because of these gifts, I am supremely confident that I will meet this deadline and all the others in my life. Perhaps your process mirrors mine . . . or is entirely different. I’d love to hear from you about your writing process, especially how you deal with deadlines.

copyright 1/21/2012 by Meera Lester

TO OUTLINE YOUR NOVEL, OR NOT … November 10, 2011

Every writer eventually settles on the way of writing that works best for him or her, whether working from stream of consciousness or an outline. For new writers of novels, working from an outline might be a less frustrating than writing as a stream of consciousness. Now this seems counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? But think about the problems of going the distance, of actually finishing the book when you start the writing process with just a character or a setting or a critical situation, using creative imagining alone to push the story forward. If you don’t know where the story is going or how it ends, you might write a whole lot of material that won’t hang together as a compelling story.

Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end and there must be some sort of conflict and rising tension. Also, there must be story questions that get answered and new story questions that will be raised. It is easy to get off track when you do this work as a stream of consciousness. The storyline gets muddled. W hen the writer loses focus and direction, the reader gets confused.

One way to outline a novel is create at least three scenes for each chapter. Once you have done this preliminary work, you can add more scenes if they are needed. The outline becomes the skeleton on which you will flesh out your story. It means you do a lot of the hard thinking that goes into a compelling work of fiction ahead of the actual narrative writing. The outline enables you to keep your story on track. A quick glance at the outline and you can see the types of scenes, where the dramatic action is in the story, how the roller coaster of fiction that you are writing is rising and falling, how and when your protagonist’s character arcs, and when the story climax occurs.  Looking at the outline, you can decide which scenes to plant clues (especially important in writing mysteries), add details of foreshadowing, or decide whether or not you need one or more subplots.

The stream-of-consciousness method of writing is a great way to push through a block, to lift a sagging middle of the book, or to flesh out a character. Most stories are driven by characters. If you don’t know what a character is going to do in a particular situation, try a little gestalt therapy. Ask him about himself  and type in the first thing that pops into your head. Keep asking questions and typing answers until you know everything there is to know about this character. But go beyond the eye color and the reason for the muscular build or lack of it. Make your character talk to you about his inner world–motivation, fears, hopes, dreams, and feelings of abundance and lack. Are his wants and needs in conflict or are they the same? What drives him to do what he does?

If you are new to writing, experiment with both methods of writing and see which works best for you.

Copyright November 10, 2011 by Meera Lester

CREATING COMPELLING CHARACTERS  …October 20, 2011

Scarlett O’Hara. Jean Louise “Scout” Finch.  Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, Hannibal Lector. Dirty Harry. Vito Corleone. Hercule Poirot. All of the forementioned names belong to  sensational, unforgettable characters in fiction. When you think of your favorite fictional character, who comes to mind? Why does that character spring into your thoughts above all others? What made him or her memorable? By analyzing your favorite fictional characters, you may be inspired to create one or more for a novel of your own.

Although there are many ways to start a novel, writers often begin by creating an intriguing character, fully imagined and three-dimensional (as opposed to a functional character who walks into and out of a scene or scenes of the story for a particular purpose and then is forgotten, having served his/her purpose). The main character or protagonist drives the plot through the emotional, intellectual, and instinctual choices he makes when faced with story problems. Often we first see this character as he must make a choice in a critical situation that launches the story forward. When an adversary is required for the story, novelists must also create a worthy, even formidable, opponent. However, it is the main character that readers care about. Examples of interesting characters include the tortured genius; a love-starved, fickle, flirty girl;  a steely, jaded outlaw or ex-cop; or morally bankrupt businessman. Your protagonist’s  moral compass might never waver or be severely compromised. His or her weaknesses and strengths, traits and qualities dictate behavior, but also, the character can evolve as the character matures or goes mad or becomes more of a gentle spirit as the plot unfolds. You, the novelist get to decide such things.

Optimally, you will want to create a character who is sympathetic. You want your readers to feel empathy and identify with your protagonist’s troubles, pain, conflict, emotional turmoil, and so forth. When the protagonist makes the wrong choices, readers read on, wanting to know what happens, how things will turn out. Your job as a writer is to keep the reader guessing what will happen next as you put your protagonist in harm’s way, upping the ante, building tension, and creating new conflicts and story questions. You promise to give the reader a good story; he, on the other hand, agrees to take a seat on your fictional roller-coaster ride. If you have done your job as a writer, the reader will know who to clap for when the story ends, and he or she may even treasure the time spent with that main character. Perhaps your character will become one of our beloved memorable protagonists that readers will never forget.

WRITING SENTENCES THAT JUMP OFF THE PAGE …August 4, 2010

A great sentence conveys clear meaning with just a few words. It may have no adjectives or adverbs or clauses or subordinated phrases. Mastering the writing of such strong, clear sentences isn’t as easy as it might seem. Everyone knows that a sentence must have a  subject (usually a noun) and a predicate (verb). The noun and verb are the engines in every sentence in the story. Forget the adverbs–those little modifiers that end (often) in “ly” such as slowly, mightily, heavily, quickly, deeply and meaningless adjectives like beautiful and ugly and very. For now, focus only on the subject and predicate. Your noun and verb choices make the difference between a sentence that is a strong, clear, and compelling versus a  sentence that is weak and ambiguous.

Try this exercise and see for yourself. Choose a story by one of your favorite authors. Underline the subject and verb in a few of the sentences. Do those sentences do the job of moving along the  narrative? Are the sentences weak, diluted, or strong? Is the meaning clear? Now go through a piece of your own writing and do the same exercise. Try rewriting a sentence or two to make it jump off the page. That is the hallmark of a good writer. The lazy ones will continue to write sentences using passive verbs (conjugations of “to be,” for example) instead of action verbs that also suggest feeling or mood and reveal character.

Your job as a writer is to never bore the reader. Write sentences that jump off the page (instead of just sitting there). Your entire narrative will be stronger for the attention you give your sentences.

PRIMING THE PUMP …July 13, 2010

Have you ever had a great idea for a story, but just can’t seem to get started? Me too.

My friends and family can’t understand it. They think that my brain just engages anytime my fingers get near a keyboard since I have written hundreds of articles and over two dozen books for a variety of publishers. But occasionally, I will sit down to write on a topic or work on my novel and nothing happens. The words seem all jammed up inside my head. On such days, writing is hard work. Priming the pump helps.

What do I mean by priming the pump? For me, it means reading a book about my chosen topic, listening to music that relates to my topic, or doing research to get me thinking about the subject. If that doesn’t work, I move my body, literally.

Instead of stressing on not being able to produce words on the page, I get up and do something to shift the energy–wash the dishes, feed the chickens, walk in nature, do yoga, or tend my plants–in short, anything that takes me away from the work and gives my mind time to cogitate on what it is I want to write. It’s allowing the mind time to figure out how to tell the story before I actually sit down to type it. Maybe you have a different process. If so, I’d love to hear about it. Send me an email and tell me if I can share it with my readers.

ON WRITING WELL …July 11, 2010

I recently had a discussion with some writer friends about the challenges of lifting your writing out of mediocrity. What, indeed, sets your story apart from the millions of stories that writers all over the world are creating every single day? For starters, my friends suggested that your story and your voice is unique. Others noted that it is the process of rewriting that brings out the elegance and shine of your prose. Our discussion inspired me discover what literary giants of the past had to say on the subject of good writing. I’m also interested in what you think.

The most essential gift for a good writer is an essential, built-in, shock-proof, shit detector. This is the writer’s radar, and all great writers have had it.  –Ernest Hemingway

I try to leave out the parts that people skip. –Elmore Leonard

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say but what we are unable to say. –Anais Nin

I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter. –James Michener

The difference between the right word and the almost write word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. –Mark Twain

You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke. — Arthur Polotnik