IMAGICISE: Saying Goodbye

Prepare yourself for this emotionally jarring and tear invoking week of imagicises. Goodbye is a dangerous word, as we never know if another hello will be uttered. This session is all about exploring death while preparing ourselves to say farewell.

For those wishing to ‘tone’ their creative muscles, simply spend 5 minutes on each prompt. For those ‘bulking up’, spend an additional 5 minutes writing or follow the specific instructions with each prompt.

* For further directions on ‘Imagicise’ click here.

SAYING GOODBYE – TILL DEATH DO US WRITE

• Day 1: Bon Voice Mail

  List five people from your life, that you cherish. Consider the possibility that you will never see them again, and your message on their voicemail is the last thing they will hear before their untimely demise. What do you wish you would have said. Please keep in mind you can’t tip them off about their impending doom. Write the message for each of the five people. As a bonus, if the situation was reverse, what do you wish each of the five had said in their final voice mails.

• Day 2: Original Goodbye

  It’s fun (depending on who you are) to break down words and to guess their origins. Farewell probably came from “fair/do well,” while “take care” is the shortened form of “take care of yourself.” Now pretend you are a government endorsed linguist and it’s your time to shine some new light on everyday expressions. Consequently, create a slew of new words or phrases for goodbye. They can be completely original, based on other languages, inside jokes, or abbreviated forms of existing words or phrases. For example, “break it” could be used as an abbreviated form of “go break a leg.” This is a difficult imagicise for some, and you not know where to begin. To aid the process, think of a variety of characters or personalities and imagine if they had their own way of saying goodbye what would it be? For instance, a irate taxi drive won’t say “farewell.” What would a high strung hair stylist, or a retired mob boss say? Here is a sampling of the possibilities: dayo, boodles, to infinity, until dinner, funbe.

• Day 3: Reverse Pirating

  List your 5 most prized possessions. The bad news is, the time has come to tell them “bon voyage.” The good news is, you get to choose their next destination and owner. For example, who gets your diamond ring, the Xbox 360, and your Adam West autographed batman cape. However, you can not choose family or close friends. Where and/or who do you choose, and why?

• Day 4: Putting the Fun in Funeral

  This may be difficult for some and enjoyable for others. You’ve been warned. You’re in the funeral business, but the business side is taking a turn for the worst due to stiff competition from Wal-Mart opening its own funeral parlor. It’s up to you to save the day by coming up with unique and innovative ways to say goodbye to a loved one. Be sure to think outside the coffin box. For example, perhaps the corpse is given a ride on a roller coaster that soars underground staying buried. Maybe, the funeral parlor can relocate to a beachside location and offer viking funerals where the recently deceased is cremated in custom built boats set aflame and sent out to sea. Death is a touchy subject, but as a writer you’ll have to deal with it from all angles, so practice escaping your preconceived notions, and feelings on death.

• Day 5: Fictional Tombstones

  Make a T-Chart (self-explanatory) with a left and right column. In the left column, for 1-2 minutes, list your favorite fictional characters from cartoons, movies, comics, and/or literature. In the right column, for 1-2 minutes, list fictional villains you despise. Now choose 3 to 5 favorites in the left column and 3-5 of your least favorites from the right column. Next, for each one, pen the words that should appear on their tombstone. Optional: Compare and contrast the tombstones from the left and right columns. Were you bias, or were you able to remain objective and pen beautiful words for both columns?

  
  

Tags: writing, IMAGICISE, Prompt, creative thinking, Picture Books, ideas, children's books, children's writing

Artist’s Way: Week 9 Check-In

1.) How many days this week did you do your morning pages?

Morning Pages: 3/7 I allowed the stress surrounding the GRE and a family trip to Atlanta to overcome my devotion to the morning pages. I’d like to think it’s just the circumstance, but I’m afraid my mind/body/soul was ready to surrender and just used these events as an excuse.

Night Pages: 3/7 They were sloppy this week and void of drawings or creative spins.

2.) Did you do your artist date this week? 

I’d like to be able to count taking the GRE as well as my trip to Atlanta as an artist date, but it simply wasn’t. Sadly, I have no artist’s date to report. I can see why Julia Cameron urges us to do the Artist’s Date alone. When you’re with others, you  naturally suppress the creative intake process. You’re too busy reacting to them that you forget to pay attention to the minute details around you.

3.) Did you experience any synchronicity this week?

Sadly no. If there was synchronicity, I closed my eyes to it. I’m very disappointed with myself this week.

4.) Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant for your recovery? 

There was only significance to my de-covery. I was able to complete one of the tasks, but I’m just so upset with myself for taking the obvious excuses to skip feeding my creative self. I’m hungry and need to produce! This was by far my worst outing to date.

Tags: Artist's Way, Check-In, inspiration, Motivation, synchronicity, writing help

Artist’s Way: Week 8 Check-In

1.) How many days this week did you do your morning pages?

Morning Pages: 6/7

I’m sad to report that I fell short this week and only completed my morning pages 6 out of the 7 days. I neglected to complete them on Saturday morning. I had barely slept for a few hours dealing with a personal crisis of someone dear to me. By time I finally woke up around 11:00am, I knew the clock was ticking to take full advantage of the stash of free comics available at the local comic stores, so I showered and head out the door. Later in the afternoon when things slowed down, I felt I could do my morning pages then, but for the first time I realized that was cheating. It wasn’t fair, and I had to take a loss. I’m ok with it. Sometimes you have to let yourself carry a wound to remind you the dedication it takes to be consistent.

Night Pages 7/7

I’m happy that I was able to hit the night pages out of the park. Looking back I see a great deal of creativity in the writing, a few sketches, and more substance. I did cheat a bit on Sunday as I wrote them in the early evening so I could wrap up the week early and get a head start on next week which includes a dreaded GRE test, and a nice trip down to Atlanta, Georgia to spend time with family and yes sneak in a few coaster rides while I’m there.

2.) Did you do your artist date this week? 

My artist date was something we can only do once a year, and that’s if you happen to be in America and aren’t working that day. In its 11th year, Free Comic Book Day occurs on the 1st Saturday of May and is a celebration of comic books. The public is invited to local comic book shops and to walk with 100% free comic books. This is a way for comic book companies and shop owners to thank repeated customers and to encourage kids and adults to enter the shop for the first time and get into comic books. The books are from the major publishers DC, Marvel, Image and also from smaller independents. While the books are free for the public, each shop has to pay for each book (usually less than 50 cents). It’s not just a grab and go event, it’s more like an indoor BBQ. Comic Fans adorned in costumes and hero laden tees all stand around snacking on pizza or hot dogs talking about their favorite characters and stories. I just started getting into comics a few weeks ago and I felt welcomed into this exotic paper rich world. I went to 4 shops in the Buffalo, NY area, and in all came home with 29 FREE comic books. I ended up buying 2 comic books, mostly because I felt guilty and wanted to give back in a small way to the generous shops. The winner by a long shot was Seeley & Kane’s on Elmwood Avenue. They allowed every customer to grab one of each comic. I didn’t arrive until after 1pm, but even then I was able to grab 19 comics. This shop has my respect and whenever I purchase a comic from a physical store, they will have my business. Halley’s Comics was nice enough to offer 5 comics, and I could tell this was a small operation, so I appreciated their kindness. Any store has to be commended for giving away free comics, with that said Queen City gave away 3 comics, and Don’s Atomic Comics which allowed 2. In between each shop, I blasted powerful beats on a custom mixed CD and snacked wherever I pleased. I downed a DQ cherry dipped vanilla cone ( a personal favorite), a cheeseburger, mac and cheese, and even my first Cherry Coke in over 2 years.

3.) Did you experience any synchronicity this week?

One of the items I’ve placed in my journal was the batmobile from the 1966 TV Show… it’s one of those “dream purchases.” Well… today I just looked at flier for the Niagara Falls Comic Con, and that very batmobile is rolling into the area on June 9th. Will I be able to buy/steal it. No, but this is no coincidence. The universe is putting me closer to something I desire. It’s only a matter of time, before I connect with it.

Also another name of interest, Dustin Diamond, Screech from Saved by the Bell will be in town as well. It’s almost as if the universe is throwing many wrestling related stars into the area just so I can interview them for RingWriters.com or for future articles.

4.) Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant for your recovery? 

Creatively, this week was empty. Nothing was created, though I’ve been taking in. It’s been an uneventful week, though it’s mostly due to horrible sleeping patterns, and ample time spent studying for the GRE, and visiting my uncle in the hospital, who I wish a speedy and healthy recovery. I did get a nice bike ride in this week, was able to watch two new movies, one at the midnight premiere of the Avengers and one at home with Svengoolie presenting the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Svengoolie continues the time honored of tradition of low budget horror hosts, and I thought it was about time I spied this classic horror movie. The comic book obsession continues as I read four different graphic novels (in this case, a graphic novel is a compilation of typically 6-9 individual comic books).

I rebounded with the tasks this week and completed 6 out of 10. Thankfully, they were all written tasks. These exercises struck the heart and truly made me visualize my now and later!

That’s it for now. I do realize I need to step up the productivity game. I feel it’s happening with the coming of summer and my ability to now concretely map out my goals. Cheers imaginators!

Tags: Artist's Way, buffalo, Check-In, comic book shops, comic book stores, Free Comic Book Day, inspiration, Motivation, Seeley & Kane's, synchronicity, western new york, writing help

IMAGICISE: YUCK!

Get pumped for this gut wrenching week of imagicises, or you may have to get your stomach pumped. This session is all about exploring the nasty, ooiest, and gooiest the world has to offer.

For those wishing to ‘tone’ their creative muscles, simply spend 5 minutes on each prompt. For those ‘bulking up’, spend an additional 5 minutes writing or follow the specific instructions with each prompt.

* For further directions on ‘Imagicise’ click here.

YUCK!

• Day 1: Gross Thesaurus

  List as many synonyms for gross as you think of. Examples include eww, disgusting, nasty, yuck, and icky. Brainstorm for a minimum of five minutes. Next, spend five additional minutes inventing your own words for “gross.” For instance: bugly, toejamish, “oh litter,” GWB, and budget.

• Day 2: Smelly House

  An amusement park is developing a new twist on the classic haunted house. Introducing the “Smelly House,” a haunted house exclusively for your olfactory senses. Plan out the “scary features” of this attraction by listing the nastiest, most vile smells on earth. Make sure to continue listing for 5 minutes. For those who wish continue, list a plethora of a wonderful smells for a “Tunnel of Love: Aroma Therapy” ride.

• Day 3: Horrid Hybrids: Barely Edible Combinations

  If, “Beauty is in the eye of the holder,” than “deliciousness is in the eye of the eater.” In your lifetime, you’ve surely come across some less than flattering dishes. Now is your chance to become a master chef. Devise a menu full of the most hurl inducing items. Let your creativity flow, combine whatever your stomach doesn’t desire. Feel free to add combinations from a celery smoothie to a kitty litter corn dog.

• Day 4: Fart Flavors

  You are the acting CEO of the Bottled Farts Inc. and it’s up to you save the company from losing out on major sales to still competition. Brainstorm ideas on new fart fragrances and their catchy names. Examples include: Mountain Ewww, Sweet Southern Belch, and Dr. Gasser. If you have extra time, choose one of the ideas and write a slogan and/or a 30 second radio advertisement.

• Day 5: Icky Names

  Have you ever kissed a girl named Mildred Backwater, or hugged a man named Fungus Ficklebrew. There’s a reason for that. It’s the same reason you’ve never checked into the Stenchtrap Hotel. The names alone are vile enough to keep a parade length distance. It’s your turn to create the yuckiest of names and titles. Brainstorm names for people, schools, stores, cities, countries and whatever else is on your mind.

Tags: writing, IMAGICISE, Prompt, creative thinking, Picture Books, ideas, children's books, children's writing

Artist’s Way: Week 7 Check-In

1.) How many days this week did you do your morning pages?

Morning Pages: 7/7

It felt good to have to begin a new journal, asthe former was full. That was a journal I didn’t know what to use it for and I thought it was too big to fill, and now just six weeks later, every single page is breathing with pure stream of consciousness. It feels good.

Night pages: 6/7

I didn’t feel the connection with the night pages this past week. I wrote them too early or too late… and often just used them to schedule the next day. I need to tap into my inner conscious and release my emotions so I can sleep peacefully.

2.) Did you do your artist date this week? 

Given my lack of a date last week, my inner artist needed a romantic experience, and pronto. I’ve grew up in Buffalo and have spent many a summer there, but have never visited the Botanical Gardens, until Tuesday morning. The exterior is a gorgeous array of glass domed structures. The inside looks rather worn; probably the victim of state budget cuts. Though nonetheless, a leisurely stroll, oodles of photos, and a convenient nap on a bench allowed me to spend my 2 hours in style. The motivation for the trip was to get “inspired” for writing a picture book set in a Grandmother’s garden. I wasn’t able to immediately come away with more ideas, but they will come. I did however, use my down time on the  bench to sketch out a set of “Imagicises” themed to plants.

For those who aren’t aware, I have an addiction. “Hello my name is Crave, and I’m a roller coaster-holic.” CraveCoasters tells the story. Well, money is tight right now, specifically speaking I’m sitting on a small hill of cash, but not currently bringing any in. Consequently, I was on the fence about getting a season pass to Canada’s Wonderland (a massive 16 coaster strong park north of Toronto) so that I could take advantage of the free Sneak Preview Night on Friday, April 27th and be one of the first people on the planet to ride Leviathan, the park’s new 306 foot tall scream machine. The first task this week advocated taking the mantra “Treating myself like a precious object will make me strong.” So I went, and because of it I was able to create 4 new posts at CraveCoasters which generated over 1,400 hits since then. One was more like a true article than just an opinionated blog entry, which is productive for me sine I need to develop my journalistic skills. It may not further my writing career, but as I’m learning in Week 8, every step counts. And a little ego boost… it never hurts!

3.) Did you experience any synchronicity this week?

Synchronicity flowed through the night at Canada’s Wonderland. By chance I met Ken Jones, a fellow coaster enthusiast and president of the Amusement Park Historical Association of Niagara Falls. His words helped add substance to my article about opening night, and it’s always a pleasure to meet someone who’s also actively pursuing their interests. I also bumped into a 15 year avid coaster efficinado. I was envious of his upbringing for his father purely supports his love of coasters by buying a $250 plus dollar seat as part of an auction to be one of the first to ride, he’s also taken him to IAAPA (define it)

4.) Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant for your recovery? 

I’ve been trying to watch movies that I’ve neglected to see for years. Two weeks ago for the first time I saw Groundhog Day, and this past week I finally watched Pay it Forward which is odd considering I’ve owned the DVD for 6 years. These two films in particular are wonder workers. They not entertain me for a couple of hours, but they speak to my soul. And well… I’m ready to listen. Anyone know some other “powerful” films I should spy?

I slacked off once again in the task department, but managed to just barely pull off the recommended 5 out of 10. I still can’t believe I’m more than half way through. Twelve weeks seemed like a long commitment, but in actuality it’s just a short trip.

My lady has received her copy of the Artist’s Way, and my best friend will start venturing into the course this week. I encourage this course/book to anyone who feels they have a gift and want to share it creatively with the world.

Tags: Artist's Way, Check-In, inspiration, Motivation, synchronicity, writing help

IMAGICISE: PLANTIFUL

While we may spend most of our time in man made boxes, nature is omnipresent. It’s important for us to connect to our host, Mother Earth. This session of imagicise will harness our creativity while galloping through a little garden, a flowery meadow, or a frightful festive. Think of plants, bushes and trees.

For those wishing to ‘tone’ their creative muscles, simply spend 5 minutes on each prompt. For those ‘bulking up’, spend an additional 5 minutes writing or follow the specific instructions with each prompt.

* For further directions on ‘Imagicise’ click here.

PLANTIFUL

• Day 1: Odd Origins

  Plants grow all over the earth. Some in soil, some in sand, some in water, while others can even grow in the air. Life can originate anywhere as 2pac once wrote about “the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete.” Think of unusual places plants could grow. Examples: a couch, a nostril, a little girl’s head, a car, a stinky shoe, a bowling ball’s finger holes. (5 mins) Choose one of the images and start a story on the origin of that plant and its adventure. (5 mins)

• Day 2: Fantasy Garden

  Fruits and vegetables grow on plants and trees, but money doesn’t. Well in your fantasy garden, you can grow ANYTHING. What would you grow? Examples: money, tea bags, tooth brushes, bikinis, and groovy mustaches. Now imagine you are 7 years old, what things would you want to grow? Examples: yoyos, ice cream sandwiches, baseball cards, barbie underwear. Bonus: Compare the differences between the lists. Why have your tastes and needs changed… consider treating yourself to something from the 7 year old’s fantasy garden.

• Day 3: People Plants

  Create new species of plants/trees/bushes based on people you know (celebrities and fictitious people are ok too). Incorporate their name. appearance, and personality into a plant. Describe these new plants. Example: Valerie Mint Trap- Valerie loves mints. Leafs like lips open up hoping to snatch a mint, just like a venus fly trap.

• Day 4:  A World Without Green

  All the plants and trees on earth vanish. Describe the immediate effects from any perspective or location.

  Click here for more Vanishing style imagicises.

• Day 5: Cactus People

  What if there was a race/ethnicity of humans with cactus like skin and features. Pretend you’re researching the lifestyle and customs of a native population of “cactus people” for National Geographic. What do you observe? Where do they live? What is their diet? What is there daily life consist of? Comment on how they would fit into modern society. What advantages/disadvantages do they have? 

  
  

Tags: writing, IMAGICISE, Prompt, creative thinking, Picture Books, ideas, children's books, children's writing, plants, ecology, environmental, green, trees, bushes

Artist’s Way: Week 6 Check-In

1.) How many days this week did you do your morning pages?

I may not have penned the morning pages precisely when my personal sun rose, but in the end I penned my way to 100% completion. Though when the sun sailed away, the morning’s success did not echo in the night. I only penned 5 of my 7 night pages. I could easily cop out and remark how the Night Pages were my own creation and strictly optional. I won’t do that. I made a conscious to decision to up the ante with the night pages, and I intend to honor that decision.

2.) Did you do your artist date this week? 

Somewhere inside me a little artist is crying out their lonely heart. Their significant and mortal host stood them up. I went into this vowing to never fall short and already I believe this is the second week I’ve failed to go on a proper artist’s date. Statistically speaking that’s a 66% completion rate. Though, there’s no reason for blood shed.  l love my little artist, and I will romance the tears out of him! In the end, 4 artist’s date in the past 6 weeks is more than I would have done without the Artist’s Way.

3.) Did you experience any synchronicity this week?

I re-discovered a hilarious comic trip, the Perry Bible Fellowship, in book anthology form. The interview in the back was motivational. As the creator’s comments on the creative process echoed the core message of the Artist’s Way.

I was able to pen a new Imagicise. I can’t believe it’s been a year since I added one. I also edited the page on CraveWriting.com. I know these prompts could be bundled into a publishable book. More so than that, I want to be able to give writers more than just a “writing to write” prompt book. The “imagicise” is all about honing skills while using interesting prompts. You don’t have to dig into your soul or your history for these prompts, you do have to exercise your imagination!

On Friday, April 20th and just before 5:00PM, I penned my first new picture book draft in over a year! Yay! It’s called “Outside the Box,” and that’s all you need to know about that!

4.) Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant for your recovery? 

I’ve had some personal issues with someone I care deeply about and I let our struggles take a toll on my creative output this week. If I had only alloted more time for a creative escape, I maybe would have been stronger to deal with the pressing issues. To date, this was my poorest effort for the tasks, and only 3 were completed. Sending 5 postcards to people you would love to hear from was an empowering experience. While in Japan, I was an apprentice to a master calligrapher and potter. The ever kind Ukei Sensei would invite me into his house and studio each Wednesday for a lesson in Japanese pottery followed by an assortment of his handmade delicacies and spirits. I am blessed to have been on the receiving end of such a beautiful mentorship from a true renaissance man. Though it’s been 9 months since I spoke to him. This task allowed me to break the silent with a postcard. I can’t let the language barrier and the pacific ocean get in the way of communicating and praising one of the greatest human beings I have or will ever encountered. I will continue the correspondence and hope to send him precious American goods as a continued token of my appreciation. The second task I did at the last minute by baking six little berry muffins. Who I am a kidding, I poured the contents of a bag into a bowl and threw in some water. A quick poor into paper cups and that task was complete. The third task told us to accept freebies. When it comes to money, I’m an independent soul. While I’ve been spoiled since birth by my parents, I rarely accept financial kindness from others. If I do, I make sure to immediately repay them. I hadn’t thought much about this tasks but on Saturday while celebrating a friend’s birthday I repeatedly denied requests from others to buy me a drink. When the time came I decided to get myself a drink, of course I offered to buy a around. They were smart enough to accept. In the end, I should have accepted their kindness, especially since I was eager to “pay it forward” with or without compensation. So when Sunday morning rolled and one of the most genuine people I have ever met decided to treat her 31 year old son like he was 7 on a shopping trip, I gladly accept. Ten articles of clothing later, I felt revived and looking rather handsome (in my own unique way) after a troubling week. Mother’s Day is approaching, and I must return the favor. But this time I won’t feel guilty for accepting her generosity. For any reading this who is accustumed to me turning down freebies, be careful, because I’m ready to say “Yes!”

Tags: Artist's Way, Check-In, inspiration, Motivation, synchronicity, writing help

IMAGICISE: Groundhog Day

On February 2nd, the groundhog may predict if spring will come early , but it possess no control over the weather’s destiny. However, with this imagicise you can not only predict the outcome of your creative efforts but also control your destiny as an imaginator.

This week’s installment of ‘imagicises’ will continue to help you get into tip top writing shape while exploring the tradition of Groundhog Day as well as the 1993 motion picture of the same name starring Bill Murray.

For those wishing to ‘tone’ their creative muscles, simply spend 5 minutes on each prompt. For those ‘bulking up’, spend an additional 5 minutes writing or follow the specific instructions with each prompt.

* For further directions on ‘Imagicise’ click here.

GROUNDHOG DAY

• Day 1: Punxsutawney Phil & Friends

  City officials have caught on to the success of having their own weatherhog. Though each city needs to come up with a name. Brainstorm names for possible groundhogs. First write a town/city name, from anywhere in the world including fictional cities, and then add a personal name to it. Alliteration is not essential, but definitely focus on the rhythm of the name. Make sure it takes on a personality of its own. Possible creations could include, Miami Miguel, Tonawanda Tiny, The Buffalo Burrower, and Gotham Gabe.

• Day 2: Animalistic Holidays

  Groundhog Day is founded by the simple premise that if an animal sees its shadow it will mean 6 more weeks of winter. Brainstorm new traditions based on animals. For example, the number of kittens born to an honorary cat will correlate with how many months of beautiful weather people will enjoy. For a college football town, the first treat a zebra eats could predict what bowl game the team will participate in. Or a town could promote innocence and childhood and encourage senior citizens to visit local parks for free pony rides. They could call the rides, “The Jubilant Juvenile Journey.”

• Day 3: Wildlife Opinion

  How do the other creatures of the earth feel about the groundhog’s annual 10 minutes of fame? Brainstorm a list of animals and for each one provide their opinion on the groundhog. For example, a bear could think, “Why would I wake up early for that?” and a chipmunk might say, “Why him? I’m cuter!” This exercise is helpful when naturally learning how to craft original voices for your characters. Dig deep into the soul of each critter.

• Day 4:  Groundhog Day Starring You

  Groundhog Day is a 1993 comedy directed by Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray whose character for no apparent reason continues to relive February 2nd, Groundhog Day. In essence, when he wakes up at 6am, it’s always the same exact day, though Murray retains his memory of the previous day(s). If you were the star of Groundhog Day… what things what you do? For example Murray’s character learns to play the piano, takes up ice sculpting, figures out how to rob a money truck, and learns information about local women in order to seduce them.

• Day 5: Your Day of Repetition

  Bill Murray’s character comments how he’s upset that he has to relive a day in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in the middle of winter. If you could have any day be your Groundhog Day, which would it be. Where is it? Why? For example… on the day of your surprise birthday, your wedding day, or a sunny day in Bali.

   

Tags: writing, IMAGICISE, Prompt, creative thinking, Picture Books, ideas, children's books, children's writing

Guest Post: Joe Allen’s “Round Trip by Ann Jonas”

Round Trip by Ann Jonas

by Joe Allen

Round Trip was one of my favourite books as a kid, something we borrowed over and over again from the library.  I remember being mesmerised by the moody black and white images within, and it really captured the feeling of sitting in the back of a car on a long journey.  But the most amazing thing about this book was how you could literally turn it upside down once you’d finished and read it back through.  I’ve never found anything like it since (apart from another similar book by Jonas), and I came across it online the other day so I decided to snap up a paperback copy and see if it was as I remember.

For some reason even back when I was a kid this book looked dated – maybe it was the font used on the front cover – but that didn’t mean I liked it any less. In fact, it only seemed to add to its mysteriousness.  And I like how unlike a normal book it is. No space is wasted, as on every page, as well as the front and back covers, there’s one of these rotatable pictures on it.  I’ll only show a photo of one of the images – if you really want to see the rest of the book I recommend buying a copy for yourself.  It’s just over £1 for a new copy on Amazon.

“Then we went to a movie,”

“Then we had dinner in a restaurant,”

The words are minimal – they’re simply used as a guide to identify these images, which, as you can imagine, might look a bit vague and ambiguous without any explanation. But that’s half of the fun, as your eyes and mind adjust to the picture in front of you and you realise what you’re looking at.  It’s tempting to scan the whole picture and try and imagine what the journey on the way back will look like, but you can never truly tell until you’ve actually flipped the book over and are travelling back through these oddly familiar pictures.

It must have taken Jonas a long time to conceptualise, draw and tweak these pictures until they all made sense.  Some are better than others, but the whole book is a fascinating journey. It’s still as magical as it was when I read it as a kid, and now I have an artistic and mathematical appreciation for these images which I wouldn’t have had before.

The strange feeling of desolateness/loneliness I got from reading the book as a kid is still there, and if you’re interested in cool books, magic eye puzzles, optical illusions or anything like that I’d recommend getting a copy.  It makes a great coffee table book.

Joe Allen, a broadcast journalist currently residing in Sheffield, UK with working experience in Japan. Mr. Allen is also the co-founder and operator of RingWriters. You can check out his bloggings at Jephso, and follow him on twitter @JoeAShef

Tags: Ann Jonas, guest post, joe allen

Artist’s Way: Week 5 Check-In

1.) How many days this week did you do your morning pages?

I’m happy to report the morning pages are at 100% capacity for the week. I felt I did too much planning, so towards the end I allowed myself to let loose the anger, and boy did it flow, like blood oozing from a severed head. I haven’t been as loyal to the “start as soon as you wake up creed.” It’s difficult when you’ve got your lady Skyping you across an ocean. I’d rather see her smile before I get to it. Regardless, they were penned, and allowed me to let loose my feelings and opinions. I’ve been rocking a “Crave” engraved leather bound journal gifted to me from my brother-in-law, but triumphantly/sadly it’s almost filled up. The search is on for a worthy attached pile of papers to serve as the sequel Morning Pages journal.

2.) Did you do your artist date this week? 

This week I’m happy to report I got back on the “dating” track. I rocked my Zoo Membership, bypassing the 45 minute Easter break line, and brought some unexpected friends. An artist date is supposed to be a date with you and your inner artist, but I checked Mr. Artist and he didn’t mind if I brought along a collection of forgotten texts. Basically I bundled up all the books I haven’t gotten to yet but was itching to start. I’m sure the books I’m currently reading felt I was cheating, but hey I’ve got a lot of love, why not share! This was quite the effective exercise! While a hundred little jaws dropped as one of the polar bears drank from the other’s crotch, I politely sat on a bench leafing through an English manga (Japanese comic book), Return to Labyrinth  based on Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. I didn’t realize how fast of a read comics were. Plus the illustrations always provide inspiration. Even more so, comics have a serious space limitation, so if a picture book writer wants to learn how to keep it “brief” and to explore story development through dialogue, it’s time to hit up your local comic book store. Then when it was feeding time for the gorillas, I feasted on Kwaidan, Lafcadio Hearn‘s classic collection of Japanese ghost stories. While living in Japan, it was always on my to-do list. As chance (or the universe, if you read the Artist’s Way) would have it, I stumbled upon a beautifully illustrated version for only one easy payment of $4.99. I couldn’t pass it up. The zoo was filled with familial spring breakers, so my eyes took advantage and people watched for inspiration. As a childless children’s book writer, it’s important to take advantage of situations filled with energetic, expressive children. In regards to the zoo, I was able to watch how they reacted to the animals and their habitats. What did they generally ask of each animal? What did they already know? And what poison were their parents feeding them? “Hey hunny, look at the cheetah!” Excuse me ma’am, do you mind not being so ignorant about the ocelot, South America’s junior jaguar. Thank you. But I did go to the zoo with a purpose, so basking under nature’s heat lamp, I relaxed on a bench opposite a patroling one-horned Indian Rhinoceros to enter the world of the Carousel. As an avid amusement park enthusiast, I’m eager to learn everything I can about the history of the industry. This colorful collection of anecdotes, information and photographs brilliantly educates the reader on the merry-go-round. My ulterior motive for reading it is I happen to be involved with a woman who is so passionate about the carousel, I figured I should read up and share the passion with her. Overall, this was such a productive artist’s date, that as soon as the summer temperatures arrive, I’ll do this on a bi-weekly basis. It’s important to mingle at the local captive watering hole, observe the kiddies, and most of all not to ignore books (they’re very impatient!)).

3.) Did you experience any synchronicity this week?

My synchronicity this week dealt with a hobby of the musical persuasion. I’ve owned a guitar for 11 years. In that time, I’ve probably strummed no more than 11 hours. I’ve taken 2 classes, and bowed out both times prematurely. I want to make music, but for some reason the guitar doesn’t hit my chord. The drums however have always been my pie in the sky. I suppose the only thing keeping me from beating away is the neighbor factor. “Keep it down!” “What’s with all the racket!” When I move to Taiwan, I’m hoping to find sound proof walls. If I don’t, I know my calling. Because when I checked one of the bucket list this week by seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform live in my native Buffalo, NY, it was actually the drummer Max Weinberg’s birthday. The funny thing is back in college when I saw U2 in Providence Rhode Island, it was also the drummer’s birthday. Hmmm. Coincidence? I think not, this is a simply and silly sign from the universe. On your next birthday, treat yourself to a drumset! Consider it bucket listed under Urgent!

4.) Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant for your recovery? 

My drawing has taken off! I’m finding myself more comfortable and eager to sketch. In the Night Pages, I doodled on 4 of the 7 pages. In regards to the Night Pages, I allowed myself to treacherous yet effective behavior. For two of the night pages, I actually went to bed without doing them, though took care of them the next day while trying to stay in the frame of mind from the previous night.

This week was another successful one in regards to the task as I completed 8 of them. Week 5 has a host of quirky writing exercises examining what we want from life. I took the tasks seriously and as instructed gathered images correlating with these desires. I posted some on Pinterest, and kept the rest private as suggested by my girlfriend in order to stay confident about them in case others unleash their criticism and negativity. It’s important to protect your inner artist. After all, they are just a child and as they grow, you must guard them from all foreseeable danger.

Significance occurred with productivity. I dusted off my father’s bicycle and rode it across town to the library where I spent hours each day tackling formiddable GRE vocabulary. But I didn’t neglect my artist pursuits. As while at Barnes and Noble, I researched possible publications for my “Wrestling Dad” article on the double-life of famed “The Innovator of Violence” Tommy Dreamer.

My girlfriend can tell how moved I am by the “Artist’s Way” that she abandoned the hints and flat out demanded (politely) that I purchase a copy of her own. Which I gladly did. That now have 2 other mortals, who I have urged to begin re-discovering their inner artist.

My love for comic books is growing. I ended most nights this week by reading recent issues of DC Comic’s Justice League. It took 31 years to grow a fascination and appreciation with actual comic books as oppose to their cartoon and cinematic spinoffs. In fact, I’m eying up issue #1 of Deadman. As soon as this sentence adds an exclamation point, it’s all mine!

Happy discovering imaginators!

Tags: Artist's Way, Check-In, inspiration, Motivation, synchronicity, writing help