What Do They Have to Say?

By Douglas Clark


I thought it would be a good idea to explore the blogosphere and see what other bloggers were saying about this and that. Well, let me tell you, there are a lot of smart people out there with great ideas and excellent ways of getting them across. Remember, the more people you talk to and communicate with, the broader and deeper your perspective will become. This holds true for writing, but also for pretty much everything else in life. 

If you challenge your own ideas and beliefs, take the time to consider the situation from the other person's point of view, and keep an open mind about how life can be interpreted, you might just find that your way of thinking can expand and open up a greater appreciation for the world around you. 

Below are a few links to other bloggers that have interesting things to say. Enjoy.

Mack Collier writes about Passion

Jerry Low writes about writer's block

Carol Lynn Rivera writes about keeping a calendar

Thanks for reading. 
Questions and Comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

More Than Words

By Douglas Clark

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, they are right, but sometimes, a picture can say something better than an entire novel could. In my internet wanderings I’ve come across a few images that have really blown me away. So I thought I’d share a few. Hopefully they will inspire you and ignite a bit of creative imagination in your heart as well.

Enjoy

A visual illusion

The Earth from space

A Russian Lighthouse

An incredible landscape

The sky, on fire

The visually stunning

The phases of the Moon

A fantastic eye

To me, these pictures all represent the strange and mystical, the real and remote, and the raw power of imagination. I find myself staring at them and feeling a sense of wonder. What about you? 

Thanks for reading.

Questions and Comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

The Blank Page

by Douglas Clark

For a writer, the blank page can be the greatest nemesis of all. That uniformly white, unblemished, perfectly clear white page, simultaneously open to all and every story possibility, and the great oblivion of nothingness. Think of it. With nothing there to guide or hinder the writer, everything is possible, and yet, there’s nothing to go off of, nothing to expand on, or describe. Sometimes, the blank page can be a hollow, terrifying void that stifles creativity and imagination because it is so open and unstructured.

I hate the blank page, but I don’t fear it.

I have fought great battles with the blank page, smearing all sorts of junk and babbling drivel all over it, simply to avoid the blinding white light staring back at me from my computer screen. I’ve had great story ideas explode from my mind only to be obliterated by the blank page, which laughed at me for my insolence in thinking I could write something of merit. Although other times, I’ve slayed the blank page with commanding prose and mind blowing descriptions that banished the dreaded white nothingness to the background, where it belongs.

What I’ve learned from the blank page is this: It is only the starting point, and nothing more.

Not all of the stories I write, or ideas that I have will pan out. Some will turn into great stories, others will be abandoned because of a myriad of reasons. But think of it, each story, masterpiece and piece of crap, all started out from that blank page. Yes, the blank page can be frightening, but it is where EVERY writer starts from. Think of that! Shakespeare, Dickens, Hemmingway, Heller, Orwell, Byatt, Browning, Keats, King, Martin, Clancy, Rowling; they all started at the exact same place as Clark: with a blank page.

If they can go on to write and publish great works, so can I! And so can you.

Hate the Blank page. Slay it like the demon it is. Banish it. Exile it to irrelevance behind your unique voice through the written word. Destroy the blank page’s pristine white blandness with wonderfully brilliant prose that explodes with dazzling color in your readers’ minds. Become the master of the blank page. Hate it, but never fear it! 

Write!

Thanks for reading.

Questions and Comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

Huxley Versus Chafee

Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are dead.

Aldous Huxley

Trust is built with consistency.

Lincoln Chafee

It seems like Aldous and Lincoln have very different interpretations of consistency. Who is right? It would seem both ideas cannot exist at the same time and be right. What do you think? 

Think about it.

Thanks for reading. 

Questions and comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

Let's Focus a Bit...

By Douglas Clark

Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives.

~Tony Robbins

A very big challenge for me has always been focus. True at heart, I am a day dreamer. There have been and are multiple scenarios and situations where I find myself being whisked away to a dreamland conjured up from my imagination. It's just fun to get lost in a world of my own creation. 

From a young age, if I were staring out the window of my parents’ car, watching the rain come down, stuck at the dentist’s office, bored at school, etc., I would always find myself creating fantastical narratives for me and my imaginary characters to explore. Now I never got in trouble in school or work for distractions, but I realized a long time ago that even though daydreaming and imaginations are great fodder for creating art, lack of focus can wash away all relevance those daydreams brought.

You see, focus keeps us in line. Focusing on the job at hand, getting things done, and checking things off the ‘to do’ list help you keep an organized life, but if you don’t find time to daydream, that life becomes pretty sterile. I find that sometimes when I get focused on my day-to-day chores and responsibilities, I lose that head in the clouds type mindset that helps me create.  

It took me a long time to realize balancing my life between focused responsibility and daydreaming is vital. I love to daydream and just imagine, but when I apply my focus and determination to expression– that’s when real creativity begins. For a long time I wanted to write a full novel, but it wasn't until I focused my determination and married it with my creativity did I actually finish one. 

Being good at a few, or even just one thing can bring order and meaning into our lives. I’ve often thought about my education and what type of expertise and authority it brings to my opinion about literature and writing. From my experiences and studies I know I don’t know everything, but I know enough to comment and help others improve. It’s more than I could do in a physics class. I’d be totally lost. But the written and spoken word – well I’ve done pretty good for myself learning how to use them both. 

Now obviously I still have a lot to learn. With such a diverse and growing language as English, there’s always more to know. But language is the one thing I know I’m good at, even if sometimes I need a reminder about how much more I need to know about focus. I’m not myopic in the subject matter in which I’d like to learn more, but I narrowed it down considerably from when I was younger.

Learning who you are and what you like is a long process; you change as you grow up and gain experience. Staying focused on what you want and love helps to bring clarity to your actions and direction. If you suffer from a lack of direction or focus, look at the things that are distracting you. The answer to finding focus might be staring you right in the face. Oh, and no matter how many times you get side tracked and distracted, make sure you come back to focusing on your dreams and goals. Sooner or later, staying focused on your mission will become a habit.

Thanks for reading

Questions and comments welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

Need a place to publish your work?

Douglas Clark
-Head writer, The Inspiration Engine

Every once in a while I find a cool website that really makes an impression. Recently I found one that I think will help budding young writers get their work out there. The website is called Every Writers Resource. It really has pretty much everything that you could ask for as a writer. There are articles, interviews, forums, writing courses, blogs, but my favorite part is the lists of literary magazines and book publishers. You can find valuable submission information and what to expect if you try to publish. I’ve used this valuable resource dozens of times during my attempts at getting published. Every Writers Resource has made it infinitely easier to find publications that fit my writing style. Granted, I haven’t been published by anyone yet, but half the battle is just finding the right publication to submit your work to.

If you are interested in publishing any of your work, give this website a try. I think you might find it a valuable addition to your publication ambitions. 

Thanks for reading.

Questions and Comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

Douglas Clark
-Head writer, The Inspiration Engine

In an effort to expand the powers of motivation and creativity, the Inspiration Engine has expanded. Recently, the Engine provided a guest post to Studio 747. Check out all the great advice they have over there. I think you will find it very helpful. 

And if you want to give the Inspiration Engine's guest post a read, click here. 

Thanks for reading.

Questions and Comments are welcome. 

DouglasHClark.com