Who Are You?

By Douglas Clark

Who are you? The character Kosh on the sci fi television series Babylon Five would ask that of a few of the main characters, especially during times of self-doubt or pending change. We could ask ourselves the same question. Who are we? As individuals, as a society, as a species, we are all in a constant state of flux.

Recently an article was published about the relationship of Neanderthal and Human DNA. A small yet distinctive amount of DNA from Neanderthals is present in many of the humans alive today, despite geographic, social, ethnic, or political ties. Neanderthals are a species of Homo Sapiens that is considered to be an cousin to modern day people. They had similar intelligence, physical make up, abilities and skills. Having died out, they exist now only in our genetic code. But what does that say about us? As a species that wars, fights and hates against itself, we are the sole remnant of a species now vanished from this world.  

My mind swirls with the idea that within us we hold the tiniest bit of an entire race. What were the Neanderthals dreams? What did they long for? What did they imagine when they looked up at the starry night sky? Who did they love and care for? What pains and agonies did they suffer when loved ones died?  It may seem ridiculous to contemplate such things. After all, they were just ‘cavemen’ right? Well, if you really look at it, the Neanderthals were very much like us in many ways. And no matter how you look at it, they were related to us, physically, genetically, and in my mind, intellectually as well. They weren’t exactly human, but so very close our ancestors mated with them and formed families.

So in that regard, they are our kin, on many levels. What would you do if you were the sole holder of a memory of a lost love, a child, family? Would you want to preserve that memory and cherish it? If we are the keepers of every dream, desire, aspiration, and struggle of a lost race, shouldn’t we try harder to celebrate our commonalities, rather than fight because of our differences? The legacy of two human races depends on it. Think about it…

Thanks for reading.

Questions and Comments are welcome. 

DouglasHClark.com

I'm So Thirsty!

by Douglas Clark

I was struck today by the terrible images of Drought that certain parts of the US and the world are suffering with. For some reason, I'm fascinated by dry lakes and desiccation. Strange perhaps, but fascinating all the same. Perhaps you may or may not be aware of the Aural Sea. Well, it's basically gone. It dried up because of human interference with its water supply. Hard to imagine draining an entire sea, but there you have it; man's capacity for destruction. 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not all gloom and doom here. Human kind is capable of great things, but when I see pictures of docks and boats sitting on a dry and dusty plain, my imagination sparks with ideas. Perhaps it's the incongruent nature of ship and desert, or a dock leading to nothing. But my mind is transported to what it was like while the water was drying up. 

What did the people do who relied on that water? 

How did they cope and deal with the loss of the life they knew?

What caused this to happen? 

These are all thoughts that race through my head. 

See, I'll use those images and the thoughts they provoke to find a story. It may be tragic that the Aural Sea is gone, and drought is destroying countless habitats. But if it sparks your imagination to do something about it, that's at least something positive. There is usually a reason behind the catastrophes and disasters of this world. Sometimes they are caused by nature, sometimes caused by man. It's up to you to find the truth and bring some good to the world because of it. 

Thanks for reading.

Questions and comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

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

The Little Island That Could

Douglas Clark
-Head writer, The Inspiration Engine

So the forces that keep our planet in a perpetual state of rebirth did it again. Off the coast of Japan, a new island was born yesterday. Granted, it’s a tiny little thing, but the idea of land, reaching from below the ocean waves, cresting the water’s edge and  rising up toward the sky fascinates me. The concept is not new, one only needs to study the Hawaiian Islands to understand just how powerful island building can be. But for me, I like to get lost in the idea of the new island's growth. How big will it become? Will flora and fauna take hold and make it a lush paradise? Will it remain barren and lifeless because of continued volcanic activity? Will it get washed away from the relentless pounding waves against its tiny, fragile infant shores? I find myself wanting to visit that little speck of land, just to see it in person.

In reality, only time will tell what happens to this little island, but imagination brings a whole host of possibilities. That’s the beauty of taking reality as the basis for your ideas. Mother Nature gives us everything we need and all we will ever have. But it doesn’t have to end there. As a writer I use reality as a spring board, a starting point, and a frame of reference. From there I expand and explore the story, creating a new reality. Each story is different and takes on its own unique set of details, characteristics and flaws. Much like real life the unexpected arises, tragedies and triumphs unfold, and lives are lived, people are loved, lessons are learned, and remembered.

It’s impossible to rewrite the past. However, when writing, you can mold the characters, setting, plot, actions, and whatever else you wish to tell the story. Unbound by the limitations of reality, the only thing needed is to remain true to the reality you create in your new universe. You decide if that tiny infant island grows up to be a colossus like Kilauea or gets pummeled and washed away by relentless tides.

Thanks for reading.

Questions and comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

Let's Be Positive

by Douglas Clark

You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ~Epicurus

When things are their hardest, you really need people around you that are of high quality. Positive, honest, and genuinely caring relationships make life so much easier. Forging relationships with even just one person that sees the positive and virtuous elements in life will lift your spirits and change your perspective on life, your outlook, and your demeanor. I count myself fortunate to know several positive, virtuous people. And to be honest, I’m glad they are in my life for the simple fact that they help me to see things clearly. It is especially true when life and the negativity that sometimes clings to it seem to attack you.

There’s an old saying that goes something like “you know your real friends when things go wrong”, and that’s really true. Those that stick around and help you out when you are feeling low, downtrodden, beaten by life, and sad truly deserved respect and admiration. Not everyone you know will stick with you when life gets rough, even if it isn’t your fault. Drawing on their strength and support is invaluable. And those who have such wonderful people in their lives know what I’m talking about. These people are an inspiration in their own right, even if they don’t believe it or are unaware of just how supportive they are.

I’ve made mistakes in my life and said the wrong thing, but I’ve always tried to communicate as effectively as I could. To me, the ability to really listen to what the other person is saying, but also how they are feeling makes a true difference in understanding their perspective. Now, I have also experienced people that care for nothing but churning the hate and stirring up controversy. The key is avoiding that type of negativity and focusing on the positive. Obviously that is easier said than done, but if you continually steer yourself back toward the positive, you might just find that it becomes a habit.

Adversity is a fact of life. It cannot be avoided, but it can be mitigated. If others you know are more successful, more focused, more motivated, or just happier, look to them for inspiration. Ask them what keeps them so positive and try to emulate their style. At least attempting to change your ways is better than submitting to apathy.

Thanks for reading.
Questions and comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com