Winter Block? Some Brain Boosting Tips!

by

Peggy Archer

 

www.peggyarcher.com

 

Why does the new year have to start in winter?! It’s cold outside, at least in northwest Indiana. Your brain seems to want to hibernate with the bears instead of sparking those creative juices. If you’re feeling less motivated this season, here are some suggestions that might help you out of that slump.

Open the curtains and let the sunshine in! Sunlight can increase the body’s production of serotonin, which lifts mood and increases alertness and energy. If it’s gloomy outside, turn on more lights. Make your work space sunnier by choosing bright colors in your room.

Get up from your desk and move around. Take a 5-minute break once an hour and stretch. Walk into another room. Take a brisk walk outside to the mailbox, or go out to feed the birds. Frequent small bursts of physical energy lessen muscle tension, can get you out of a slump and clear your thinking.

Daily exercise, even 15 to 20 minutes a day, gets your blood flowing and increases energy by maintaining good levels of oxygen in your body.

Warm up! Put your hands around a hot cup of cocoa or hot tea. Put on some warm fuzzy socks or a cozy cardigan. Find your comfort level to help you stay focused and motivated.

Find something to laugh about. Laughter stimulates both sides of the brain. Laughing reduces stress hormones, resulting in enhanced attentiveness and brain function.

Keep a bottle of water at your work station and take a drink every now and then. Staying hydrated helps maintain energy. If water is not your thing, drink flavored water or tea. Tea is loaded with antioxidants and provides other health benefits as well.

Make sure you eat breakfast. A cup of coffee just won’t cut it. Whole grains and fruits will do more for you than a quick caffeine or sugar boost that will wear off in a couple of hours, then leave you in a slump.

Eat a snack. A healthy snack every couple of hours can help keep your blood sugar level and your energy up. Try an apple with peanut butter, string cheese, or a cereal bar for a carb-protein boost.

Finally, try something new. According to Gregory Berns, M.D., a neuroscientist at Emory University in Atlanta, when people do something new and different it releases a motivating chemical in your brain that gears you up to do more.

So say good-bye to winter block, and get your energy flowing! 

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resources: RealSimple.com, Webmd.com, Mayoclinic.com, porterhealth.com

 

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NOTE: This post originally appeared on Peggy’s blog (www.peggyarcher.com/blog.htm). IWC thanks her for permission to reprint it.



Poetry at the Zoo

 by

Peggy Archer

 

www.PeggyArcher.com

 

Have you been to the zoo lately? My husband and I went to Brookfield Zoo, just outside of Chicago, where we enjoyed one of the last nice days of fall. We went to spend time outside. We went for the exercise, the change of pace, and to see the animals. Our expectations were met. But an added surprise was to find poetry at the zoo! As we walked, we found poetry on stone, signs, and glass as well as in the beauty of nature. 

 

Etched on a large rock:

 

Earth, people and poetry

are one and the same entity

bound together by mysterious

subterranean passageways.

When the earth flowers,

the people breathe freedom,

and poets sing and show the way.

 

Written on a wall:

 

To the earth, to the earth.

He has renewed our life,

He has taken pity on us.

 

I did a little bit of research on line and found this information.

 

Aside from majestic North American animals and beautiful exhibits, Great Bear Wilderness also embraces the "Language of Conservation," an initiative aimed at deepening conservation awareness through poetry.

 

With the support of a $1 million National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Poets House (national literary center and poetry library headquartered in New York City) has partnered with five zoos to create approximately 200 unique poetry installations in New Orleans, Milwaukee, Little Rock, Jacksonville, and Chicago. The selected zoos have seamlessly woven poems into the habitats of animals such as polar bears, snakes and flamingos to inspire millions of zoo visitors to become better stewards of the environment.

 

If you are a poet at heart, and even if you aren't, and you are near any of the areas around the zoos mentioned above, you won't want to miss an afternoon of Poetry at the Zoo.

 

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NOTE: This post originally appeared on Peggy's blog at www.peggyarcher.com/blog.htm. IWC thanks her for permission to reprint it.



Dissecting a Poem

by

Peggy Archer

 

www.PeggyArcher.com

 

Happy Poetry Month! Happy Spring! For poetry month I thought I would show you the process that I went through when I wrote, and re-wrote, one of the poems from my picture book, NAME THAT DOG!

 

My inspiration for Melody was my friend's dog, Mellie. Every time I would go to Karen's house, Mellie barked like crazy, even before I got to the front door! I told Karen, "You don't need a doorbell. You have Mellie!"

 

My first idea was to write about a dog who loved to 'sing,' and with his barking he would get all of the dogs in the neighborhood to join in. I called him Maestro, like a very talented leader of an orchestra. Here's the first draft:

 

Maestro

He sings along

When I play the piano

He hits the high notes

In perfect soprano.

He can hold it long

He can sing it low

Dogs follow the lead

Of my dog, Maestro.

 

Ok. I wasn't really happy with this poem--yet. Here are some reasons why.

 

Rhythm: This poem didn't just roll off your tongue with easy rhythm.

 

Stress and natural language: In this first draft the stress falls on different syllables in the lines. I try to have each line stress the same syllable, usually the first or the second, to make it flow and easy to read. It doesn't always work out that way, but at least it feels right when you read it out loud. And poetry needs to be read out loud. The stress here falls on the second or third syllable. The last line puts the stress on the word 'my,' which doesn't feel natural. In addition, the lines don't have the same number of syllables. It doesn't always need to be the same, but I felt that it was too far off.

 

Imagery: I didn't feel that the end result put any special pictures or images in the reader's mind. Okay, maybe a piano, maybe an orchestra conductor. Boring!

 

Language: Word choice, or language, is what creates the images that the readers see when they read a poem. It's also what makes the readers feel something when they read a poem. I definitely thought I could do better here.

 

So I started to make lists. I made a list of words that were sounds that a dog makes: bark, howl, yap, etc. I made a list of words that were synonyms for 'sing': croon, tra-la-la, chant, hum, wail, moan.... I made a list of types of music: country, opera, pop, rock, rap.... I made a list of musical instruments: piano, saxophone, flute, violin....

 

I decided to re-name my dog Melody, after Mellie, who barked whenever someone came up the walk, and made her a girl, like the real Mellie. I looked at my lists and tried to relate the different words to a dog, in particular a dog who liked to 'sing.'  Here's what I ended up with.

 

Melody

She sings when I play the piano.

She croons to the saxophone blues.

She wails to that sad country music

And moans to the nine o'clock news.

She boldly increases her volume,

enjoying the voice that she's found,

And sings a duet with the doorbell--

That howling, melodious hound.

 

Poems are meant to be read out loud! I ended up with a much better rhythm and a poem that was fun to read. The language was fun, too. And the images are there in every line for the reader to enjoy. I hope that you enjoy these poems, as well.

 

NAME THAT DOG! by Peggy Archer, illustrated by Stephanie Buscema, Dial Books for Young Readers 2007, ISBN: 978-0-8037-3322-0

 

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NOTE: This post originally appeared on Peggy's blog (www.peggyarcher.com/blog.htm) on April 26, 2011. IWC thanks her for permission to reprint it. 

 





Advice From a Dog

by

Peggy Archer

 

www.PeggyArcher.com

 

 

For Christmas one year I received a book from my husband called Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life. Snoopy's Guide... is a wonderful tribute to Charles Schultz, author of the Peanuts cartoons, edited by his son, Monte Schulz, and Barnaby Conrad.

 

I have always loved the cartoons about Snoopy as a writer. Like us, he faces the challenges of writing a good story, revision, criticism, and advice. Snoopy listens to suggestions and gives them a try. He imitates the masters in his own way. And he never gives up.

 

I love Snoopy's rejection letters. They make you laugh because, for the most part, no one could top the letters that Snoopy gets from publishers. Like any dedicated writer, Snoopy believes in himself and keeps on going, in spite of rejection.

 

As a children's writer, I think I may relate a little more to Charlie Brown when Lucy challenges him and Linus to look at the cloud formations and use their imaginations to see beyond just clouds. Charlie Brown sees a ducky and a horsie. Linus sees a map of Honduras, a famous artist, and an apostle in the different clouds. When writing for children we should probably aim somewhere in between.

 

What I didn't expect to find in this book were the essays and advice from 32 best-selling authors. Some comments:

 

"...no matter what method you choose, start with something happening!"--Barnaby Conrad

"...characters are what a story is about--they drive the story; plot and theme come from character, not the other way around."--JF Freedman 

"A story's setting is what puts us there, gives us readers a sense of being in the situation with the characters."--John Leggett

"One of the most difficult decisions an unpublished writer makes is when to take advice and when to ignore all your well-meaning critics and do it your way."--Sue Grafton

Anyone who tells you how to write best-sellers is a sham and a liar. .... I write them with fear, excitement, discipline, and a lot of hard work."--Danielle Steel 

This is a great addition to my library, and a great book for writers of all genres and stages of their writing life. It will leave you smiling, nodding your head as you share the feelings that all writers feel, and gaining insight into the craft and business of writing.

SNOOPY'S GUIDE TO THE WRITING LIFE, edited by Barnaby Conrad and Monte Schulz, Writer's Digest Books 2002, ISBN: 1-58297-194-3.