Wording and Arting...maybe Crafting is the right word?—My Novel Freshman Experience

Words have power...that was the premise of my Everything But books.  I think it's true.  

I rarely refer to myself as an author. It feels too pretentious a word. I'm a writer.  As a working writer, I write for food not some higher purpose.  Okay, sometimes I write for a bit of a higher purpose, but mainly because my kids like to eat.

Basically, I play with words for a living.

For years I've joked that I'm not writing...I'm Wording.

So I guess that means, now that I've gone back to school, when I go to the studio I'm Arting.

I don't know, arting sounds too high falutin for what I do in ceramics class.  I'm a novice.  This term, I gave myself permission to simply experiment.  To see what I can do in clay.  But more than that, I'm experimenting with glazes.  They are such a mystery.  What they do on one project won't necessarily hold true for the next.  (Those pieces up above are for a "quilt" I'm making. It was a great way to play with a lot of glaze.)

I picked the theme Folk Art for the term.  No, we didn't have to pick a theme, but it really worked well for the things I'm arting...nope, that still doesn't seem to fit.  Crafting.  Yeah, I like that.  And it fits for both arting and wording.  I'm crafting art or stories.  

Crafting.  I think I might stick with that.

I have a friend on Facebook who calls  Renaissance Woman because I do a lot of weird things.  I'll confess, I do try a lot of stuff.  From splitting wood, to making beer and bread, to ceramics, to writing...

I've made baskets, quilts, afghans, and embroidered projects...

But here's the thing, I like trying new things.  I like figuring out how things work.  I like...crafting.

And I like knowing little bits about lots of stuff.  I really does help with my books.  Speaking of which, I'm working on a new idea that combines both wording-crafting and arting-crafting.  I'll share more on that later.  

Holly

PS. My love of crafting shows through in so many of my books.  Here's a few:
Spoons (I carved the spoons on the cover)
Just One Thing
Carry Her Heart
Once Upon a Valentine's

New Perspective

I've talked a lot about going back to school in My Novel Freshman Experience posts here.  I've given my first workshop on Finding Your Sequel, talking about trying new things.

And I've sold my first article about trying something new.  If you're an RWA member, it's in the February issue.  If you're not, let me sum it up...try new stuff.  It will make your life better.
Yes, you can see why I'm a writer, right?  LOL

But that, in essence, is the theme of the article, the blog posts...and my enthusiasm for going back to school.  I've known for a while that I wanted to try pottery.  I have a nice collection of stoneware that I love.  I wrote about a potter in Just One Thing.  And I was inspired while I worked on some ceramic wooden spoons to write a short story, appropriately entitled, Spoons.  (Sign up for my newsletter and read it for free for Valentine's!)

I hope you find something new to try this year.  Something new that enriches your life.  Something that makes you see the world in a new light.  Something that gives you...well, glee!  

Holly

PS. Talk about going back to school...Check out my PTA Mom Trilogy.  Three Single Moms.  Three Holidays.  Three Love Stories!