Sunday, June 28, 2009

Our Secret Magic Power

A wonderful friend, a comrade-in-words, and my sworn soul sister sent me a lovely card, which begins:

“Follow Your Destiny, Wherever It Leads You.” --Vicki Silvers

The words inspire as much as they befuddle me. Why? Because the countless books on “manifesting your dreams” or “the secret to success” often seem to obsess over the need to control your destiny. When things reach beyond our control, we feel helpless or worse, as if we’re doing something wrong.

“We can’t control the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” –Unknown

Writers often get this instinctively. How many here have veered away from the outline or, for the many pantsers here, realized that the characters were taking you in a direction you absolutely did not expect? Just the other day I muttered to myself that I better be careful or I would write myself into a corner.

In the worlds we create, there’s always an element of unpredictability, a realization that we can’t control everything. There is no magic wand. No magic spell. Except perhaps one…

Never-ending Optimism.

This the secret power each and every one of us holds deep within our soul. When we choose to activate the secret power, we often find exactly what we need at exactly the right time.

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find, you get what you need.”Jagger/Richards

What if destiny seems to lead me to something I don’t want? And what if that something turns out to be just what I need? That’s the magic of our secret power at work. If the winds change, it’s pretty darn clear that unless you have faith that you can navigate and trust in your skill as a sailor, your shaking hands won’t be able to adjust those sails and… Hel-lo, Davy Jones’ Locker.

So we need to work with our destiny, realize that life is a relationship. Just as we’ve learned that cooperation is key to a successful relationship with loved ones, friends and coworkers, we also need to embrace the cooperative relationship between Author and Book, between Self and Destiny.

This same wonderful, delightful, most appreciated friend told me that she realized, had her book been picked up sooner, she might never have joined RWA. Yet the friendships she found, and the sense of camaraderie was such a joy to her, she believed Destiny knew what she needed. I was touched and more than a little astonished. I certainly wouldn’t choose a friendship with me over a book contract. *chuckle* Her words gave me pause because I wondered… how many wonderful, delightful, incredible, necessary ‘things’ might pass us by in our fervent quest for publication, our need to promote, our desire for the best-selling book. We push because we believe we have to, yet our secret power is always there.

Never-ending Optimism.

If we remember to tap into that secret power, we can afford to take a breath now and then. We can afford to relax and trust that our destiny is working with us. When we rely on our secret magic power, we give more power to our greater self. How many here have wrestled with a plot quandary, only to have the answer come when you finally turn off the effort and just relax? I swear, I have to install a waterproof recorder in my shower since so many of my plot points come to me there.

One summer, hubby and I fell in love with a new series called Burn Notice. The main character is a spy—half Derek Flint ( from the spy spoof In Like Flint) and half MacGyver. What I love is when faced with impossible odds, Michael Westen's face twists into a tight smile and he says, “Hand me that bobby pin, a bottle of avocado oil and some spackle.” *heh-heh* He doesn’t even entertain doubt. He knows he has to win. He is totally in touch with his secret magic power.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” --Winston Churchill

Sometimes, destiny leads us to unexpected places and the greatest challenge is to keep our eyes open to the new possibilities before us. To recognize that there is opportunity for life, for love, for success, for hope in every minute of every day.

As writers, we need this more than anyone does. We need to nurture our secret magic power. Unpublished writers believe that once we hold the golden contract or sign with the all-powerful agent, our heavy lifting comes to an end. Published writers know that it’s just the beginning. No matter what phase we’re in, we need to cherish and cultivate our secret magic power. We need to Believe In Our Destiny.

Oh, and one more thing… WE NEED TO WRITE!! *grin*

This week, let’s all take a breath now and then, let’s nurture our secret magic power and get in touch with our optimism, and most of all, let’s resolve to trust in our destiny…

Next week is a holiday week for some. Summer's rolling in and for those in America, the Fourth of July weekend. Ah, but that’s next week. This week we work our collective butts off, right? So, have a fabulous and productive week and remember… We Are WRITERS!!

Go-go-GO!!!

Minimum goal:
15 pages.
Weekly essay.

Stretch goal:
25 pages!
Weekly essay.

How’s about you?

--Chiron O'Keefe

Also featured at Pop Culture Divas and Between The Lines

18 comments:

Captain Hook said...

Wow, Chiron. Once again you have posted on exactly what I needed to hear at this point in my life. Thanks.

Donna Marie Rogers said...

Since I need to get my butt in gear and write, this is a great message. Love the Stones quote. *G*

Sandy said...

Chiron,

I use to struggle a lot to try to get published, but then I realized I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Nothing happens before its' time. There's always a reason for the wait.

Carol Ericson said...

Great inspiration, Chiron! I had been dragging my heels on my current WIP because I couldn't envision the next turning point or plot twist and didn't know what to write next. Then it kind of hit me today when I was doing something else - "of course this has to happen before that happens" - and now I know where I'm going and can sit and write. That's one of my favorite Jagger/Richards lins among many favorites!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your positive vibes and good words, Chiron. You truly are a credit to the writing world.

Glynis Peters said...

It is great when I get a motivation post to spark me off again, thanks.
http://www.glynissmy.com

Chiron said...

Hi Captain!

Very cool! I'm so glad the post rang true for you. *grin* Thanks so much for stopping by...

Smiles,
Chiron

Chiron said...

Hey Donna!

Yay!! *wink* Go-go-GO!

I also love the Stones quote. That was the first song I learned waaay back when I was fifteen. *laughs*

Still one of my faves today.

Thanks, Donna!

Smiles,
Chiron

Chiron said...

Sandy,

That makes sense. I'm glad you found your path.

Smiles,
Chiron

Chiron said...

Hey Carol!

Ah, been there, done that. Yup, (she says, nodding) and then you free your mind up by doing something else and ZAP! The answer appears. Write ON! *grin*

Excellent, my dear! Happy writing to you...

Smiles,
Chiron

PS... Yup, love the Stones' quotes. Rock on!

Chiron said...

Oh, Evie, wow... Thanks so much. You're a gem. *blush*

Bless you, my dear!

Smiles,
Chiron

Chiron said...

Hello Glynis!

Thanks SO very much. I'm pleased the essay gave you a lift!

Thanks also for visiting and wishing you great success with your writing!

Smiles,
Chiron

Anonymous said...

Ha ha, I managed to get down one page today in WIP...does that count? hee hee

Linda LaRoque said...

“We can’t control the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”

I love this quote!

Inspiring post as usual, Chiron!

Thank you!

Linda
www.lindalaroque.com
http://lindalaroqueauthor.blogspot.com

Chiron said...

Hi Miss Mae!

*laughs* You know it does, girlfriend! Better a page than none.

Remember the great passage about James Joyce in this post: http://chironokeefe.blogspot.com/2009/06/breaking-through-wall.html

*Grin* That will make you chuckle.

Thanks for stopping by, Miss Mae!!

Smiles,
Chiron

Chiron said...

Hi Linda!

It's such an inspiring quote, isn't it? Thanks for being here, my dear!

Smiles,
Chiron

ra!n80^^ cuor3 said...

Writing /rewriting is a craft and a much slower activity than thinking. When you write you abort a large quantity of thoughts as communicating your ideas means slowing down your creative process. Almost all of “my” (past & future) ideas are already written: I keep finding them on forums, blogs, articles, etc.

In the same amount of time necessary for writing one decent page I can create in my mind a gigantic puzzle just zapping the internet to find POVs.

All the best from Bucharest.

Chiron said...

Hello there El Scriptador!

That's quite a fascinating glimpse at synchronicity and simultaneous time.

You're right. The mind must work as a filter, condensing and selecting. Yet in some ways it's also like a laser, since in time we can concentrate the energy and slice through the muddle to find a few choice words.

Thanks for visiting! And welcome!

Smiles,
Chiron O'Keefe