Road trip! Well that was fun and odd and I’m tired now.

I drove down dirt roads for two hours to get to Stunner Pass in Southern Colorado (USA), a place I’ve visited over the years, always empty and peaceful, next to a deep canyon and river. Lovely spot to get away, I thought…a dust filled road though. But the further I went, the less vehicles I saw and after about an hour or more of this winding mountain forest road, I came to one of my favourite campgrounds. BLM, free, pit toilets, tables, fire rings and huge views, oh and near a rushing river.

I set up for the night, walked the dogs, ate, relaxed, ate more, relaxed more and then went to bed. Early. As I do.

Later, when up in my roof top tent, the dogs start barking and outside are two men’s voices, “He must have gone hunting without them.” Oh, right, me! Because women don’t camp alone in trucks in the middle of nowhere. New campers near me then. Sigh.

Later, I wake to the sounds of huffing, deep and close. The dogs are silent. Was I imagining things?

Later, it happens again. A bear? Shit. I sneak a peak but see nothing but fuckit, I’m now scared. So I clamber down and snuggle with the pups in the cab of the truck. Not so comfortable but we’re locked in together.

Later (again again again) two trucks drive into the dark campground, spotlights, loud, erratic driving. They set up camp with lights flashing all around. It was quite the show.

Later, I wake to hip-hop at 2 am.

When I wake up in the morning to make coffee and a fire – my matches are wet.

The hip hop starts up again.

No bears though. That’s good, right?

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Don’t Hate Revision!

I’ve been teaching a class on tools for revising your manuscript, whether memoir or novel, at the Santa Fe Community College. I love it! Six in the class, great conversations and good for me to buckle down and go back to one of my more recent novels. I’d worked on it years ago and then put it aside after a publisher had asked to read it then kept me in limbo for a year before sending a form note, saying No. I let that get to me. I was tired of writing, editing, submitting and waiting. It’s a soul-draining process. I gave up on myself. Doing this course at the SFCC has inspired me though and I’m back to it. I’ll share more in a bit but here are some suggestions for revising a work in progress.

“So glad I could participate. I learned so much that will immediately help me. You kept me interested and motivated. Thank you.” Cecilia.

Week One:

First line: what does it do? Cut it, try again. Move it. Start on another page. How does that feel?

Physical descriptions of places and landscapes: give the visuals as soon as possible even if indirectly to let the reader imagine what you see and what is influencing the characters.

Physicality of characters: who do they move in their own bodies? In their clothes? Faces, bodies: be specific, really see each character, the shine of skin, greasy hair, frizzy or dried with split ends? Get into those details. Do you let the reader see the character or narrator? Do they need to?

I created slideshows for each week and am in the process of recording them as webinars for those who want to learn and get inspired to work on their books again. I’ll post when the videos are available.

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SKOOL Teaching Platform

For the last four or five months, I have been hosting a small creative group on Skool where I post revision tips, prompts, resources and in the Classroom are various courses you can access. If you’re serious about getting more creative and finishing a project, it’s worth checking out. It’s also the best way to support me and all that I learn and share with you. My goal is to migrate most of my teaching to that platform and make it as affordable and accessible as possible.

“Inspired… Just as soon as I finish editing this other person’s book… I’m afraid I’d write about her characters if I try right now!” Kim.

With daily posts, you get to check in and respond to them on your own terms and in your own time. I’m offering the tools to help you create, write, and stop procrastinating! Go do what you love!

Join us here: https://www.skool.com/explore-create-share-8023

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YOUTUBE

If you want to watch short reels to inspire the creative spark, check out the videos on the YT channel. Most are under two minutes, just enough to give you a prompt, set you in action, stop the procrastination game, and fix writer’s block. Again, if that’s where you are, it’s a good free starting point.

https://www.youtube.com/@sleamsartandtravels

“I like your videos. Thank you for your tips there are helping me alot.” Sharon.

“Your videos help me so much thank you!!” Dagmar.

“This is very inspiring and true advice and guidance actually. I love it and it really does work.” Samantha.

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And if you are in Albuquerque New Mexico this summer, stop by Little Bear (Uptown) cafe! You’ll find 14 of my paintings up on the walls, from the Curious Critters series. A few new ones that I’ve not shared on here yet.

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Thanks for reading! I’ll share more resources on the Skool group this week and post here once a month or so. I hope you’re having a great summer. Stay Creative!