Art and Writing: A Collage of the Mind

I was very fortunate to meet a wonderful group of women at a "retreat" in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2005. Nine lovely women met at a cabin in the mountains, and we spent time laughing, eating, drinking and sharing our dreams. We found common ground, despite nine different backgrounds. It was a heady time. We visited new restaurants in downtown Asheville, sought shelter in a bar from a sudden downpour, played board games in our pajamas. I was pregnant with my older daughter at the time and was full of hopes and dreams.

One of our activities was collage-making. We searched through magazines and cut pictures and words that described our dreams. Here are two of mine: the one on the top has the theme, "What are you Waiting For: Oh, the Possibilities". It shows some of my "true colors" of my personality. Jewelry-maker, Virginia Tech alumna, chocoholic, musician, reader.  These are the facets of me.

The page on the bottom is a "Glimpse of the Future". A trip to the Pacific Rim, Healing of Body and Soul, triumph over depression, and flying straight and true like an arrow from a bow. (My zodiac sign happens to be Sagittarius.)

Try collaging and see what you come up with. You just might be surprised.

All writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Erasers Remind me of my Childhood, Not Make It Disappear

When I was a kid, my friends collected all kinds of stickers. Scratch and sniff ones that smelled like grape and strawberry, ones with googly eyes, little pony ones and sparkly, glittery ones. They put them in thick albums and carried them around to show anyone who wanted to see them. My sisters had huge stacks of Garbage Pail Kids and Magic cards, Pokemon, and other RPG cards.


I've always been a bit different. I collected erasers. Not the pink gummy ones or the dull gray squares, but the novelty ones. The ones that looked like food (I was rather proud of my Hershey's Chocolate collection) and little animals, robots and anime characters, household appliances, cars, trucks and airplanes. I put them all in a shoebox out of sight of curious eyes. My family moved overseas when I was 14, and the shoebox disappeared en route. I never did find out what happened to them.


Not to long ago, lo and behold, I find these at Michael's. They're called "Crazerasers" and made by Fashionangels.

sushi erasers

pastry erasers

bread erasers

ice cream erasers

These were so similar to the tiny erasers that I collected (and lost) as a kid. So I bought some to take home. Do I use them to erase mistakes? I have to admit...no. But finding these made me feel like eight years old again, and when I started to scribble ideas in spiral bound notebooks...and good memories.

All writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Outlines and Plotlines

It's been a while since I've written a complicated plot-driven story. I'm more a short-story writer who writes one-shots (single chapter pieces) or stories w/12 short chapters at most. But I think the plot hippos (which are plot idea bunnies on steroids) have decided to visit from Africa and they've pitched camp in front of my keyboard.


People ask me if I outline my stories before I write them. The short answer: not really. I have a beginning, an end goal, and then I find out how to get from point A to point B. Interesting things pop us as I write that wouldn't fit in any outline...and so my first draft resembles a weird road map. My husband describes it as "how the drunk cow staggers from point A to point B, not how the crow flies." Rough drafts are just that, rough drafts. Everything and anything goes, and editing happens much later.


I know a writer who outlines everything that will happen in his story, explains every plot point and makes meticulous notes before he starts writing. Another friend adopts the "whatever happens spills on the page" method. Normally, I fall more on the latter end of the spectrum. If the fiction piece isn't a long one, that approach just works better for me. I suppose I take more of a holistic view of the process.


Now, if I'm writing a non-fiction article, or a long novel, I end up doing a lot more "prep work". I make sure all of my research is in order and plan out exactly how it will appear on the computer screen. I use a computer program called Writer's Block , which helps organize my thoughts. Its format reminds me of someone using index cards to put information in order, and you can toggle between "block mode", manuscript mode, or split screen. It's pretty convenient.


For this particular project, it began as "write as I go" to "oh boy, what was this guy's name? What about this plot and how does it affect this...?" So I find myself being more left-brained, more methodical in my writing approach. This shift in gears is so gradual that I'm not usually aware of it, but it always surprises me and amuses my (left-brained, practical) engineer husband. Yes, I'm capable of being "organized" when I need to be.


And I think I'll need to definitely rein in the scattered threads into a coherent plot. For my own sanity's sake.

All writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Inkspots, Inkblots and Inksnots...A Left-Hander's Dilemma

I love pens and markers. Fine-tip pens, broad-tipped, Sharpies, roller-ball, gel pens, calligraphy pens, highlighters. Right now I have two fountain pens: a gold-and-black one and a silver-and-blue one. They take standard fountain pen cartridges from any office supply store. I also have a dipped-ink fountain pen, the kind with a reservoir and you dunk it into an inkwell (or other supply).


For some reason, I've always liked the smooth feel of a fountain pen when I write. All this, despite one major complication in using messy, inky pens. I'm left-handed. Any lefty will tell you that writing with a pen can be a nightmare. Unless you're very careful, you can accidentally smudge wet letters with the side of your hand as you go from left to write. Now, there are plenty of ways to avoid this. Tipping your paper almost 90 degrees to vertical. Crooking your hand at the wrist, so that you end up with cramps in your fingers. Writing upside down, or backwards. Using a notebook that's made specifically for left-handers.


Luckily, they do make nibs for calligraphy pens for left-handers, but you have to really look for them, and most times, you have to special-order them. The nibs are slanted the opposite direction from a "normal" nib. If you're trying to write a wedding invitation in italic script, and you're left-handed, be very careful. The voice of experience here.


I've long since resigned myself to ink smears and blots on my hand and my paper. There was a running joke when I was a teacher that a) my transparencies were unique and b) "Mrs. D can't write in a straight line". My hubby is convinced that my kids inherited the creative messiness from me. How else can Christina end up with marker smear on her face when no one else manages to do it?


I still use my fountain pens for first drafts. Yes, I do write some things in longhand and not just by computer. Of course, handedness isn't too much of an issue on a keyboard. But call me old-fashioned. I love the "scratch-scratch" of a metal nib on the paper and my ideas just flow just like the ink from the pen.

All writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Some archaeological digging in the files

I have a box of old sketchbooks in my closet that have all kinds of old snippets, poetry, etc. In my first few years of marriage, I'd carry a hard-backed sketchbook around with me and squeezed in writing whenever I could. No two books are the same...the only thing they had in common was the fact they were unlined. I guess my mind doesn't function very well in between lines. Even when I was a teacher, I could never write in a straight line. My students always snickered at my loopy instructions on the blackboard. I'm left handed too, so smudge galore. There were a few times when I flipped the book the other way (opens right to left...think Japanese manga books) to make it easier for me to write.


Yeah, I've never really been one for traditional. Sue me. LOL!


Anyway, there's a ton of old ideas, half-baked thoughts, sketches and other stuff buried in there. I've been looking through them and picking out some of the more interesting stuff, which I'll get around to posting eventually. Funny how your view changes after ten years or so.


In other news, writing fanfic and updating my art gallery. I really need more time in the day to get everything done, but I'm a mum! Impossible is my middle name! LOL! Some fantasy stuff in the works...plans revealed very soon.


Off for more writing, as long as my migraine allows me.


Annie