Why do you come, yellow bird? (alethakuschan.wordpress.com)
Marco Menato gave me some good thoughts about this blog. He said:
“More about your blog. I think the blog format remains primarily a vehicle for the expression of an individual’s POV/spirit. Your write well and have an opinion … that’s why you are readable and will have an audience. For instance, the last entry was not as gripping as the Eric eulogy precisely because you were seeking to achieve a (commendable-maybe, shared-by-many-perhaps) goal, rather than expressing your Self for the sheer pleasure of it. Note that what you received in response was mostly perfunctory support rather than highly charged emotion or structured thought…”
The Dusky Path of a Dream (elflling.blogspot.com)
I am struggling to find the right focus for my blog. I want it to promote my memoir pieces about my community, and I had this idea that I could offer a service to the community by being a “Newslight” type reporter. But already that isn’t ringing true. Maybe the title and concept are all wrong for me? Maybe I should call it the name of my book:
“Special, Gifted Divine, Twenty Years in EDL Community,” or “Home to Glen Ivy.”
HOWSUMEVER, I also have essays from my family background, and I’m working on an Oregon novel. The book marketing advice to me has been to focus on just one topic. But as a person who keeps multiple journals at one time, I am starting to imagine a Word Press web site with three or four blog columns or categories–like a Sandy Brown Jensen online magazine-style representation of my mind.
I was reading my favorite blogs this morning, and I found I was attracted more to headlines like, “why do you come, yellow bird?” and “Yeats and the dusky path of a dream” and less to the “My Top 10 Tools for 2010″ type headlines, which are touted to improve SEO (search engine optimization).
Marco’s good thoughts makes me want to take it apart, rename it, give it a different theme (skin) and start over, which I am perfectly willing to do. And I probably will as I follow this dusky path of my dream…
What's It's Like To Be a Gemini
Sandy Brown Jensen, Writer, Poet, Dreamer, Teacher 
YIKEs, love the Dusky Path of My Dream – the painting and the name. Consider this response to be passionate rather than perfunctory. I am biased so I will read anything you write – but as a good gemini, you will probably write earthy passionate stuff one day, and intellectual rational stuff the next. It’s all good.
Cheryl,
Thanks.”The dusky path of a dream” is from Yeats, if I didn’t say. …
I love the post, especially the image you chose … “The Dusky Path of a Dream”.
Here’s a shatteringly clear thought. You say you want this blog to be about “I want it to promote my memoir pieces about my community”, but it isn’t ringing true. Why not just blog your memoirs of community instead of trying to promote it? I think that is what you are screaming to do …
I think I recognize it … is it fear? I’ve beaten around the bush for years on my project, hoping time would dispel my terror … of failure, of rejection etc. Or hoping something else, less risky would come along and enthuse me.
I think your avoidance technique may be to “prepare the path” instead of beginning ” to walk it”.
Your readers are waiting … 🙂
Marco,
Yes, you are helping me think this through. I don’t know about “fear”; it’s more like putting pressure on a veil in my mind–you will say that mist is fear, and I hardly know. I’m fairly fearless, but that may be the veil of my self-deception. O Maya, Goddess of Illusion, hear me now!
Yeats is good, although his Celtic twilight word “dusky” may be dated. I know you like black paper drawing, and your illustration of two heads with wires/dreams connecting them is good. The dark path of a dream may be too dark. The glowing path? The foggy path? The dimly lit path? The owl light path? (Thomas) The cat’s eye path? The shaded path? The smoke and mirrors path?
What do dreams do to paths? They obscure them. They make them faint and hard to follow. They bend them out (correction) of direct view. They fill them with shadows of wild things.
Love, Peter
Peter,
You always inspire me with your wild willingness to go where the dusky things gibber and squeak!
Thank you for dreams of wild poetry!
I leave the computer for a day and look what happens!
Since I am radioactive at the moment I will write what I know for sure….Marco is on track and destine to greatness in his endeavors and advice spot on….
Peter someone to meet , ’cause he knows dreams and paths!
and like Cheryl, I will also read anything that you write!
The key is, willingness to move through the fog, the misty paths of our lives, the fears of self deprecation and be the beacon of your path! Free that healthy mane of yours, don’t over think and just write your heart!
Love you, g
Gloria,
I love making my process transparent! I’m going to change everything–you’re absolutely right!
Smart stuff Marco (probably powered by all those slow release carbs in Italian pasta). Earlier I just wanted to show support for Sandy’s musings. I will take part as my own adventures permit. When I write articles for my website newsletter the generation of ideas starts with whatever intrigues/excites me at present. This blog can have that luxury too. Go Sandy!
Maria,
Many thanks! All this input, plus some from Rose and Lloyd, really helped me clarify my thinking. I’ll be changing everything and staying close to me…as you suggest!
thought of you!
. . . I have to learn to swim inside my dreams. . . Pablo Neruda