Worry Dolls and Sleepy Inspirations

Or...How to Use Worry Dolls to Keep Those Late Night Ideas Until Morning.

This last Christmas my husband bought me a set of six Worry Dolls. He got them from a store here in Edmonton called Ascendant Books. (I LOVE that store.) It's a place where you can get your tarot cards or your palm read. You can buy crystals, sage, yoga tapes, incense, fairy houses and paraphernalia, and of course BOOKS. Books on anything and everything metaphysical. The store has a fantastic vibe, kinda magical.

That's where he bought the Worry Dolls. Use these little treasures at bedtime. You tell a worry doll what's keeping you up at night. Tell one doll about how you're stressed about bills. Tell another you're worried about your friend who's having surgery. Tell another that the job interview tomorrow has you nervous--anything that might keep you awake.

The idea is that THEY do the worrying FOR you. I find it helps. When the things that bother me sneak into my brain, I remind myself that the dolls are keeping my problems. They aren't mine for the night. It's physiological, and you have to let it work.

Here's how I use them for writing ideas:

Every writer has experienced that flood of inspiration that happens just as we're dropping off. You're half asleep, and a really cool thought hits you--something that might make a great story idea. How badly do you need sleep? Do you get up, turn the light on and write it down? Or do you drift off and hope it's still there in the morning?

Most writers choose the former, and they keep pen and paper on the nightstand for just such an occurrence. That means waking your spouse to turn the light on, or maybe you get out of bed and leave the room. You force your eyes to adjust, writing blearily and hoping the resulting plot bunny doesn't hop all over your brain for a few hours more. You hope you'll sleep.

This happened to me two weeks ago. I don't remember what triggered it, but a concept shouted at me. I also had to work early. I grabbed a worry doll from my nightstand without turning on the lamp. I whispered my idea to her. I even gave her keywords. Medieval England. Papal Indulgences. Her True Name:Volume unknown. Then I tucked her under my pillow, and went to sleep.

The next day, I readied myself for work. The day was uneventful. I came home, and changed into my pajamas, remembering I had worry dolls under my pillow. When I saw the third one, I remembered my thought, and ran to my journal to get it down. It stuck!

Guess what? I have a book idea. I think it might even be my next novel. I'm not saying it will work as a novel. And I'm not saying this method will work for everyone. I'm saying give it a shot.

t doesn't even have to be a doll. It can be anything, can't it? If you whisper your idea to your spare bookmark or a hair brush and find it under your pillow the next day, you'll probably find the trigger again anyway. Mostly because you'll wonder why you put it there, right? (Hey hairbrush...do you remember that thing I told you about historical corruption and how a certain god-figure did the thing I want to write about?) Try it. See what happens. Best of luck!

A-Musing Henry Rollins

Photo by: Nic Walker

God, I love Henry Rollins. Smart, handsome, funny and interesting--everything museworthy. He's a radio announcer, vocalist, columnist, writer, punk icon and much more. Oh, and he's also Brave. He's touring Canada in January. It was -17 Celsius in Edmonton last night. Note the capital 'B'.

My husband and I got to see him last night, doing one of his spoken word shows. In fact, when I told my husband Henry Rollins was coming to Edmonton his response was "Oh yeah, let's go!"  You see we saw him a few years back, and I have never heard my husband laugh so much and so hard. And I've been with that troll for twenty years.

How does anyone talk about themselves for two hours, all the celebrities they've met, all the places they've visited and all the things they've accomplished without being boring and pompous? That's a rare gift.

There's a lot about the Black Flag frontman that astonishes me. How does he travel the entire world and keep up with a regular column? I can't figure out what to blog about. Where did he find the time to write books while touring? I can barely pump out a book a year. How does he keep up with and answer all his emails? Sometimes I can barely look at mine, never mind respond timely. How does he keep up with world politics? How does he know about which country voted for who? I've been getting my news from social media. (I know. I'm sorry.) and can barely stand to look at what Canada and the US are doing. And HOW does this guy make time for friends and fans who ask advice and opinions from him on a weekly basis? How does he seem to have the right answers? How does he tell the sad stories of the broken people he meets and turn those tales into pure inspiration? How does he make us laugh? How does he sound geeky and humble while talking about meeting Iggy Pop, David Bowie and Lemmy Kilmister? Must be a muse thing. Do you understand why he is MY muse?

Henry Rollins, if you ever see this blog, I want you to know I am grateful for you. I'm grateful for your books and your lyrics. I'm grateful for your sense of humor (Thanks for making my husband laugh so hard. That's a rarity in itself.) I'm grateful for your sweet neurosis and that you choose to share it for the sake of entertainment and inspiration. YOU are truly MUSEWORTHY and you bring me happiness and ideas. You also gave me a much needed kick in the pants. If you can do all these things and still write, I can hold down a job and write novels.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to begin the edits I'm afraid of. I also need to research Eastern mythology for my next novella.

Femusing...FeMuse #3

Lucy O'Brien is Assistant Editor at IGN AU, and Carrie Fisher is her rolemodel. Follow her on IGN at Luce_IGN_AU,or @Luceobrien on Twitter.

I've always associated the word 'muse' as a sexual thing...something that inspires because one finds the subject sexy or attractive because of talent, looks, or other things that cause one to think outside themselves. My muses are Bruce Dickinson and Henry Rollins. Both are older men in the music industry, known for re-inventing themselves and helping the world become a better place.

I've decided it's time for me to express my appreciation for the feminists who use their gifts to make this planet a little more awesome with their presence. They don't need to be sexy, it's irrelevant. They just need to be women who make me want to stand up and CHEER.

 There are so many...Emma Watson, Susan Anthony, Gloria Steinem, Lydia Pajunen, Tina Turner, Joy Maruno, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, The list really is endless.

I have decided on three women who I can look at and think "Yeah! They did it. I can too!"

Number Three is Carrie Fisher. And it's not just because of Star Wars, although she's brilliant as Princess Leia. So iconic was the movie, and her role in it, that people still shout "Princess Leia!" and she still answers.

Did you know she's an author as well? Titles I've read are : Postcards from the Edge, Delusions of Grandma, Surrender the Pink, and The Best Awful. There are more. LOTS more. Carrie Fisher Author Page

What I like about her, both as an actor and an author is her willingness to bare all, GIVE all. She's an open soul.

She's blunt and honest. She speaks of her own mental illness without shame, shares it with readers in The Best Awful, and expects people to accept her as she is. She'll have it no other way.

She's funny. She pokes fun at herself in pages, in interviews and in cameo appearances. She'll joke about her experiences in rehab and her weight. That's refreshing in anyone, never mind a Hollywood starlet.

She's talented as Hell. I loved her as Princess Leia. And she was so young at the time! She gave kids like me a REAL princess to look up to, not a damsel in distress. One who put herself in charge of her own rescue when the boys got them shot at. That role was MADE for Carrie Fisher. Who else could have pulled it off?

I liked her in The Burbs. I loved her appearance in Ellen, the sitcom. I loved her cameo in Big Bang Theory. I love her in interviews.

I love her most as a writer. When I grabbed Postcards from the Edge, I confess it was just curiosity. I didn't expect much. So many actors try to branch off into other fields like books and music, only to find they can't make the transition. But Carrie made it look effortless. She spoke to me in her own personality, and somehow it worked. She knew what she was doing. She knows how to write.

I can't wait to rediscover her in her role as General Organa-Solo. Yes, I'm aware it's January, and I'm probably the only person who hasn't seen the new Star Wars movie. I've been kinda busy, so no spoilers, please. There's so many of her books I haven't read yet. I'm very much looking forward to reading those too.

I'm glad Carrie Fisher is back in a new Star Wars movie, because I'm glad I found her again.

Damn You, Facebook!

Freya in a box

It's Wednesday, eight o'clock at night and I'm just writing my next blog now. I never procrastinate, but I had yet to think of something to write about.

I thought, "Maybe I'll skip this week, after all I have a special one planned for August 1st. and no one hangs on their computer in the summer. I should work on that one."

"But FIRST I'll just quickly check my Facebook." Can you guess what happened next?

Yeah...It took me over an hour, but I managed to escape social media's slorping, suctacious grip.

I made a quick post about being so tired I kept trying to text with my remote control. Of course I had notifications...like, thirty of them I needed to check out.

My favorite photo of Dan and Sully

Aaaand of course people liked and commented on my post. I made a comment back about how when I did the opposite, all I get is the 'Freya Channel.' Thinking some people might not know who my pretty girl is, I posted the screen shot for my cell phone, a photo of my white cat wearing pink wings. (I didn't give it here, because it's been done to death and that one isn't published. Exclusive to this blog only!)

THEN it occurs to me that that particular picture wasn't in the album for my kitties, and it really should be. So I updated the album with that photo and a few more including the one above of Sully. Suddenly, there's more comments, mostly about the adorability of my furbabies.

Next thing I know, I'm having conversations with three people about cats, and I'm not getting any work done. All this for CATS. Yeah, I got it bad for felines.

Spartacus Jones, first week

I had to yank myself away...Even now, I swear I can hear the chime that tells me something new is happening. I'll have to go back soon...

But I think it's kind of funny. My frustration with Crackbook led to a topic for my blog! What do you know...I DID find something to write about. Gee! Thanks Facebook...sorta.