Radical Revisions — A Fresh Perspective Does Wonders
Turn it around. Or turn yourself around.
Find a fresh angle in your mind.
Switch your perspective, and see the world afresh.
Yes, that's me in the ocean, finding balance in gentle waves. This shot was taken in Nicaragua... 2010, I believe.
Maybe I haven't done this particular pose since having kids, but I still do inversions. And there are a lot of other ways to bring perspective.
Some ideas to help see things in a different light:
- Take a different route to work/school/grocery store.
- Go on an adventure—even in your own yard.
- Go outside and do a forward bend. Look between your feet. Be safe, obviously, but this can be super fun! I especially love this view when looking at water.
- Get creative with a new project, or see if you can find a different angle on a work in progress.
- Take a break: take time for yourself, time to brood over ideas, time to leave ideas alone, time to relax, time to sleep, time to play, time with nature... Whatever you need.
Breathing life into a dusty manuscript.
Revisions are going well for FALLING THROUGH THE WEAVING, the novel I've brought out from the archives. But I actually had to step away from this project for a full year before ideas started to come on how to save it from wasting away in digital dust.
I've written two other manuscripts since last working on FALLING. I'd had an editor give me feedback, but the project seemed too heavy. I didn't have the passion to make working on it worthwhile.
Now, with a steady stream of fresh ideas, returning to this book has been a joy.
I've heard many writers preach the wonders of taking time away from a book, I've just never experienced the benefits in such clarity before. Usually I'm all gung ho to finish the thing and start querying.
Steemit has actually helped, giving me an outlet for writing that isn't my manuscripts, and a way to connect with other writers that has far more depth than Twitter. Now I'm taking a step back from querying, taking a break from the relentless waiting, high hopes, and repeated rejections.
I'm focusing on the joy of writing, the high that comes from a story recreated in my mind. The fact that I know this story so well, having four books completed for the series and two others planned, gives me a perspective I don't yet have with my newer manuscripts, a layered complexity.
Exactly the kind of perspective an epic saga needs.
Taking a year off makes the story new to me again. I get to go in and edit these characters, rough them up a bit, give them more interesting edges. I'm doing the same thing with the whole story.
So, yeah. Perspective.
What do you think?
What have you done lately to give yourself a fresh look on life?
Tell me a wee story, would ye?
Thanks for reading
Peace. @katrina-ariel
(All photos and writing mine unless otherwise credited.)
Author bio: Katrina Ariel is an old-soul rebel, musician, tree-hugging yogini, and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders (non-fiction) and Wild Horse Heart (romance), she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steemit.
dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne
Banner by @PegasusPhysics
Banner by @bearone
I would first like to congratulate you, I could feel your emotion when telling us about your publications and how much you enjoy them, on the other hand I can tell you that changing the perspective or the vision of life is not easy but not impossible, in my country we live a terrible socio-economic situation that has us all upside down, is to spend life struggling with problem after problem without being able to feel a light at the end of the tunnel, this situation has us all cranky, I have a son almost 3 years old who deserves to enjoy a happy mother, so he was the first reason to adopt another way of looking at life, I mainly accept that nothing is perfect, absolutely nothing, much less me, so from then on I experience forgetting the negative and clinging to the positive of every situation, thing or person, all this happens by chance parallel to the arrival of steemit in my life and I must say that I have read to people who have inspired positive changes in me, for which I am very grateful, these tools have allowed me to somehow block the bad things and attract the good things, a new vision that has allowed a happier mother for my son! and I'm already winning with that. Happy evening, dear friend.
Excuse my English, I use a translator.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
Children can be the best motivators! I think the same way, my kids deserve a happy mother—as much as possible. And none of us are perfect, that's a good thing to remember as well! So glad you're finding positivity here and in your life, even though the situation is what it is in your country. Blessings to you and your family! 💖
very kind for your noble answer and your sweet wishes, I thank you from the bottom of my heart
Great post, its very good to make sure we try and see things from a different perspective
To answer what your question, What have I done, With slightly warmer weather I set myself a goal to find shots within a 3 or 4 block radius of my office on short half hour walks and it really has got my Mojo back for photography again :)
Nice! Sometimes we don't have to go far to explore. This is great to hear. :)
Yes love the suggestions.. lately I’ve taken walks in my own backyard to breakup the work routine on the homestead and my how delightful it is to learn a new plant, find owl scat, tromp through the woods and just sit and wonder. I missed that and it is so so nourishing ✨✨✨
The simple act of walking around and taking notice of our surroundings is refreshing, I agree. So much wonder to be found if we look for it! :)
My change in perspective lately has been a change in diet. I've been making a lot of recipes out of a Thai cookbook. I do feel different from it.
I like your mention of just bending over and looking upside down. I've done that before and accidently discovered how it does get you thinking in new ways :)
mmmmmm... Thai food sounds delicious! That's a great way to change things up. And going upside down, of course. ;)
I eat my previous beliefs everyday to make space for the new ones :)
lol! Such a great way to put it. :)
Thanks @katrina-ariel. A lot of wisdom in what you say. I also think it is important to have Revisions. We sometimes become Complacent and do not want to change "the angle".
But I think to continue to Grow and continue to find Enrichment in Life you need to have Revisions and mix things up some.
I try to.
I went on a hike yesterday and took some photos. Felt good to do something different on a week day. Very fulfilling
Hiking is my favourite activity. Nothing like being out in nature to put things in perspective. :)
Sometimes going out into nature helps me. The best experience I had was getting to walk above the treetops in Ghana, and just quietly enjoy the presence of nature.
I have massive print-outs of my two novels-in-progress with detailed revision notes, sitting in a box waiting for me to work on them. It's been a few years, so maybe I'll get somewhere with them now!
Nature is the absolute best. Above the treetops sounds amazing! And good luck on those revisions. Yes, sometimes time is necessary so we can start afresh and make sense of All That Work!
The view was gorgeous! They rent out these little treehouses in the rainforest there, and I would love to go back someday to rent one so I could just write and reflect, surrounded by the trees and animals.
Fresh look always helps and we should do it often not only sometimes but it is somehow hard so sometimes will do nicely :) Looking at things upside down can be amazing and I am glad you know this, literary and figuratively, a change of perspective is golden 💚
Indeed! Thanks for stopping by. Hope your day is golden as well. :)
I can't say I've ever been very flexible, and it's only gotten worse with age. I do agree though, it's always helpful to get a new perspective on things.
And to get away from writing for a while, even if it is to do some other form of writing.
I managed to write and self-publish to ebooks (on Kindle only currently). Both were basically download into brain, type them out. The third and fourth ones I've written in the series also went quickly for a while, but not nearly as easy as the first two. I eventually got to the point where I couldn't finish either one of them for one reason or another. It's been over five years for the third and four years for the fourth.
I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to wait. Probably not too much longer for the fourth, since I am serializing it currently on Steemit and it probably should have an ending :) Not sure how many pages I'll need, but it's probably around 50.
The other one, I'm afraid, will require a total revamp.
I wish you luck getting theses manuscripts together. It's pretty cool when it's all edited and ready to be sold.