Forgot to mention. We were planning a 400-acre wetland restoration on Beech Island, that fun little piece of Georgia that is on the other side of the Savannah River! It had lots of gators and wild hogs. The restoration would have encouraged more gators and fewer hogs the way we were going to make and manage it. We had already laid out the concept after doing initial elevational surveys. Kimberly Clark Corp decided to grow an experimental fiber plant there instead- as an option for stuffing disposable diapers. Oh well, how short-sighted I was!
Certainly excited for your book. I think I sent you a private note. I topped my collards last week or so. In the meantime, my neighbor brought over fresh crisp bags stuffed with arugula, kale, lettuce, and parsley. Don't we have the best neighbor? No bramble flowers yet for us in north Georgia. The pears and blueberries are full out (pending frost next Tuesday. Yikes!). The buckeyes are well leafed out and the figs are holding little 1-inch wide palms up to the sky. Our daffodils and narcissus are beginning to senesce too. The deer are fattening so they can nurse their soon to come fawns. Blessings!
Agreed, "magic" should be in the title. But how? I looked up the etymology of magic: late 14c., magike, "art of influencing or predicting events and producing marvels using hidden natural forces," also "supernatural art," especially the art of controlling the actions of spiritual or superhuman beings; from Old French magique "magic; magical," from Late Latin magice "sorcery, magic," from Greek magike (presumably with tekhnē "art"), fem. of magikos "magical," from magos "one of the members of the learned and priestly class," from Old Persian magush, which is possibly from PIE root *magh- "to be able, have power." https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=magic
I like the phrase "using hidden natural forces" which can be what we do as writers. Many times words seem to arise from an unseen place, like a spring bubbling out of the earth. Which in turn fits with "Craft and Current." Perhaps something like: Craft and Current: Writing is Natural Magic, Craft and Current: Writing As Natural Magic to Change Your World, Craft and Current: Word-Flow Magic. Or something along those lines.
Thank you for including us in your book title musings! I cannot wait for the book to be in my hands.
Janisse, Interesting that you should mentioned "Cold Mountain" I drove through "Sandy Plains" yesterday, where much of 'Cold Mountain" was written. Sandy Plains isn't even a crossroads or a wide spot on NC 50 where I travel past the community sign, 5-6 times a year. I was on my way to the Flat River where an osprey had better luck than the fisherman I spoke with. The osprey had a respectable sized fish in its talons and was being shadowed by a jealous turkey vulture trying to seize an easy meal. The Flat never disappoints, the spring ephemerals had started blooming and I couldn't walk in places without risking setting my feet on masses of trout lilies and Dutchman's breeches.
Janisse, I am so excited and grateful that you have written this book on writing! The act of writing itself is usually satisfying to me, but I could use more craft pointers and encouragement to make myself available, to give myself to this ever flowing magic of appearing words.
Finally, thank you for being an inspiration! I am working on being more intentional about what I take on, and reading about your saying difficult "nos" is helpful.
Wait - I chose No. 1, but really like Melissa Stiers's suggestion: Craft and Current: Write Magic, Change the World. I love knowing that you're doing the hard work and doing it with grace!
Craft and Current: Make Magic by Changing Your World Through Writing
Forgot to mention. We were planning a 400-acre wetland restoration on Beech Island, that fun little piece of Georgia that is on the other side of the Savannah River! It had lots of gators and wild hogs. The restoration would have encouraged more gators and fewer hogs the way we were going to make and manage it. We had already laid out the concept after doing initial elevational surveys. Kimberly Clark Corp decided to grow an experimental fiber plant there instead- as an option for stuffing disposable diapers. Oh well, how short-sighted I was!
Certainly excited for your book. I think I sent you a private note. I topped my collards last week or so. In the meantime, my neighbor brought over fresh crisp bags stuffed with arugula, kale, lettuce, and parsley. Don't we have the best neighbor? No bramble flowers yet for us in north Georgia. The pears and blueberries are full out (pending frost next Tuesday. Yikes!). The buckeyes are well leafed out and the figs are holding little 1-inch wide palms up to the sky. Our daffodils and narcissus are beginning to senesce too. The deer are fattening so they can nurse their soon to come fawns. Blessings!
Agreed, "magic" should be in the title. But how? I looked up the etymology of magic: late 14c., magike, "art of influencing or predicting events and producing marvels using hidden natural forces," also "supernatural art," especially the art of controlling the actions of spiritual or superhuman beings; from Old French magique "magic; magical," from Late Latin magice "sorcery, magic," from Greek magike (presumably with tekhnē "art"), fem. of magikos "magical," from magos "one of the members of the learned and priestly class," from Old Persian magush, which is possibly from PIE root *magh- "to be able, have power." https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=magic
I like the phrase "using hidden natural forces" which can be what we do as writers. Many times words seem to arise from an unseen place, like a spring bubbling out of the earth. Which in turn fits with "Craft and Current." Perhaps something like: Craft and Current: Writing is Natural Magic, Craft and Current: Writing As Natural Magic to Change Your World, Craft and Current: Word-Flow Magic. Or something along those lines.
Thank you for including us in your book title musings! I cannot wait for the book to be in my hands.
Janisse, Interesting that you should mentioned "Cold Mountain" I drove through "Sandy Plains" yesterday, where much of 'Cold Mountain" was written. Sandy Plains isn't even a crossroads or a wide spot on NC 50 where I travel past the community sign, 5-6 times a year. I was on my way to the Flat River where an osprey had better luck than the fisherman I spoke with. The osprey had a respectable sized fish in its talons and was being shadowed by a jealous turkey vulture trying to seize an easy meal. The Flat never disappoints, the spring ephemerals had started blooming and I couldn't walk in places without risking setting my feet on masses of trout lilies and Dutchman's breeches.
Janisse, I am so excited and grateful that you have written this book on writing! The act of writing itself is usually satisfying to me, but I could use more craft pointers and encouragement to make myself available, to give myself to this ever flowing magic of appearing words.
wonderful, wonderful inspiration!
Finally, thank you for being an inspiration! I am working on being more intentional about what I take on, and reading about your saying difficult "nos" is helpful.
Also, Erin is the best! She designed the cover of my book Dear Regina (https://ugapress.org/book/9780820361857/dear-regina/), which I love. And she's just good people, too.
Yes, to including magic! I'm with #1.
Craft and Current: The Magic Flow of Writing to Change the World
What about
Craft and Current: Writing Magic to Change Your World
(just taking out "the")
Wait - I chose No. 1, but really like Melissa Stiers's suggestion: Craft and Current: Write Magic, Change the World. I love knowing that you're doing the hard work and doing it with grace!
#1 for sure.
Craft and Current: Write Magic, Change the World
Craft and Current:
Make Magic With Words