Mary C.M. Phillips's Blog, page 7
November 6, 2018
The Best Advice I Ever Heard
Most of us would agree, good advice is always welcome.[image error]
I wrote a story in the new Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Best Advice I Ever Heard, which recounts the time I had submitted for the role of “the Typist” for a current show on Lifetime.
I ended up getting cast, which was a blessing, however, that’s when anxiety set in.
My story is about combatting anxiety, having confidence, and taking chances.
Each story in the book relays choice wise words that changed the trajectory of a life…and all are worthy to share.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Best Advice I Ever Heard is available now where books are sold.
November 3, 2018
When Passions Collide
Like many of us, I have more than one passion. [image error]
Reading, writing, poetry, acting, Jane Austen, bass guitars…and old typewriters.
I wrote a story in the new book, The Best Advice I Ever Heard, about three of my passions colliding: my love of writing, acting, and old typewriters. It recounts the time that I had submitted for the role of the “typist” for the show YOU on Lifetime. Granted, it’s only my fingers, but, hey, a role is a role.
However, the story is more about having confidence.
Monday, we’ll be having a Twitter Party. If you’re so inclined, please feel free to join!
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September 25, 2018
The Inklings
While on vacation in England last month, we spent some time in Oxford.
The main attraction (for me) was Bodleian Libraries’ current exhibit: Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth.
It’s a breathtaking exhibit where Tolkien enthusiasts can view the first manuscript of The Hobbit, hand-drawn maps of Mordor, letters of correspondence from C.S. Lewis, family photos, favorite pipes, and the rocking chair in which he sat when the sentence, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” suddenly came into his mind.
The exhibit will be coming to New York in January (see the link on the blogroll to the right)! I plan to go again.
After we left the exhibit — and strolled around a bit — we ended up at The Eagle and Child. This is the small pub that J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams (and friends) would regularly meet over a pint (or two) to discuss poetry, politics and ideas for their stories. [image error]
I sat at the bar with my husband and son, drinking a pint (of Coca-Cola), overwhelmed with the fact that I was sitting in the very place where these great literary minds created The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the world of Narnia.
Here is where the The Lord of the Rings was read aloud by Tolkien himself. C.S. Lewis, a positive force in his life, had encouraged him to finish the tale. Although Tolkien believed Williams was not enthused with his work during their meetings, five years later, Williams asked to borrow the manuscript. He read it in its entirety and conveyed to Tolkien that he experienced a sense of freedom — and a connection with freedom — while he read it. He may have been slow with his support, but…better late than never.
I’m now reading The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter, which casts light on the lives of these three writers and the dynamics of their personalities.
Writing is a solitary practice, but with support and encouragement from friends, great art is realized. Great literature also has a ripple effect in that it inspires others to see the world differently and allows our imaginations to be set free.
I, for one, am thankful.
August 3, 2018
Sharing our stories
The practice of writing is a solitary one.
Often that practice can make one feel distant, which I suppose makes sense. Stories of imaginary lands, essays about childhood memories, and faces that only you can see in your head are yours…and yours alone.
That’s why it’s so important to share your work.
The gap – that distant feeling – will shrink once you’ve actually communicated those memories (or stories) to a reader. Waiting until your work is perfect, in my opinion, is not a good plan. Not a good plan at all.
Because…it will delay joy.
My story, Imperfect Steps, is included in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Yes!
Stepping outside of our comfort zones, “submitting” to life, and saying “yes” to new challenges is the message of the book.
This week, thirty contributors joined editor, Amy Newmark for an inspiring lunch in New York City.
Meeting other writers, talking with others that share the love of writing brings about a sense of joy that is hard to describe.
It’s a sense of belonging – which only happens when we share our stories.
It’s in that sharing that we are able to connect with each other and readers…and know that we are not alone.
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With fellow contributors this week in NYC
The Chicken Soup for the Soul series continues to encourage millions of readers and also supports important anti-bullying programs, animal care and rescue, and various charities, all of which empower others that are in need.
July 14, 2018
Knowing what makes you happy
You must be the judge of your own happiness. – Jane Austen
I need to remind myself of this fact every so often.
When I experience the pleasure of simply staying home, by myself, I find that I am my best creative self.
I’m not surprised, however, when I’m crafting a poem, journaling, or reading, to hear the world whisper into my solitude saying, “Come outside and play with others.” And I must admit there are a couple of options today: the Mets game or meeting a friend for a hike. But the simple pleasure of sitting in my little yard just journaling (and listening) are more appealing.
I know what makes me happy. [image error]
Knowing what makes you happy is key in finding a sense of peace and moving forward.
To sit under a cloudless sky, happily in solitude, interrupted only by the occasional Blue Jay or Cardinal may seem boring to most, but it allows my mind to creatively wander. I can actually hear myself think — and the voice I hear sounds calm and wise and happy or better yet…content.
We all deal with that constant nag of being productive, but it is sometimes just that…a nag. The nag’s voice is not so sweet, and frankly, it’s annoying. So, I’m ignoring him today.
Hope you all find some creative solitude this week…
let your mind wander…
and find your happiness.
July 10, 2018
Jane Austen, Lady Catherine, and My Grandmother
Today we are revisiting a post by A. Marie Sprayberry, contributing writer, What Jane Austen Didn’t Tell Us!
Jane Austen didn’t tell us whether she had anyone particular in mind when she created Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Indeed, she was “too proud of my [characters] to admit that they are only Mr. A. or Col. B.” But when I first read Pride and Prejudice at age 16, among my first reactions was “My gosh, Lady Catherine is a lot like Moma!”—and this was the main reason I wanted to write Lady Catherine’s backstory for What Jane Austen Didn’t Tell Us!
July 3, 2018
The Making of a Clergyman in Jane Austen’s Time
Today, over at What Jane Austen Didn’t Tell Us, we’re revisiting a post by Linda Dennery about the duties of clergy in Austen’s day.
Jane Austen was the daughter of one clergyman and the sister of another. She was a dutiful daughter and devout Christian, why then did she choose to make Mr. Collins a comic buffoon of a clergyman.
June 22, 2018
Downtown Poet (Edna St. Vincent Millay)
[image error]Yesterday after work, I took a walk by the former home of Edna St. Vincent Millay at 75 1/2 Bedford Street.
I suppose the address includes “1/2” as the building itself is squeezed between two others, uniquely the slimmest on the block. A befitting address, I think, as her voice was poetically unique.
Her middle name derives from St. Vincent’s Hospital (now closed) on 12th Street. It was the hospital in which her uncle had been healed just before she was born. She actually preferred being called Vincent, but her teachers refused to use the name, one calling her ANY female name but Vincent.
The shops on and around Bedford Street have of course changed, but the spirit of art still hangs in the air; the scent of coffee, bold paintings in shop windows, a flower stand on the corner of Cornelia Street.
From the corner of Bedford, one can see the red plaque that hangs above her former door and the thought of her sipping on a cup of coffee on the stoop beside 75 1/2 made me smile.[image error]
The plaque reads:
Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) – The irreverent poet who wrote “my candle burns at both ends” lived here in 1923-1924 in the time she wrote The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver, for which she won a Pulitzer Prize.
The area is still charming and full of life, but (as you can read in her stanza below) there were times in which she craved the open air of the shore.
EXILED
Searching my heart for its true sorrow,
This is the thing I find to be:
That I am weary of words and people,
Sick of the city, wanting the sea;
Wanting the sticky, salty sweetness
Of the strong wind and shattered spray;
Wanting the loud sound and the soft sound
Of the big surf that breaks all day ….
* * * *
I snapped a few photos, felt an urge to blog about it (as I’ve now done), stopped by See’s on West Eighth Street for a few pieces of dark chocolate,
and, although not sick of the city myself…
headed home to the (sometimes salty) air of Long Island.
June 8, 2018
Dappled Light and Poetry
There is something so beautiful about dappled light.
My hike today included a long path with such light. It lay before me, like a regal carpet with a welcoming invitation. “Become dappled as well,” it seemed to say.
And so I did.
I walk steadily along, with a gentle breeze, tall trees on either side; light piercing through numerous spaces in the canopy of branches above. [image error]
I brought a poetry book (this has become a new habit). Poetry, I thought, might be considered dappled words and befitting to read in such light.
I opened to the first poem, a well-known poem, a favorite.
Renascence, from The Selected Poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay:
*****
The world stands out on either side
No wider than the heart is wide
Above the world is stretched the sky, –
No higher than the soul is high.
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
Excerpt from Renascence, Edna St. Vincent Millay
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Wishing you all a peaceful weekend full of long paths,
tall trees,
and dappled light.
May 25, 2018
Writing, Reading, and Listening
It was a long winter. For everyone.
But today — as I was hiking under a clear blue sky — I felt the weight of winter (finally) lifting.[image error]
Oh, the joy!
Nature has the incredible power to change our mood and also open doors of inspiration that allow words to flow easily and naturally. She also helps us to notice beauty (if we listen).
During my hike, halfway up the hill, I sat down on a bench and took out my paperback copy of The Selected Poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay to a most appropriate page:
***
I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
And the grass rise.
And when lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down.
— Afternoon on a Hill, Edna St. Vincent Millay
I’m hoping that the coming (warmer) months will bring more days “under the sun” and will fulfill us all in such a way that the simple touch of a flower will bring us joy, gladness, and inspiration.
To be outdoors — experiencing nature in her full glory — just feels “right,” doesn’t it?
Going forward, I will be spending less time on the computer and more time just “listening.” [image error]
I will not miss my computer.
I don’t think anyone on their deathbed has every uttered, “Oh, how I wish I’d spent more time on my laptop.”
So, enjoy the weekend,
breathe some fresh air,
and spend an afternoon, outdoors,
perhaps on a hill,
and listen.
