Marcus Lopes's Blog, page 45

Restoring My Writer's Foundation

As the Labour Day weekend approaches, it seems like summer is spent. Soon enough schools, universities and colleges will be overflowing with students eager (or not) to resume their studies. Cafeterias and lunch rooms will be bubbling over with conversations and laughter as colleagues share the stories of their summer adventures. Traffic on Toronto’s roads will once again be nightmarish, packed with commuters — some impatient, others distracted as they text or update their Facebook status — a...

Checking In

The sky is dark this morning and seems ominous. The weather forecast includes the threat of thundershowers, and should they occur that will bring havoc to the city’s roads. Rain slows everything down in this city, and that’s a good thing given how we drive here in Toronto!
So this morning I, too, am slowing down to, once again, check in with myself. It’s time to assess my progress and see if I’m still on track. Where am I on this journey as I chase after my dreams? Am I living the life I’ve i...

What I Love About Life

I was fortunate enough to spend this past Sunday (1 June 2014) in Mainz, Germany, where the Mainz Cathedral dominates the city’s skyline. Located along the Rhine River, the old quarter, with its narrow lanes and cobblestone streets, is a popular destination especially with the cafés and boutiques around Kirschgarten Square. But on Sunday most boutiques and restaurants are closed. Mainz offered a welcomed break from the hustle and bustle of Toronto life.
Enjoying a beer on a patio next to the...

Pep Talk: Advice to My Writer Self

The writer inside of me needed a pep talk today, so this is what I said ...

I dream. I imagine that I live in a world where I can be daring, where I can — without the judgment of others, without asking for outside approval — be myself. It is a world where I can follow my heart’s true desire. It is a world where I can freely do what it is that I want to do and what I feel called to do. It is a world of hope and possibility.
I am a writer. I say that with conviction. It is, today, an affirma...

Spring: Season of Possibility

Spring is the season of possibility. It is the time to, once again, unearth my dreams and focus on what is possible. I learn to do something new, step outside my comfort zone, and I inevitably learn something new about myself, discover a hidden talent. Like on Wednesday when I decided to make spätzle, a traditional German dumpling. It was time to change up our dinner routine, take an imaginary journey to a distant land.
This spring in particular has been a time of transition, moving in to a n...

Inspired

Sometimes you come across a book that you feel is literally speaking toyou, and only you. For me, that happened last week when, walking through Chapters, I picked up James Scott Bell’s The Art of War for Writers. I devoured the book in two days (and am now doing a second read-through, going slowly to absorb all of its goodness).
Whenever I read a book on writing or the writing process, it always gets me thinking about my own creative process — and the turns I sometimes face upon my creative p...

Checking in With Myself

The sun shines brightly this morning, and we’re expected to hit a high of 17°C, although down by the lakeshore (where I live), it’ll be a little cooler. But that’s all right. Spring is, finally, in the air. The hope now is that the cold, long winter if behind us.
It seems like the perfect morning to check in with myself —to assess my progress and see if I’m still on track. Am I paralyzed once again by procrastination or am I moving, slowly but steadily, forward in the direction of my dreams?
A...

I'm No Energizer Bunny

I’ve spent the past few days either in bed or stretched out on the sofa. Despite obtaining the flu shot, I couldn’t outrun the flu. It tackled me and held me down. I had no choice but to rest.
Why is it that resting feels so unnatural? Even with a fever of 102°F, I was still trying to do laundry or unload the dishwasher … even write. But I didn’t have the strength to stand very long, or the ability to concentrate when it came to writing. Aching bones. Chills. Nasal congestion. Sore throat. Ha...

Setting Up for Success

Throughout this artistic journey, I’ve learned a lot of things —about life and about myself. Through my successes and failures, there are lessons to be learned. I try to keep myself open to those lessons in the hope that they will guide my in the future, help me to move confidently in the direction of my dreams. There are days when the writing seems easy, when everything flows. There are other days when procrastination reigns, and I feel stuck … like I’m going nowhere fast.
Letting my desire...

Balance Revisited

It’s Monday morning. The sky is overcast. It may have rained or snowed overnight because the streets are dark and damp, but now the sidewalks are drying. For March 10th, it’s -1°C, although it feels like -3. It’s like we’re being teased, offered a glimpse of spring when winter is in no hurry to be displaced. Cruising towards the end of March is a sign that winter is almost over, or at least that is the hope. We are hopeful of winter’s end, an end to the cold nights and snowy days. We are eag...