Constantina Maud's Blog, page 14
October 16, 2017
The Door (Flash Fiction Story)
After venturing from novel writing into short story/ flash fiction waters as well, I check in to upload my latest one, kindly published by “121 Words” ~
Open The Door and like/share is of course most welcome!
August 19, 2017
World Photography Day – 2017
[image error]Mirrorings
[image error]Syntagma Square (‘Summer in the City’ Round 2)
[image error]A sky with a view
[image error]Seeing red
[image error]Venus and the Moon and the Music
[image error]When spring goes all Cercis siliquastrum
[image error](apparently) ‘All You Need Is Love’
[image error](It reads: “Make your heart aflame with caring kindness for all those who cross your path”)
[image error]Sunbathing
[image error]And don’t step on your luck!
“What’s in a name?” ~ 2 + 3 editing tips from and for a multi-tasking writer
‘Rain and tears are the same’, sing the Aphrodite’s Child in a popular tune of theirs ~
Well, during the past year I have been gearing up to wrap up the English translation of my novel, which is already published in my native language. Having studied English simultaneously with my native language since first grade – as my then elementary school’s policy provided – , I decided to take up the translating task myself. If anything, I very well knew it would basically be a re-writing process at best, and wanting to keep the story’s pulse and the characters’ voice as close to the original as possible, I plunged into it.
After many days and nights of painstaking phrase sculpting and word-dueling down the road, I am progress-wise at a fairly satisfying point, and going through the notes I have accumulated along the way, I reached some conclusions about the editing (and re-writing) procedure when crafting a novel in a language other than its original one.
While working on the translation and thus doing some indispensable research, especially along the wondrous lanes of thesauruses, I soon realized I couldn’t always find a nice grouping together of the synonyms I was looking for at a given point; and having it all neatly in one place is of immense help for future reference. That’s why I decided to at least put down in this post an organized version of a few of my most important notes on the subject, more precisely about some words or expressions I most often try to diversify be means of thesauruses – something which is obviously harder to do when you’re not working in your native language. I hope many of you may find this tips handy, whether you too are venturing on translating your native language works into English or are writing directly in it.
Being precise when you describe something is fundamental. It is one of the first things creative writing and editing courses point out, as well. You are practically painting a picture at that moment, with your words; and nothing should come between you and the reader on this.
Identify the w ords you use too often
And it doesn’t sound as difficult as it truly is. Without realizing it, as our main focus is to get a story out and put it down on paper, we might be falling back on some specific words or expressions way too often. That’s why when you’re at the editing stage of your work, take an extra read-through session with the main purpose of looking out for these seemingly harmless repetitions.
‘Thesaurus’ it away
As I mentioned earlier, there are many categories one can group synonyms under; that’s why I’m only including the following, most usual in my case:
Don’t just say ‘look’, when you can say:
e.g. glimpse, glance, stare, gaze, glower, glare, eye sth, fix/glue/rivet/fasten one’s gaze on sth – fix sb with a(n angry) stare/gaze, shoot/fire/cast a glance/look, eyes met/locked/darted/flickered/blinked/narrowed, squint, scrunch up (face), steal a glance at
Descriptive adjectives: fathomless/boundless (gaze), arch/incredulous/knowing/fish-eyed (look)
~Remember – ‘the eyes have it’~
Don’t just say ‘smile’, when you can say:
e.g. simper, beam or grin
Descriptive adjectives: arch/sly/knowing
Instead of ‘confused’, try:
e.g. befuddled, puzzled, baffled, bewildered, perplexed
Instead of ‘surprised’, try:
e.g. thunderstruck, dumbfounded, astounded, taken aback, amazed, awestruck, astonished
Don’t just say ‘worried’ when you can say:
e.g. disconcerted, concerned, perturbed
Instead of ‘feel’, try:
e.g. have the/a feeling that, sense, be aware of
Don’t just say ‘laugh’, when you can say:
e.g. chuckle, cackle, titter, giggle, chortle, snigger, guffaw
Expressions for laughter: choke/ double up with laughter, crack up, burst out laughing/into laughter, break into laughter, laugh to tears
~ Bonus: 3 quick and tricky editing tips
There are of course many style guides and handbooks out there (e.g. The Chicago Manual of Style or the Butcher’s Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders), which can help you immensely with your editing. But at the end of the day, you might actually end up putting together your own ‘style’ – so long as you stick to it.
The notorious dialog tags
As it is widely accepted, dialog tags are not to be overused and certainly ‘said’ is the safest choice to go with.
Yet, sometimes using them is quite inevitable in order to convey the right meaning. E.g. when a character answers back in a fast-paced dialogue with more than one participants and thus her/his identity is not clear, you can opt for ‘rejoin’, ‘shoot or snap back’ and ‘retort’ as a tag (according to the character’s attitude and intent).
Capitalization and use of the definite article
This concerns fantasy or science fiction writers in particular. In case you need to mention e.g. a rank or title, use a capital letter for it only when the corresponding character’s proper name follows as well. For example, ‘the king decided’ vs. ‘King Theseus decided’.
As you can see, the definite article ‘the’ must normally precede e.g. a character’s title, when that character is mentioned only with her/his title but not her/his proper name as well.
The first chapters’ impact
Again, for those who create whole worlds and universes and venture in the waters of fantasy or science fiction, this last tip can be particularly helpful to have always in mind: especially in the first pages of your work, try not to use many made-up words etc. of yours all at once. Keep the flow smooth, instead. I always opt for this e.g. in an emotionally charged scene, where an overload of made-up words can distract the reader and weaken the scene’s impact.
Creating something out of thin air is magical, but so is the momentum, the emotional vibe of an important scene, too; the one should not be at the detriment of the other.
As a die-hard scholar and now years-long writer, I may be biased, but language is a thing of beauty. Whether you are into writing professionally, as an amateur or simply keeping a personal blog or journal, take the time and give some extra care on the words you use to give life to your thoughts. Believe me, it is worth it.
And finally, don’t forget the most important thing:
Write, write, write ~
June 5, 2017
Revisiting your Root
And think of ‘root’ as an umbrella term, whether you choose to call it ‘root chakra’ or simply your base, your grounding potential. Plus I say ‘revisiting’ because, although the root chakra might be the hardest one to keep open and healthy, we never really drift away from it. That is a comforting thought to always keep in mind when you embark on the journey of balancing it.
Not everyone relates to the practice of chakra meditation, but after reading a few things about the chakras almost everyone understands what they stand for. According to Hindu tradition, the Muladhara Chakra is the epitome of our relationship with the earth, nature and their qualities, as we should manifest them in ourselves too in order to be healthy, inside out. When not in balance, this chakra denotes the root of all fear.
Origins of the belief that earth is a strength-giver can be found in the folklore of almost all cultures. The Ancient Greek myth of Antaeus speaks of the semi-giant son of Gaia (the primordial goddess of Earth) and Poseidon; no one Antaeus wrestled with could defeat him, so long as a part of his body was always in touch with the ground. Mythology also speaks of the wood nymphs known as hamadryads, who were believed to be one and the same with their trees – meaning that if the tree a hamadryad was linked with died, she would die along with it.
In quite a similar sense, grounding is the quintessence of the strengthening your root. And in one’s search for mastering mindfulness and achieving being truly present in the here and now, root chakra meditation and affirmations related to it are a really good place to start. If you want to know where you stand in terms of grounding, you can take also take a chakra test.
In this article I share with you my own ‘to-do’ list, to which I refer whenever the going gets pretty tough in everyday life, making it easier to end up feeling ungrounded and lost. I hope that it might be of use to you too in your quest for rooting!
Grasp the root chakra’s main message
As I said earlier, even if you don’t feel like getting deeper into chakra knowledge, try to decipher at least what the root chakra stands for.
‘I am rooted in myself’
‘I am always safe and secure’
‘I am present, here, now’
‘I am exactly where I am supposed to be’
‘I am one with the earth and nature’
‘I honour myself and the earth that I live on’,
are some grounding affirmations you could use e.g. throughout your meditation as well. Or you can create your own mantras, according to what best works for you.
This Malay proverb couldn’t capture the importance of being grounded any better:
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Strengthen your relationship with your five senses
If you are familiar with the MBTI typology, you might also have come across articles and info on the 8 cognitive functions and their stack in each MBTI personality type. One of these functions is Extraverted Sensing (Se), meaning exactly that: our ability to be in tune with our senses in whatever we experience at the present moment. That could mean for example, mindful eating or walking. Socializing (linked with the cognitive function of Extraverted Feeling [Fe]) e.g. with friends and family can also help in channeling your Se function in a more grounding way.
Keep a healthy diet
Many articles on chakra balancing suggest particular foods for strengthening your root chakra. Given, though, that one may not have the time to get too particular about one’s everyday food choices, I have found that an all in all healthy and balanced diet (e.g. by reducing/eliminating sugar intake and processed food consumption) helps me feel more in tune with my body and boosts my energy levels.
Exercise
Root chakra is considered the most physical one, so any kind of body exercise is beneficial for it. Any chance you give your body to express itself, whether it be yoga or dancing, it shall only reward you with the benefits of feeling more steady and relaxed than ever.
You may find this particularly helpful if you suffer from adrenal fatigue due to chronic stress. Changes cannot be made overnight of course, but persevering to a routine can get you on the right – read, grounding – track.
Reconnect with nature
Take walks. If you’re given the chance to walk barefoot on the grass or across the beach, even better. Meditating outdoors may not be easy either, in case e.g. you live in the city. However, there are always ways to work around things – for example, if you have a roof terrace or a balcony, that can do the trick.
Gardening is also an excellent way to get in touch with nature. Not quite feasible either? Even keeping a flower pot in your bedroom and looking after it will do more than fine.
You may also see all this as a chance to check in with your environmental consciousness. You wouldn’t only be doing your meditation a favour, but the whole world as well.
Organize your personal space – and life
Starting from your room, your house, your office and slowly covering every aspect of your life. If you don’t know where to start, the principles of feng shui applied in interior décor can be helpful here. Opt for shades of red or surround yourself with pleasing, earthy smells. But above all, don’t force it – pick only what truly resonates with you.
Practice mindfulness
And unfortunately, not once in a blue moon but every day the sun rises; yes, that’s mindfulness for you. It may be one of the hardest things we have to learn to do, but only good things come out of it. Focus on feeling connected at all times and stop trying to control people/situations/circumstances in order to feel safe. Breathe from your abdomen, starting from when you meditate until it becomes a habit (if you’re looking for some good meditation music, you can check the Meditative Mind channel). In general and aside from meditation, make a conscious effort to do everything mindfully, whether walking, showering or eating. You’ll see that not only will you start to truly experience time but you will also profoundly enjoy it.
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Strengthen your sense of belonging to the universe
As far as chakra tradition goes again, the crown chakra is the one related to our feeling of oneness with everything. Balancing it is usually considered as dismantling what you’ve mastered through root chakra work and advised to be ‘tampered’ with only after all the other chakras are healthy and aligned – especially the root chakra. However, I have found that when my root chakra is starting to get back on track, practicing crown chakra meditation helps me strengthen my root too. Realizing deeply how we are part of everything at every single moment can help us feel grounded in this very moment, which is indeed all there really is.
In a quite similar way, working on your heart chakra (the so called ‘bridge’ between the earthly chakras and the spiritual ones) can also help you become more open to what grounding practices demand of you. When we allow ourselves to be open to love, to feel it flow freely to and from others, our general sense of trust and belonging is strengthened. Trust and belonging is what grounding stands for, too.
Be actively grateful
Don’t just think or feel it; show it.
Balance your masculine side
Whether you prefer to call it yang, as in the Chinese philosophy’s system, or animus, as Carl Jung has named it, it is to our benefit if we explore this side of your psyche and try to keep it balanced. This means we should let it unfold when it has been stifled and try to ease it out when it has overwhelmed all other parts of our soul. Among other things, our masculine side is related to logical and realistic thinking as well as to being assertive. Becoming truly grounded and reinstating our relationship with our root entails working on our assertiveness and ability to take initiatives. Start small, of course, with your day to day duties, making lists or anything else that might help you remain focused and accomplish your tasks and you’ll be able to tackle greater challenges too before you even know it.
Be fearless
And last but not least, embrace your fears. Don’t struggle to stifle them or chase them away; listen to what they have to say, as a friend, and then let them go.
Prior to releasing eg. your fear of abandonment, it goes without saying that first you must recognize that you feel it. Explore your soul, your unconscious to find out what you’re afraid of and what is holding you back. And what you find may ultimately prove to be far less scary than you thought ~
“Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.”
~ Cavafy, Ithaca
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May 15, 2017
Number Nine (Flash Fiction)
I stood frozen, files scattered on the court’s yard.
“Number nine!”
The judge was calling out my case number. And I was stuck thinking, what were the odds the folder straps would snap the exact moment my nerves were also about to? 156 pages of corporate law pleadings and an overdue bill soaking in the rain puddles. I had been preparing for this “Judgment Day” for months, nitpicking on my own commas, until my eyelids were blinking more than the cursor on the screen…
All for a desperately needed paying job serving a justice blinded by punctuation marks.
My mind was blank. The neon yellow of highlighted text on the scattered exhibits spelled vertigo.
Briefcases and perfumed coats were passing by me. “I am not the woman I thought I was”; it hit me again, like the day of my bar exam in that buzzing auditorium…
“Number nine!”
A panic attack was due, when my eyes met those of a little refugee girl. She sat across the yard, stale crumbs of pie in her palm while her parents pored over their asylum papers. Her eyes, empty and full at the same time, had a voice of their own. A voice I knew, from my high school volunteering days in “The Smile of the Child”…
Briefcases and perfumed coats were passing her by. “Individuation through humanity”; my college Sociology professor had always had a thing for Jung… Never had I felt more true than when I was nitpicking on commas for his human rights’ assignments.
The canteen was a breath away, its pies steaming, freshly baked.
So was my heart; “I am exactly the woman I thought I was”.
I don’t remember how I went in and lost that corporate law case; but I‘ll never forget how warm the pie I shared with that child was.
[My first flash fiction attempt and entry for the International Flash Fiction Competition (British Council & Kingston Writing School)]
Number Nine
I stood frozen, files scattered on the court’s yard.
“Number nine!”
The judge was calling out my case number. And I was stuck thinking, what were the odds the folder straps would snap the exact moment my nerves were also about to? 156 pages of corporate law pleadings and an overdue bill soaking in the rain puddles. I had been preparing for this “Judgment Day” for months, nitpicking on my own commas, until my eyelids were blinking more than the cursor on the screen…
All for a desperately needed paying job serving a justice blinded by punctuation marks.
My mind was blank. The neon yellow of highlighted text on the scattered exhibits spelled vertigo.
Briefcases and perfumed coats were passing by me. “I am not the woman I thought I was”; it hit me again, like the day of my bar exam in that buzzing auditorium…
“Number nine!”
A panic attack was due, when my eyes met those of a little refugee girl. She sat across the yard, stale crumbs of pie in her palm while her parents pored over their asylum papers. Her eyes, empty and full at the same time, had a voice of their own. A voice I knew, from my high school volunteering days in “The Smile of the Child”…
Briefcases and perfumed coats were passing her by. “Individuation through humanity”; my college Sociology professor had always had a thing for Jung… Never had I felt more true than when I was nitpicking on commas for his human rights’ assignments.
The canteen was a breath away, its pies steaming, freshly baked.
So was my heart; “I am exactly the woman I thought I was”.
I don’t remember how I went in and lost that corporate law case; but I‘ll never forget how warm the pie I shared with that child was.
[from my entry for the International Flash Fiction Competition (British Council & Kingston Writing School)]
May 12, 2017
Arc to ‘ego’, then speed on to ‘shadow’
Throughout our journey towards awakening and better understanding our true selves, we come across tons of information. And it ultimately comes down to what out of all this information really resonates with us at each particular phase of our lives.
In this context, I have recently been pondering on the way some articles on awakening elaborate on how we should stop discarding our ‘shadow’.
This is indeed true – as Carl Jung also put it, what we ignore and avoid, persists. And it persists bad.
So what is this ‘shadow’ made of anyway? Plato in his famous tripartite division of the soul spoke of the ‘ἐπιθυμητικόν’ (epithymeticon) – the lower part of the soul, linked with earthly desires -, the ‘θυμοειδές’ (thymoeides) – the middle part, ruled by the heart or spirit – and the ‘λογιστικόν’ (logisticon) – the upper part, the mind. The ‘logisticon’ was also the virtue that the Philosopher-king, Plato’s ideal Republic’s ruler, had to be driven by.
No mention of a ‘dark side’ there; because classical ethics’ philosophers were primarily preoccupied with studying and defining human virtue; not vice. And when Plato spoke about shadows in his Allegory of the Cave, it was about how they represented the world we perceive with our senses, whereas the objects casting the shadows stood for the real world, the world of ‘ideas’.
Back to our ‘shadow’ now. I shall not go into psychology territory on this, e.g. like how Jungian theory on archetypes and the psychology of the unconscious defines the ‘shadow’ etc. In a more empirical definition, though, our ‘shadow’ contains not only our dark side, our repressed negative emotions and thoughts, but also our stifled talents, dreams and positive parts that from an early age on we were led to believe were unwanted.
So, now you know the tag of that would-be painter hiding behind the accountant’s face.
When we ignore our feelings and responses to a situation, either because we become our own worst critic or because we might feel too overwhelmed and believe we’re unable to handle the crisis outside and within – so going numb and discarding the ‘flight or fight’ mode and ultimately opting for ‘freeze’ mode – our unconscious just keeps getting loaded; not healed. The steps we might have taken towards bridging it with our conscious and carrying forward with our individuation journey are practically undone. That’s why it is a given that our shadow exists and is a part of us not to be ignored.
BUT-
Working properly with and through our shadow is a very tricky procedure – in fact, we’re treading on quicksand. So, in order to do it in a way that is to our soul journey’s benefit, we first need to build a strong, positive core, free from the tentacles of the ego.
When we are not aware yet of the beliefs we have about ourselves (aka ego) nor which of them are true and which false, so as to tackle what needs to be tackled and help ourselves find our way through a labyrinth not even an Ariadne could get us out of, we have still a long way to go before we tap deep into our shadow side.
One might say, entering into the ‘shadow’s’ realm is precisely quite “advanced” awakening and invovles very fragile balances.
The most important thing of all is that realizing the need to explore our ‘shadow’ – or rather, to approach it, listen to it with an open heart and try to heal it, doesn’t mean that this way we become entitled to justify our dark sides; that is, not just in a “that’s how I am and I see this now” way, but more in a “that’s how I am and take it or leave it ” kind of way. This point might even be the reason why antiheroes are the ones usually preferred over heroes, both in literature and media, as I’ve already discussed in a previous post.
It’s kind of similar with the distinction between ‘self-centered’ and ‘self-centric’. Self-centered means Copernicus was wrong after all and the Sun revolves around us. On the other hand, whenever we focus on working on ourselves, we should be self-centric so that we can actually become our own best possible versions and thus be able to benefit everyone else around us too.
A still complex, confused ego cannot deal with what the ‘shadow’ might reveal to it. E.g. a narcissist, who in the best case scenario has just began working out his ego and identity issues, will have a very hard time not dubbing as virtues whatever flaws his shadow exploration might bring to the light. If you’re in that spot where you’ve almost finished working on your ego and its problems and feel ready to change gears towards the realm of your ‘shadow’ as well, keep in mind that the clue is always good old constant mindfulness. The next time you feel you lose control over your emotions and go on auto-pilot mode, instead of indulging in your old ways step back, and question yourself. Literally, question yourself: What am I doing now? Why? Ever since when? And finally, how can I accept it and change it?
Ego wounds left undealt with are pushed back to your shadow; in a nutshell, none of it is your true self. And don’t you want to know your true self?
He/she can’t wait to meet you. ~
April 27, 2017
5 Hidden Blessings in Failure
Hey everyone ~
Chances are one of the hardest things we’re time and time again challenged to do is be loyal to the conviction that there’s always something good to keep from even the direst of situations…
So in this frame of mind, I recently put together an article about “failures” and how at the end of the day they’re actually anything but that. Check it out at Tiny Buddha: http://tinybuddha.com/blog/5-ways-failure-can-be-a-blessing-in-disguise/
Cheers,
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March 7, 2017
When images speak, words hush – Vol. II
[image error]Door to time past (Ioannina, Greece)
[image error]First of May traditional flower wreath (Ioannina, Greece)
[image error]Interwar electric meter (Ioannina, Greece)
[image error]Summer sunlight through grape leaves (Ioannina, Greece)
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[image error]Lemongrass (Ioannina, Greece)
[image error]Gate to time past (Ioannina, Greece)
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[image error]Morning dew on rose leaves (Ioannina, Greece)
[image error]Home
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