Tell Me a Story by Barbara Rudolf
A few years ago, I bought this painting from Scottsdale artist, Barbara Rudolf. It is entitled "Tell Me A Story" and it hangs over the fireplace in a room where I often write my novels and poems.
When I first saw this piece, I was so drawn to it that I had to make it mine. We collect art, and we buy it when we fall in love and can afford to, but I have never been drawn to a piece as strongly as I was drawn to this one.
It reminded me of Maya Angelou's quote: "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."
It's interesting how in the process of writing, we often discover answers. It wasn't until I started this blog that I realized I was drawn to this piece because as writers, we are like those birds. We write because we have stories that haunt us, stories we need to tell in order to more fully understand life and our unique place within it. Stories we can't bear to hold inside any longer. Sometimes the stories are joyful ones--a way of reliving something that awed or inspired us. Other times, it may be sadness, loss or grief that drives us to write. Or a fantasy that haunts our dreams and needs to expose itself on the page. There are so many things in the life of a writer that trigger stories. And so, we create fictional characters to tell those stories that haunt us. Let's face it, we tell lies in order to expose a greater truth.
Of course learning how to tell our stories in compelling and meaningful ways with extreme and interesting characters who are willing to do almost anything to get what they want, takes work. And, in some cases like mine, a lifetime of study and practice. In future blogs I hope to share some of the things I've learned about this craft and how they've made a difference in my life, in my work and in the songs I sing.
When I first saw this piece, I was so drawn to it that I had to make it mine. We collect art, and we buy it when we fall in love and can afford to, but I have never been drawn to a piece as strongly as I was drawn to this one.
It reminded me of Maya Angelou's quote: "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."
It's interesting how in the process of writing, we often discover answers. It wasn't until I started this blog that I realized I was drawn to this piece because as writers, we are like those birds. We write because we have stories that haunt us, stories we need to tell in order to more fully understand life and our unique place within it. Stories we can't bear to hold inside any longer. Sometimes the stories are joyful ones--a way of reliving something that awed or inspired us. Other times, it may be sadness, loss or grief that drives us to write. Or a fantasy that haunts our dreams and needs to expose itself on the page. There are so many things in the life of a writer that trigger stories. And so, we create fictional characters to tell those stories that haunt us. Let's face it, we tell lies in order to expose a greater truth.
Of course learning how to tell our stories in compelling and meaningful ways with extreme and interesting characters who are willing to do almost anything to get what they want, takes work. And, in some cases like mine, a lifetime of study and practice. In future blogs I hope to share some of the things I've learned about this craft and how they've made a difference in my life, in my work and in the songs I sing.
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