The Mac and Cheese Sonnet

This bear looks insanely happy. Like he just ate an entire mountain of mac and cheese. Jealous.

For the past year or so I have been collecting royalty-free stock photos that are clever, funny, or just look awesome. Stock images can be pricey, and collecting a library of free ones is a good (long-term) strategy for always being able to find what you need. There are several places you can get these (Death to the Stock Photo and Picjumbo, for example), and they are great for building websites, including images on your blog, using on social media, etc. Just remember to read their licensing agreement so you don't violate any copyright laws.

But there is another great reason for collecting these photos: ideas.

The whole concept of Pinterest is to allow people to collect ideas in a visual way in one place, and using visuals to inspire writing is a great strategy--but you can do this on your own so that you never have to wonder: "where did I see that awesome photo?" or not be able to access it when you lack the internet.

Stock photos offer images that you might never have considered, from angles you might never have seen from, of things you might not have thought to search for. Some days, I just scroll through my stock photos and look for an idea or a thought or a place or a person to help inspire whatever project I am working on. 

Take this for example: 

I don't know what it is about this image, but it always makes me want to write. It's something about the combination of colours, the docks in the background, the seagulls and swans...??? It's intriguing and interesting and I love it.

Or take this image:

Fun fact about Ariele: I'm a bench connoisseur. I love all benches, but am very judgmental about how they look, feel, etc. 

That poor bench, sitting there all alone right next to the edge of the universe. But no seriously, what is happening? What is behind that mist? Or fog? Or wall of nothingness? Is it the ocean? A lake? A portal into another dimension?

THE LITERAL END OF THE UNIVERSE?
It seems fitting that there would be one lone bench on the edge of the universe.

Images like this make my brain spin with ideas and thoughts and questions. And the best place to start when you're writing something is with a question.

What kind of questions? you ask.

This is actually some type of elephant-sized ground sloth, as I learned when I googled it.

Here is an example of a question: what the heck is this? An alien? A dinosaur? A perfectly reasonable-looking skeleton of some kind of mammal? Is it a lizard? Is it a panda bear? Is it a fake? Is it a creature from the future?

Remember Primeval? The creature from the future? That's what this reminds me of. And it's amazing.

Plus, the hand-drawn sketch with the handwriting, the figure number, the science text-book look combined with the alien feel of this creature's skeleton... a perfect combination of visuals for a creative fiction idea.

I love stock images (obviously), and I frequently turn to my stock images folder when I am having trouble with a description or just need a little inspirational juice. I only have a few hundred photos so far, but one day... I will have THEM ALL.

In celebration of the wonder of stock photos, and to demonstrate the idea-power found within, I have decided to put together a stock photo sonnet, or more accurately, The Mac and Cheese Sonnet.

The Mac and Cheese Sonnet

The greatest food of all is mac and cheese
With scrumptious taste and shiny golden curls.
All day and night I'd eat it, if you please;
I'd rather have this dish than priceless pearls.

It's not that other food is not as good,
But mac and cheese is just so much finer.
Without my mac and cheese I'll eat oak wood--
Those who differ will earn a big shiner.

Oh how I love thee, mac and cheese, I do--
As without you my life would be the worst,
Eating things like pork and chickpea stew,
And liver, eyeballs, brains, and cold bratwurst.

Mac and cheese: it is the food of kings.
With mac and cheese, all else--I need nothing.
 

Ugh, now I'm hungry.

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International Middle Child Day

For those of you that didn't know, I, Ariele Joy Sieling the First, am a middle child. Now, I don't think this condition is noteworthy enough for an international holiday, but for some reason Facebook and Twitter disagree. Thus #InternationalMiddleChildDay was born. And it is today. Apparently.

People say lots of things about middle children. They say we are bitter, resentful, unmotivated, and feel like we don't belong. They say we are great team players, cooperative, trusting, and make good friends.

But whatever. Who cares what they say? I prefer to think of myself as an independent human being who is not defined or influenced by my brothers.

Of course, this is not true in the slightest.

I grew up with a genius for an older brother and a genius for a little brother.

Thanksgiving, 2013.

Gary was good at math and science and computers. I took Chemistry because he said it was the easiest science (this is a decision I have regretted ever since). Gary tried to teach me limits when I was in 7th grade, but I always ended up drawing pictures on his graph paper instead of learning anything. My (non-English) teachers always emitted a vague sense of disappointment when I turned out not to be mini-Gary (my English teachers were delighted). He was at the top of his class (3rd, and deliberately not 2nd, so the legend goes), President of the Chess Club, and often found teaching himself computer programming in his spare time.

Evan was a brilliant musician, always with his hands on a guitar or a drumset or whatever instrument he could find. Even though I played a bunch of instruments too, people always wanted him in their band or orchestra, and rarely me. I stuck myself into whatever band or group I could, but even with the disadvantage of being 2 years younger, he still sailed way past me in skill and talent with every instrument he touched. He learned drums, guitar, bass, banjo, baritone, and harmonica before he was even a senior in high school, and was regularly asked to play for churches and schools.

I think that if you have siblings (regardless of how many) there is always a sense of competition. As a middle child, no matter how skilled I became in my area of expertise, I always had this nagging sense that I wasn't as good as my siblings, even though in any other relationship it would be irrelevant.

For example, I always thought that I wasn't as smart as Gary (this is false) because I didn't understand math. I passed with As, yes, but I didn't really get it. Never mind that he read Calculus textbooks during his summer vacation.

Or, I always thought I wasn't as smart as  Evan (also false) because reading and playing music took so much more effort for me than for him. Never mind that he practiced 28 hours a day and I practiced maybe 1 (if that).

Instead of doing math and playing music, I spent my free time drawing pictures, writing, playing pretend, and making up stories in my head. And guess what? Telling stories is what I'm good at now.

This vague sense of self-disappointment is (in my opinion) the middle child's biggest challenge, because, in the long run, none of it really matters. What matters is what you're good at, not what they're good at. What matters are what your goals are, not what their goals are.

Good siblings will help you out, prop you up, and drag you along to help you reach your goals. And if you're a good sibling, you will help them out, prop them up, and help them reach their goals. At very least, they will be your cheerleader and you will be theirs.

I have to say that I have two excellent siblings. Whatever else they may excel at, they definitely excel at being brothers. Gary has patiently dragged me, kicking and screaming, into a world filled with computers and programming. I can now build my own website with minimal effort, and even do basic coding when necessary. Evan has got my back in the creative realm--he designed my logo (at the top of my website), has written music for a couple of different projects, and starred in my wonderful book trailer for The Wounded World.

These days, I do my freelance writing thing, Evan is an awesome music producer in Nashville (check out my fav song!), and Gary programs stuff in who knows what languages, and has married a kick-ass stained glass window-er. We all have our own passions, we all have our own goals, and we all are willing to help each other out when push comes to shove.

We're not kids anymore, and while that vague sense of competition still exists somewhere in my head, it's now only a motivator. I'm good at writing. Gary's good at programming. Evan's good at music. (Actually, we're all writers in a sense--I write words, Gary writes code, Evan writes music! I know, crazy.)

But there is no way I can honestly say, "I am an independent human being who is not defined or influenced by my brothers." I may, in fact, be an independent human being, but I have no qualms about admitting that my brothers have had a huge influence on me and have helped define who I have become.

And I wouldn't change that for the world.

Happy #InternationalMiddleChildDay!

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A Christmas photo from oh so long ago. I love Evan's sweater.

Me and Evan at Evan's graduation! :)

This is me and Melissa, my super great sister-in-law.

This is at the bottom of Mt. Washington.

Me and Evan, chilling in Boston.

This is that time Evan fell asleep on my shoulder and snored. It was hilarious.

This me and Gary chilling with a Bostonian tree.

This is after my first year of college and my dad was pretending to be a monkey in the background.

Me and Evan and a zucchini.

This is at the top of Mt Washington.

Me and Gary, being awesome. Also, road cones.

And here we all are, definitely not at our most attractive, but certainly at our most fun.

6 Best Internet Cats As Organized by Ariele

Now, I know it's not Friday (which is typically when I post fun cat posts), but for some reason, I'm feeling strongly that everyone needs a few cats today.

6. Grumpy Cat

And of course Grumpy Cat is at the top of the list. I mean, LOOK AT HIS FACE.

Nemo never knew what hit him.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is where all the magic began.

This is a special meme for my aunt Karen. I will also post it on her Facebook wall. Happy birthday (Aug 11), Karen!

Us morning people might disagree, but, point taken.

5. Henri

Have you met Henri? I love Henri. How do I love him? Let me count the ways. Probably the most existential cat in the universe, Henri brings a fresh look to the drab existence we live here on this planet.

I highly recommend that you watch every single one of his videos. If you don't have time for that, at least watch this one.

4. Business Cat

There is nothing funnier when you're grumpy at work, than a good dose of Business Cat. I mean, Business Cat really knows how to run an office, and he has some great advice for all humans out there dealing with work challenges.

3. Science Cat

Need some nerd humor? Look no farther than science cat. Hilarious. No really.

Science cat, I've got my ion you...

2. Every Napping Cat Ever

If there's anything I daydream about, it's cat naps. And thus, I dub every napping cat in the interwebs worth of the 'best cat' nomiation.

Yes. More Grumpy Cat.

Hopefully rain, too.  I like rain, plus it's good weather for napping.

This cat knows how to nap.

This is Lil Bub, another wildly popular internet cat who apparently will dominate the world after he naps.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

This happens to me pretty frequently, too.

Sometimes it's really a team effort.

1. Universe Cat

Need I say more?

What are your favourite cats on the internet?

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Episode 1: The Tupperware King

Today I bring you the first segment of my epic poem: The Tupperware King. I offer no other explanations or apologies. Enjoy it or don't.

The Tupperware King

Have you heard of the Tupperware king?
Who hangs containers from the ceiling?
With a plastic scepter and a plastic crown,
He is the mightiest ruler around.

Each day his knights set out on a quest
To prove to their ruler that they are the best
And return in the evening with a treasure so grand:
The lids to Tupperware from all over the land.

But there is one knight more brave than the rest
Who proudly wears the king’s own crest.
The Tupperware Prince and his plastic sword
Bring honor to the king by increasing the hoard.

Each day the Tupperware Prince sets out
And chooses the absolutely most dangerous route
To find the biggest and brightest and best
By fighting the thief called the Tupperware Pest.

The Tupperware Pest is a pain and a gnat
Destroying all Tupperware wherever it’s at
This dragon of lore, so big and so mean
Hides with its loot, and has kidnapped the queen.

One day the Tupperware Prince chose north,
And through the Black Forest he traveled forth
Until overhead the sky darkened dim
And he saw the visage of the Pest - ever grim.

The Tupperware Pest flapped its wings in the sky,
And the Tupperware Prince felt scared as a pie
About to be consumed by a ravenous man.
So he and his steed quickly turned and ran.

But what he felt next was guilt and shame,
For his poor lovely mother needed him to reclaim
Her freedom and hope from the villainous Pest,
So the Prince turned and ran back towards the nest.

What happened next was a feat to behold
The Prince and his steed, so upright and bold
Yelled at the Pest, “You foul untold!
You deserve to die, you deserve a big scold!”

The Tupperware Pest was surprised and alarmed
To see the Tupperware Prince thusly armed
With a plastic sword and words of steel
For a moment he felt a small bit of fear.

But then he laughed at the ridiculous Prince
He was so small, so easily minced
The Pest took a breath and let out a roar
And the Prince flinched slightly and braced for more.

Then without another thought, the Prince pulled out a surprise,
The most recent treasure, a one-of-a-kind prize:
A circular Tupperware lid coloured red
And he threw it as hard as he could from his stead.

The Tupperware Pest’s eyes opened wide
As he saw this miraculous prize flung aside
And he leaped towards it, his hunger aglow
As the Prince slipped inside the cave of his foe.

Standing in front of the door was his mother,
With tears in her eyes, she ran over to smother
Him with hugs and kisses galore,
While he tried in vain to drag her to the door.

“Mother, please,” he said, “It’s time we must go,
Before the beast returns with his eyes all aglow.”
“Of course, my dear son,” his mother replied,
“I’m right behind you - let’s go outside.”

The two climbed atop of his horse
And the Tupperware Prince set an admirable course
Straight back towards the place of his home
Where the Tupperware King waited on his throne.

And the people all cheered as the Prince rode through town
And the Queen waved her hand and smiled down
Until she reached the palace’s gates
Where she ran to the throne where her King awaited.

And that’s where we leave them, the Tupperware King,
and his Prince and his Queen and the realm in between,
With containers above and the Pest roaming round,
They lived happily after in the Tupperware Town.

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Making Myself More Creative

My brother gave me this book as a gift once. It's awesome. I will write a post on it one day.

I hate it when people tell me, "I'm not creative," as an excuse. What I mean by this is that it's fine if you're not creative! Not everyone has to be. But "not being creative" is not an excuse for refusing to pick up a new hobby that you're interested in, not learning a new skill, or simply not trying something altogether. "Not being creative" is most often a choice, not a state of being (although creativity might be harder for some than others). 

Well, I'm here to tell you that I am definitely creative! I may be less so than some, and more so than others, but I am definitely somewhere on the spectrum of "Creative."

You can be too!

Just like anything else of value in life, creativity is an every day habit. No one magically starts being creative. In fact, I think most people are far more creative than they realize; it's just that their creativity emerges in tiny day-to-day moments more so than in bursts of flame. 

Ow. Creativity would have been this guy putting on a glove before doing this or using a really long match to light it, or lighting a stick and using the stick to light it. (Gif from giphy.com.)

I'd like to give you a few examples of things that I do to become more creative on a day to day basis. If I'm going to make a living writing, I have to get ideas from somewhere.

Strategy 1: Find a problem that needs to be solved, and try something that hasn't been tried yet to fix it. 

Sometimes it takes me ages to come up with a creative solution to a really dumb problem. For example, my bed was next to the outside wall of the house, and I could hear every drunk that stumbled by at 3 am. It took me months to realize that even though my room was small, I could just move my bed to the other side of the room. 

Duh.

This creative thought was definitely a late bloomer.

I know, I know, I use this picture all the time! But I LIKE it! :)

Let's look at my parents for a better example. My mom is allergic to eggs. More specifically, my mom is allergic to chicken eggs. How did she find this out?

By trying duck eggs to see if they would make her break out in hives like chicken eggs do (spoiler: they didn't!).

Just taking the time to consider that duck eggs might be okay while chicken eggs aren't = CREATIVITY! 

Then they bought ducks. But that's a different story.

Here's another example. These creative geniuses wanted a pool. All they had was a truck, a tarp, and water. Voila! 

Creativity can be relative to anything. Maybe it's plumbing. Maybe it's gardening. Maybe it's figuring out how to use a new Excel formula, or looking at an everyday object in a completely different way, or figuring out how to explain to someone what your job is in a way they will understand. 

What is one problem or struggle that you have on a day to day basis that you could fix simply by looking at the problem a little differently?

Strategy 2: Watch what other creative people are doing, and pay attention to how they solve problems.

The phrase, "monkey see, monkey do" may seem like it only applies to monkeys and small children, but it also applies to me. I've learned dozens of things by watching other people do them: walking and talking, for starters; reading, braiding hair, driving a car, riding a bike... Eventually, of course, I have to get my nose out of a book and actually try it, but there are plenty of people who I watch to help me learn to be more creative. 

Ted Talks are a good start. This one simple resource offers a collection of some of the most creative people of the world.

I read other authors' books and ask myself questions about it. How did they figure out that plot twist? How did they cue me (the reader) into feeling like it was going the opposite direction than it did? How did they make that character so awesome? I might also read interviews with them, their blog, or other work if i really like their voice or writing style.

I read stuff about being creative. The most recent book I picked up is called "A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative," by Roger von Oech. It's a good read and full of fun strategies. There are dozens of books that can help someone become more creative.

You just have to... be a little creative.

Who can you learn about being creative from?

Strategy 3: Do something creative every day.

I don't mean that I paint a picture every day. I don't mean that I write a novel every day. I don't mean that I solve world hunger every day.

What I do is much simpler than that. And I have lots of options.

1. I go for a walk and pay attention to something I've never paid attention to before. For example:

• This seems like an odd building to rent out for office space. >>
• I find this particular garden unusually appealing. What exactly makes this yard unique?
• I've never noticed how the cracks in the sidewalk look like pieces of a puzzle or the empty spaces of a spider web.
• Which house in this neighborhood is likeliest to have a legion of fairies hiding in the basement?

2. I take mental photographs (and sometimes real ones) of things I want to remember or of scenes I think would look good in words. This can be a house, people, clouds, or simply something that gave me an idea, even if the idea doesn't seem related to the image whatsoever.

This is an abandoned meat packing plant in my home town...

3. I write a tweet or a Facebook post that I think is funny or clever or entertaining (they aren't usually, but I give it a go). I'm actually not a huge fan of social media, but I use it as a way to communicate with more people. It's so easy to be lame and just be like, "buy my book! buy my book!" Instead, I at least make an attempt to be a little creative.

What interesting observation or comment can you share with others?

4. I do something new, I do something normal, or I do nothing at all.

The first time I went on a harbor cruise down Piscataqua River, I came back with a million ideas. I love hiking for this reason, too. Stick me in the woods for a few hours and I'll come out with the plot to The Clock Winked or my future alien fantasy novel.

I try to run or exercise every day and I don't watch television while doing it. Read sometimes, yes, or just think. At very least, I have time to ponder problems, consider conundrums, or think things.

On the days when I'm exhausted and really don't feel like solving problems or doing anything remotely creative, I allow myself just 5 minutes to take a deep breath. Because you really can't do anything without breathing.

What can you do every day to help yourself become more creative?

In conclusion, being creative is like bursting into flames.

I'm serious. If you light one match everyday, eventually they will all light up and it feels so good, and when it's over you feel like a zombie. Then you just have to start lighting them all over again.

Just like that.
(Gif from giphy.com.)

What strategies do you use to be more creative? Comment below!

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