Consider these ruins atop the Rock of Cashel in Ireland. After I snapped this shot, I lowered the camera and though I stood among several other tourists, I was all alone. My mind whirled through the ruins, searched over the landscape like a bloodhound led by a scent. Hubby had to touch my shoulder to break my reverie because I wasn't there. I was watching ghosts of the past fit together chiseled stones and build walls without mortar.
You see? I'm hopeless. Ever the dreamer, I never know when it will hit. And it doesn't take far away places to send me into my own little world.
The sight of my granddaughter singing her heart out at the Christmas play triggered visions of a self-assured young woman waiting in the future.
Her serious admonition while singing this song showed me the headstrong side to the young lady coming in the years ahead.
Sights? Sounds? Scents? What sends YOU into a dream?
Posts
Lovely post. I guess we are the stuff of dreams.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Julia! Thank you for stopping by.
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Ah-h, Maeve...you've captured what breathes life into us and helps us to bring characters to life who have a story to tell and need us to help them!
ReplyDelete~Donna
Or has it captured me, Donna? Sometimes, I wonder and I know you understand completely.
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Beautiful post, Maeve! You know, I used to chide myself for daydreaming. I thought it was childish. How lost I was back then. :-)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Rosalie! You were just warming up to your destiny. :-)
ReplyDeleteMaeve your granddaughter is adorable! I love the soulful look of rapture while she is singing-to be that innocent again ...
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question about dreaming and imagination I gotta say, (and the above comments back me up),that flights of fancy are an affliction and a blessing to us writers.
I blogged a while back about a trip to the beach with my daughter. It was mid September and waaay too chilly (I need 90 or above:) for me to go near the water so I sat on the sand and watched her play. I'm sitting there minding my own business when my mind wanders. I stare out at the sea and my vision starts to blur (you know how it is when you look at something for a while without blinking?), then this woman appears. I swear, she was standing to my left, dressed in Empire style clothing from the Regency period, and she is beseeching me to help her. The basic plot for her story just unfolded before my eyes (of course I grabbed my blackberry and made a memo :)and I did nothing more than watch a freighter chug out to sea. Stuff like that happens to me all the time.
Another thing that triggers my muse is music. Heart's These Dreams has provided me with a story I'm dying to write! I've made notes like crazy but am making myself finish Broken Chords first :)!
Great post, as always!
Rach
Love the Botanical Gardens here in in Atlanta. They always get my mind wandering.
ReplyDeleteI understand completely, Rach! And I know you agree when I say...we wouldn't have it any other way. :-)
ReplyDeleteI've never seen the botanical gardens in Atlanta, Shawn, but I'm sure they'd trigger all sorts of inspiration. Gardens and forests touch your heart like nothing else can.
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Sometimes (most times) I just close my eyes and think of where I want to be. I ask myself, "What if..." and mental images form and nag me to death until I get them out. Other times, I'll see something like an old church and something triggers. I'm glad to see your trip inspired you.
ReplyDeleteWhat sends me dreaming? I do something similar as you when I see an interesting person--usually not places. But uniquie individuals really catch my eye, and I always want to take a photo so I can remember--I may need him some day! But it's tricky taking a stranger's snapshot--some may not like it.
ReplyDeleteI saw the most perfect hero some time ago, walking along the sidewalk. A perfectly common man, but he had charisma oozing and I thought, "that's a great hero, right there."
I absolutely adore photos, and all yours--especially the granddaughter--are just wonderful. Thanks--Celia
I've been daydreaming and living in them since childhood. My friends thought I was just quiet but in my head I was having a thousand adventures. Lovely post. And your granddaughter is adorable!
ReplyDeleteMagical post and you hit the nail on the head. Dreams are adventures just waiting for us to make real.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Liz Arnold
MESSAGE TO LOVE
The Wild Rose Press
Your grandchild is just beautiful. She is full of heart and a little bit of the devil in her impy eyes!
ReplyDeleteIf I could remember my dreams, I might use them. I do more day dreaming and that's how I come up with ideas!
But that is where my imagination lives...
Go girl go!
Thank you, Mary. I'm silly about my granddaughter. She's a ray of sunshine in our lives.
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I'm glad you enjoyed the post, Liz! Aren't dreams wonderful?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gale. My granddaughter has me wrapped around her little finger as I'm sure you can clearly tell.
ReplyDeleteThanks Celia! I'm about to get the hang of this new-fangled camera - just in time for the holidays. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy trip definitely inspired me, Victoria. I think I hit sensory overload. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post and all the comments, Maeve. Moi? Unusual objects rather than people tend to launch me into imaginary worlds. I have a solid silver antique rosary that belonged to my grandmother, a lovely old thing that plays a part in one of my stories. BTW, I'm sure you'll get lots of practice with that camera taking pix of your beautiful granddaughter!
ReplyDeleteHey Shawn, I'm from Atlanta too.
ReplyDeleteMaeve, your daughter is beautiful. I can almost hear the sound of her voice when looking at that picture.
Beautiful post, Maeve! Very inspiring! Your granddaughter is adorable! You took me into your stories and dreams with only a few words. I'm a very visual person, and often a person or place, or a picture of them, will inspire me. I love that WOW feeling of excitement that grabs me for a few moments (or longer.) Music sometimes takes me away into that dream world. When I'm listening to a song with lyrics, I zone out and a story will form in my head. Songs are also good for bringing the emotion of a story vividly alive for me.
ReplyDeleteI understand exactly what you mean about objects triggering stories, Pat. It's almost as though they speak.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the WOW feeling, Nicole and the right music can SO sweep you away.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Ciara! I have to admit, I think my granddaughter is beautiful too. Sometimes when I look at her, I think my heart will explode from loving her so much.
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