Would I find it there? I ask. I have been ignoring my manuscript for three days now.  If it had the gift of life and could speak, my first chapter could describe in crude detail the whole structure and decor of my home for it had been all over it. Or just maybe, cry out loud the torture it has endure under my pencil. Words have been written and erased, written again and again erased. A tortured piece of white paper wanting to move on. I struggle to find the perfect opening line for my story for the one I wrote is not working. Is just weak.

Openings are as difficult as a teenager, stubborn and with an attitude problem. Every writer struggles with its opening line, I say to myself. But what is the Perfect opening line for this fantasy story? Inspiration, I need inspiration from those that I admire and have gone through this.

So there I went and read and read and read all the opening lines of the books I love and look down on me waiting patently for their turn on the shelf. Inspiring, curious, perfect each and one of them. From lands of dragons of Christopher Paolini, romance by Jane Austin, the spiral hell of Dante, the journey of Eneas, a city of beasts of Isabel Allende, Kafka, Rosario Ferré, Homer, Dumas, Coelho, Tolkien, Dostoievski, García Marquez, Seneca…

Some went something like this: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)”; “Midway in our life’s journey, I went astray from the straight road and woke to find myself alone in a dark wood.- Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Inferno”; “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect- Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis”; “The Alchemist picked up a book that someone in the caravan had brought. Leafing through the pages, he found a story about Narcissus -Paulo Coelho”… All of them perfect and intriguing. Mine must be the same, mine has to be an equal.

I lay on the cold hard floor and stare in awe at these pages and these lines. Minutes come and go, instrumental music fills the air and I keep staring. A word comes “Final” (end). I must start giving away her fear, her undesired end. Her fear is the key. And so it is that the fear of her end of one of my protagonists must be the opening line of this story.  A beginning of sorts.

What about yours?

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• You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover, But You Can by Its Opening Line (clblacke.wordpress.com)
• Lesson Six from the Gold Mine Manuscript Red Line: Watch that Voice! (jennifermeaton.wordpress.com)

Smell  is the sense responsible for detecting and processing odors. It is a chemo-receptor in which the particles act as a stimulant aromatic or odoriferous detached from the volatile bodies, which enter the olfactory epithelium located in the nose, and processed by the olfactory system. The human nose distinguishes between more than 10,000 different smells. Smell is the strongest sense at birth. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Image via Wikipedia

In the article A sense of smell is said: “We are constantly surrounded by smells. Our environment, objects, animals and people are an endless source of good and bad smells.

Although many underestimate the smell, it is not a crucial survival mechanism, this stands out for having an enormous sensitive capacity . One of the main features of the sense of smell is that it acts to small stimuli.

The smell can capture at a distance and in low concentrations the molecules that react with its specialized organs.

While we have no olfactory sensitivity of animals such as dogs, our sense of smell contributes to the stimulation of appetite and digestive secretions, and prevent the presence of gases harmful to our health. “

As creative beings we are fascinated with aromas. They are always around us, make those special moments of our lives unforgettable. Just as the smell of your newborn, the perfume she wore on her first date, the scent of your child’s favorite blanket, the smell of a particular spice that reminds you of your grandmother’s kitchen, or your childhood. Odors stimulate the brain, well all the senses do this function, but being the strongest it makes us transcend the parameters of time and take us to the past, or perhaps what we’ll accomplish in the future.

In 2006 I had the opportunity to see the movie “Perfume, the story of a murderer” (an adaptation of a novel), ” is the first novel by German writer Patrick Süskind, published in 1985 under the title Das Parfum, die Geschichte eines Mörders. The novel explores the sense of smell and its relationship with the emotional meaning that scents may carry. Above all this is a story of identity, communication and the morality of the human spirit. The story focuses on Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a perfume apprentice in 18th century France who, born with no body scent himself, begins to stalk and murder virgins in search of the “perfect scent”, which he finds in a young woman named Laura, whom his acute sense of smell finds in a secluded private garden in Grasse.” (Wikipedia)

Let’s perceive our world through the sense of smell, and transform our experiences into words. To do this we must find the aromas we like, those that relax us, those we don’t like, and those that, well, go unnoticed because they are constant in our daily lives, for example, the smell of your home.

Search the smell of food, perfumes on your dresser, the soap that you wash with… Take a trip and visit the garden nursery near your home, and dive into a world of strong, subtle and distinctive aromas, such as mint, rosemary, dill, the oregano. Look for roses, orchids, Maragarita… Inhale, perceive! Stroll through the section of the spices and vegetables at your local market. Start cooking! Then take a minute and write what comes to mind, all the feelings, memories and places the scent carried  you .

Unfortunately, the internet does not yet have a device so you can smell odors from other places to explore the world without leaving your computer. Fortunately, smells surround us daily and we can experience them forever.

Share your experiences with us! What was the one aroma that took you on a journey to the past or to an unforgettable moment in your life?

Related articles

• Two ways to smell wine… (nowineforyou.com)
• In a Surprise, a Songbird Displays a Sense of Smell (nytimes.com)
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Lilly1949 says, “Although I really enjoy coffee’s taste and smell and I indulge in drinking it every day like a ritual: first thing in the morning while reading my e-news and the traditional Puerto Rican cup at three o’clock in the afternoon. There is another drink that I drink less, but enjoy more–chocolate! It is an indulgence, but not a ritual. And of lately, I’ve come to enjoy the concoction in a different way. I’m not talking about Nestle’s Quick mix, nor Hershey’s syrup, nor the semisweet Cortez’s chocolate bars so typical of my homeland, not even the kosher Ubett. I’m talking about the experience of picking the cacao pod, taking the nuts out, drying them, shelling them, roasting and grinding them and then, only then, can you make a cup of hot cocoa and experience the most orgasmic drink ever.“

Get your cup ready, for after reading this post you will want to have a cup of hot chocolate. If you are lucky and have some Cacao Beans near, or know where to find some, you will take upon yourself to satisfy your senses. Enjoy and have an invigorating journey through the sense of taste. Go ahead and read her post “What can I say about the sense of taste“.

Visit Lilly1949′s Blog (You and I) and enjoy her Poetry!

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Durante el 2011 pensé que leer sería un lujo y que me quitaría valioso tiempo de escritura que necesitaba para completar mi novela de fantasía. ¡Qué equivocada estuve! Sin darme cuenta la lectura se hizo, nuevamente, parte de mi diario vivir y no solo eso, me introdujo a otro método de lectura a través de los e-books.

Hay tiempo para todo, y me lo demostré cuando pude completar cinco libros del mismo autor (A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin). Así que este nuevo año decidí que la lectura debe ser parte de mi vida diaria al igual que la escritura y por tal creé una lista de los libros que deseo leer en este primer trimestre del 2012.

Aquí está la lista, que puede crecer, de los cuatro libro-los primeros dos los comencé pero no los he terminado-que he escogido.

************

During 2011 I thought that reading would be a luxury and it would take away valuable time from writing, needed to complete my fantasy novel. How wrong I was! Before I knew it reading, again, was part of my daily life and not only that, it introduced me to another method of reading through e-books.

There is time for everything, and I showed it to myself when I read five books by the same author (A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin). So this new year I decided that reading should be part of my daily life as well as writing and for that I created a list of books I want to read in the first quarter of 2012.

Here is the list, that might grow, of four books-the first two I started but have not finish yet-that I have chosen.

*************

El vencedor está solo de Paulo Coelho: En ella el autor describe con augurales palabras el mundo de las celebridades en el Festival Internacional de Cannes. Coelho retrata la vida de varios personajes, haciéndolas interactuar en conexión a la fama y el dinero. La ambición, la envidia, el rencor, la codicia y el desenfreno son combinados con el amor, el deseo de superación, el esfuerzo individual y el sacrificio; sentimientos que todos, alguna vez, sentimos. (Resumen sacado de Wikipedia)

Inheritance de Christopher Paulini: Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders. Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances. The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

The Hobbit de J.R.R. Tolkien: is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who lives in Hobbiton. He enjoys a peaceful and pastoral life but his life is interrupted by a surprise visit by the wizard Gandalf. Before Bilbo is really able to improve upon the situation, Gandalf has invited himself to tea and when he arrives, he comes with a company of dwarves led by Thorin. They are embarking on a journey to recover lost treasure that is guarded by the dragon Smaug, at the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf has decided, much to Bilbo’s chagrin, that the hobbit will make an excellent addition to the team and Bilbo is going to play the role of a burglar. As they start on their way, Bilbo has serious misgivings.

La mansión de los Stevenson de Antonio Lagares: A mediados del siglo XX, los jóvenes buscaban identificarse con movimientos que proclamaran la libertad como único fin. Fue una época marcada por la propagación de todo tipo de drogas entre estudiantes, artistas e intelectuales. Esta obra narra los problemas internos de una familia aristócrata inglesa. Uno de sus miembros intenta desenmascarar una absurda leyenda que pesa sobre el apellido Stevenson. De fondo, nos encontramos con las secuelas que la droga dura, como la heroína, va dejando entre sus adeptos.

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Reblogged from Live to Write – Write to Live:

Ten days into the new year and I’ve already broken the resolutions I didn’t make, missing a day of exercise, eating a dessert I’d sworn off, and skipping a day at my desk. Back in the years when I made resolutions, these deviations from perfection would send me into a tailspin of failure: If I missed a day of exercise, I’d give up exercising all together; if I ate a piece of cake, I might as well eat the whole thing; if I missed a day of writing, I’d better just accept my amateur status and throw …

We set resolutions every new year, but we should set goals as writers. Very helpful tips from a fellow writer.

When I think of this sense the only word that comes to mind is Mmmmm! Why not? Through it a number of emotions emerge from tasting food and wine. Let start for the sense of Taste will be a very interesting one and full of adventure and seduction.

The taste brings a sea of ​​possibilities. From tasting different feelings are born in our system, shared with a particular flavor and a mood.

Hugo Jesús Montenegro Ruiz in his monograph “The sense of taste” shares in conclusion:

The sense of taste, perhaps the closest of our five senses, has traditionally been considered unsuitable for analysis with a certain seriousness: too physical, too particular and personal. However, in addition to causing physical pleasure, eating and drinking are actions that harbor a symbolic and aesthetic value in the lives of people, and continually inspire writers and artists. Carolyn Korsmeyer explains how taste has come to occupy a place so low in the hierarchy of the senses and why it deserves more attention and respect.

Korsmeyer begins with the great Greek thinkers who classified taste as an inferior and merely physical sense. Then, presents a scientific view of the actual operation of taste and identifies multiple components in taste experiences. Focusing on the objects of taste, the food and drink, ‘observes the different meanings that have adopted in art and literature and in everyday life, and proposes an approach to the aesthetic value of taste to recognize the representative role and expressive of the meal. Korsmeyer’s consideration about art includes works that use the food in contexts sacred or profane, which seek to stimulate or suppress appetite. Her selection of literary passages meets macabre tales of feasting and stories of affinities arising around a table.

With its splendid illustrations and clear prose and appealing sense of taste is an appetizer for those who are curious to know the true meaning of a sensory experience as universal and deeply personal.

Let us take on the task of stimulating the taste, and start writing our experiences on paper.

“Nothing could get tired of eating and drinking if God had not made ​​a pleasure as a necessity.”-Voltaire

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Exercises for the palate and creativity

Is a delight to perform this exercises, and the thought activates my salivary glands, which reminds me of Pavlov’s dogs. We exercise the taste, while black and white catches our experiences.

• Go to your refrigerator and sample the fruits and vegetables in it. Did you buy ham? Try them, the prosciutto, one of my favorites, is salty and reminds me of a sunny afternoon, I like to accompany it with a glass of red wine.
• Speaking of wine, do you like it? Arrange to attend a class of wine tasting or arrange a get together with friends at home. Take notes of what others and the instructor will say about the taste of wine. You might ask your friends to take a minute and write in a note what the wines remind them of, what feelings arouse from it.  If you can, buy a bottle, usually in the back it gives a description of its taste, compare these with what you taste of it.
• We all have a cookbook in our kitchen, right? Open it at random and get cooking. Rejoice then and if you’re not good at cooking, just follow the instructions step by step, the results are unforgettable. Write the experience down, this is a great opportunity to combine the sense of smell and taste.
• What is your favorite flavor? What memories come to mind? Where does your soul go to when tasting this flavor?
• Escape to a restaurant you’ve always wanted to visit. In solitude enjoy it and write.
• Venture to try those foods and drinks you’ve never had, and sometimes ignore them in the restaurant or market.

Don’t forget to share your experiences with us here at Mink! Happy Tastings, dear writer and reader!

PS: You might also want to exercise this Senses: Hearing and Sight.

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 Para Tayro Alberto “escribir es un regalo del Cielo”, pues cree profundamente en la inspiración divina, afirmando que su primer poema “fue un regalo de Dios en momentos de soledad y meditación.”

“Las mejores horas para escribir son por la noche y en la madrugada”, cuando los ángeles bajan y tocan su corazón y su psique, nos explica.

Aquí uno los poemas de Tayro Alberto.

VITAL

Cual humectante natural…
es tu boca para mi piel.

Cual sol de un nuevo día…
es tu alegría para mi melancolía.

Cual refugio en el invierno…
es tu presencia para mi existencia.

¡Qué valiosa eres!…
¡qué vital es el amor!

¡Siempre palpitas en mí!…
no importa el tiempo,
no importan las olas y el viento,
no importa el imprevisible destino,
aunque tus manos ya no entibien mi vino,
aunque tus piernas ya no aprieten mi cinto y
aunque tus labios ya no absorban mi aliento.

Las hojas del calendario caen…
¡es Navidad!,
¡cuán incontables deseos de ti!,
no pido oro…
ni incienso…
ni mirra,
sólo anhelo tu cuerpo y carisma,
mi mujer ideal,
mi sublime sentir,
¡mi musa inmortal!

¡Serás mi sueño perenne!…
así tu ausencia marchite mi risa,
así la distancia me niegue tu brisa y
así mi esperanza no perciba más tu claridad.

Te esperaré…
aunque reconozco que duele ésta soledad,
porque eres la estrella que anuncia mi felicidad y
porque sin duda, para mi savia y para mi fuerza…
¡tú eres vital!

Mientras tanto…
escribiré poemas…
imaginándote a mi lado,
en mis brazos,
haciéndote idílicamente… ¡mía!

Para ponerte en contacto con Tayro Alberto puedes escribirle a su correo electrónico: tayroalberto@hotmail.com. Como a través de su Facebook.

I wanted to express my gratitude for the support you have given me this year 2011 that ends soon. But, especially, want to wish you, my dear readers, a wonderful Christmas. May the child Jesus bless you!

Lo que me entristece en esta parte de la historia es que tendré que poner fin a uno de mis personajes favoritos, uno que fue diseñado en alguien a quien amo mucho. Pero estoy segura de que haría lo mismo que este personaje de ser necesario. Con este sacrificio destrozaré el corazón de otro, pero abrirá sus ojos a la verdad y se encaminará de una vez y por todas a tomar las riendas de su destino y salir de la oscuridad. ¿Qué hará? Bueno, para eso hay que escribir la segunda parte de esta historia, que está visualizada para ser transformada de la imaginación a la palabra escrita a mediados del próximo año.

Hasta este momento, pues no he tenido tiempo para hacer un poco más por condiciones de salud, mi conteo de palabras es de 32,753 para el NaNoWriMo. Como la novela estaba comenzada antes del reto, el conteo total es de aproximadamente unos 130K. No he mirado atrás y ya sé que hay escenas que debo eliminar en la revisión y bajará el conteo de palabras, así como capítulos que debo dividir que me harán llegar a unos veinticinco. No estoy contando el prólogo y el epílogo, que son muy importantes.

Por el momento compartiré otro extracto de Ascensión Divina con ustedes. Este es del capítulo diecisiete Sentencia, espero lo disfruten. (Aún no he vuelto a él desde que le escribí, así que no está perfecto. Disculpen.):

A paso aligerado recorrió los pasillos del palacio con la elegancia que le caracterizaba. Su rostro sereno hacía de su belleza una majestuosa. Imuqaru, la Kahali que fue bendecida con la mirada de ojos violeta, estaba decidida en lo que debía hacer. “Gracias,” recordó haber dicho a su amado esposo Narwuti mientras ella descansaba boca abajo en su cama, con la espalda cubierta en gazas. Un olor a medicina inundaba el cuarto aquel día de sacrificios.

“No hay nada que agradecer,” ella le había contestado, el dolor era punzante en su espalda. “Era necesario y así aseguramos el futuro.” Él le sonrió y besó su mejilla. Toda la noche se quedó a su lado, pendiente a ella. Acariciando su rostro cada vez que el dolor regresaba a su espalda y le daba los medicamentos que el bohiqo le había ordenado tomara.

Dos guardias vigilaban la puerta del salón del Qaminani, al ver a Imuqaru que se dirigía hacia ellos se movieron a su encuentro dudosos para detenerla. En sus azuladas miradas se notaba la indecisión, ella se paró frente a ellos y les miró con autoridad.  Ambos tragaron y bajaron sus rostros, se movieron hacia un lado y la nabori de Imuqaru abrió las puertas. Todas las miradas de los presentes se tornaron hacia las puertas que se abrían de par en par.

Nariqah estaba en medio de ellos, frente a Arakoel y Orokoel Alnairu. Arakoel miró de inmediato hacia la puerta con un rosto serio, decidida en castigar a ese que se había atrevido a interrumpir. Al ver a su madre su rostro se tornó pálido y en sus ojos, que por siglos no habían reflejado ese sentimiento, se podía leer el terror que sentía su alma en ese instante.

Sí, mi hija, aquí estoy para poner un alto a tus planes, le dijo con la mirada Imuqaru. Arakoel inmediatamente se puso en pie, y caminó al encuentro de su madre, “No puedes estar aquí,” le dijo en voz baja.

Sus ojos se clavaron en los de ella, la serenidad aun le revestía. “No me has dado otra opción.”

“Piensa bien lo que vas hacer, antes que hagas algo de lo que puedas arrepentirte, madre.” Su respirar era aligerado, sabía el porqué ella estaba allí.

Puedes leer el extracto anterior de Ascensión Divina aquí, y agradecería compartieras tus comentarios. Un abrazo y saludos. Gracias por la visita y la inspiración.

Al leer qué era para él la literatura me senté a pensar si para mí significaba lo mismo. Como escritores deseamos tener todo el tiempo solo, para lo que algunos puedan denotar como un pasatiempo y que no comprenden cuando uno les dice “Soy escritor de profesión”. ¿Por qué? preguntan otros, pero la respuesta es sencilla y las palabras de Antonio a mi pregunta, sobre por qué es escritor, quedará por siempre entre las citas que han tocado mi alma de escritora.

Porque creo que se lleva en la sangre. No cabe otra explicación, porque para escribir hay que robarle muchas horas al tiempo libre, a tu familia, al sueño y todo ello, para posiblemente, que luego se quede guardado en un cajón. Se tiene que llevar dentro para que no termines cansado de no ver recompensa en tus esfuerzos.

Como forjador de letras a tenido sus buenas y malas experiencias y con las que me puedo identificar, “Mi experiencia con mi primer libro fue negativa al principio, aunque muy positiva a través del tiempo. Fue la novela “Viaje sin retorno”, la escribí con 28 años, y es ahora cuando una editorial se ha decidido a publicarla, después de tantos años”.

Entre sus publicaciones figuran “Gaviotas del Sur”, “Obsesión” y “La Rastreadora” (actualmente en editorial), así como los ebooks “Sentimientos Negros”, “Ángel de la Guarda” y “La Maldición de los Stevenson”. Pertenece a diversos grupos literarios y ha recibido varios premios como GEMMA de poesía (1986, Vizcaya) por la obra «Juventud Perdida» y el del CERTAMEN RELATOS CANAL LITERATURA (Murcia, 2008) por el relato «El día libre».

Antonio en cómo escribre:

VOZ: “Mi voz al escribir procuro que sea siempre diferente, la del personaje que construyo, no me puedo identificar porque entonces siempre escribiría sobre un mismo personaje.”

RUTINA: “Suelo escribir todos los días, por la mañana de 8-11, después por la tarde de 18-21, y algunas veces por la noche de 23 horas en adelante.”

REVISIÓN: “El proceso de revisión es muy complicado. Una vez escrita la novela, la dejo reposar unos 15 días y le hago una revisión. Después la dejo 3-4 meses y le hago otra revisión. Así hasta alcanzar las 4-5 revisiones. Mis novelas necesitan entre 2-3 años para decir que las he finalizado.”

CONSEJO: “El único consejo que puedo dar es la constancia, hay que escribir todos los días, se tenga más o menos ganas, se vea claro o no, aunque se cambie de registro o de género, pero todos los días.”

Puedes conocer más del escritor Antonio Lagares y su tinta en su página web, a través de Facebook, y seguir sus tweets en Twitter.