Christmas in July

I think the creative muse likes to appear during stormy weather. What could be in the flash of lightening, rumbling thunder and torrential rain that delivers the creative muse? When rain is literally pouring from the clouds, words seem to fall just as fast on the page. The key element for me may be “paper.” When cloud to ground lightening is fierce outside, I pick up pencil and paper, not my laptop. I don’t analyze the idea. I don’t edit. I capture the words entering my awareness. That’s it. Stormy weather sparks a different process. The next morning, I type the words into a Word doc. (Then I edit.)

The creative muse arrived on July 28, 2009. During the storm, a familiar character from Alpha Company arrived as an idea. In my imagination he appeared similar to a cut-out photo. The idea of him caught my attention. "Why?" (His presence suggested an answer. An interesting twist, I thought.) Two other soldiers stepped into my writer's awareness. "Why them?" I wondered. The book was complete. It could have been easy to dismiss the unexpected - seemingly disconnected - idea (plus, it was war again). But it arrived with a creative "Pay Attention" presence. So... I said yes to exploring the idea. The words flowed. It was fun - the process not the scenes. By the end of the night, I had something.

The next day I received a package in the mail from Don S. The package included a letter, two books and other significant writing. In his handwritten letter was a connection (an answer) to the story that fell on the page the night before. I paused in total wonderment after I read his words and received the answer to "Why them?" They were the three platoon leaders. A fact I had forgotten. Of course, Sophy would go with them, she trusted them and they had something they wanted to show her.

There are seven rounds in Illumination Rounds. Some of the final words from Round 7:
Sophy looked at John, Gary and Frank, “Why me?”
“You remembered,” said Frank.

Sophy went with the three platoon leaders and they guided her through the remembrance of the Christmas Truce. It was a place Sophy wouldn't have journeyed to by herself. The location was dismal; the described smells aren't ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon; and the visuals aren't easy. It took me many passes as a writer to see the soldiers burying the dead on Christmas. Yes, it was part of the truce. The story brought a new level of awareness on the ground of remembrance. There is a gift in 'Illuminated Rounds' but most often it takes a lot of time to see it.