I was watching an episode of Finding Your Roots the other night, and Glenn Close was one of the people searching for her past. She made a comment about creativity that I took to heart. In her case it was fueled by anger and it made me ask myself what fueled my writing. It was usually some emotion that spurred me to construct a story, at times to purge a demon, express a belief or burn away some resentment.

I discussed the theory with a friend yesterday and this morning I got a excerpt from the “To My Readers,” section of a book she’d picked up to read. The author mentioned the mudslides in California, and how it caused the kind of death and destruction that touched her heart. The book she’d just written was based on what the aftermath might be like for a lone survivor. It answered a “what if” question that is key for most writers. In her case, it was more of what might happen if you lost your whole family to a natural disaster.

I believe that emotion is what moves our intentions. It’s E-motion, energy in motion, which propels all things to a conclusion.

My Fire and Ice series was born and nurtured by vexation, fear and a dose of frustration.

My Everyday Goddesses series was brought to life by a deep abiding belief that women needed to take back their power, and become valued, respected and an integral part of human consciousness. For thousands of years the world has been heavily partriarchal, something that needs to change so we might restore balance and renew our sense of community. It’s not only about women gaining ground by using their voice. Men hold this most sacred of feminine energies within, and its time for them to tap into it, and in the process regain their humanity. The series expresses this creative element through both the female and male characters. The women have taken on roles in society that have consequences. The men respect who their women are, love them without reservation, and celebrate their power and their voice. Just how it should be.

I’m angry again. It seems it’s time to channel that into a new series, one which I’ll be working on as I finish up my last two scheduled books for Everyday Goddesses. It’ll be interesting to see how it manifests, which characters I’ll develop to channel my emotion through. I’ll be asking what happens if… and see where it leads me.

Alchemy is the miraculous process of transformation, and writing is the method through which I create change, bring about clearing, and find my way back to love and acceptance.