'Yes, and...' A Valuable Tool for Creative People

I've heard Chris Grabenstein's presentation on his days as part of an improv group twice now, and each time I come away inspired. One of the techniques the actors used was to tack on "Yes, and..." to anything their improv partners said. So if Chris and a pal were doing a skit about stuffed animals, and the second actor said, "My teddy bear owns an elephant," then Chris would reply, "Yes, and that elephant is purple. I love purple elephants." Or whatever.

When you're involved in the creative process, there're a lot of "Oops" moments. Times when things don't go according to plans. My sister, the art teacher, has counseled me not to give up too quickly on my artistic endeavors. Instead, Meg says I should see what I can do with what I've already done.

Chris uses the "Yes, and..." technique in his writing. I'm trying to do more of that. I'll admit it certainly adds to the unpredictability of any plot! I think it will, ultimately, make my work more lively and interesting.

Recently, I used the "Yes, and..." technique when working on my Zentangle designs. I tend to think of ink as permanent, don't you? Well, it's more maleable than you might think. I learned this while trying to correct a tangle with a white ink pen. You can use the white ink over black ink AFTER the black ink dries. Of course, you can't always tell when black ink IS dry, so that's a challenge. And then because I was so "into" what I was doing, I forgot I was working with ink and not with pencil! I tried to smear the ink the way I would graphite. And guess what? I had a "Yes, and..." moment! I learned that you can smear white and black ink!

Here's a sample of my process:

I was disappointed with this tangle. It's an attempt at "Punzel," a tangle that takes practice.




I defined the ribbons a bit more and added circles to the outside of "Punzel," the main tangle. I've started the shading process with those lines in the upper right circles.

Okay, now I put white ink over the black lines and smeared the two inks with the paper blender and my finger. I also used graphite to shade around the bottom of the circles and of Punzel. Finally, I thought the shading on the fourth ribbon from the bottom was too heavy so I went back over it with my white ink pen. Ta-da! Much better I think!

So I'm curious...can you think of ways you can use "Yes, and..."?

Chocolate as a Natural Remedy & Giveaway!

I've been a chocoholic my whole life. Reading and eating chocolate is the ultimate guilty pleasure. Milk chocolate is yummy but eating dark chocolate is a great natural remedy for your health. In my writing I focus on natural remedies (and in my new mystery DEATH DROPS: A NATURAL REMEDIES MYSTERY) so this is something that I find interesting. Dark chocolate is one of the best natural cures around. That’s because dark chocolate is loaded with flavonoids, a kind of antioxidant, that protect the body from free radicals which can cause many chronic conditions such as heart disease. Dark chocolate is an effective natural remedy because it:

Reduces blood pressure by dilating blood vessels.

2. Lowers cholesterol

3. Slashes the risk of diabetes (by cutting sugar use and stopping insulin spikes)

4. Inhibits the clumping of blood platelets reducing the risk of blood clots and strokes.

5. Stimulates endorphin production, which makes you feel good

6. Contains serotonin which acts as a mild anti-depressant

7. Has theobromine and caffeine which is stimulating and helps you focus

8. Activates certain enzymes which help prevent cancer

9. The key with chocolate that is good for you is not to overdo. Just eating an ounce or two several times a week is enough to reap dark chocolate’s benefits. What kind of chocolate do you like best? Leave an answer and you may win a copy of Death Drops: A Natural Remedies Mystery! For more info please visit www.chrystlefiedler.com.

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What Do You Think

My panel discussion with Carolyn Hart and Kate Carlisle is this coming Sunday. It turns out all my worry about what to say was for nothing. Kevin Moore, the librarian who is organizing the event for the Anaheim Public Library Foundation and who also is the moderator of our panel, did something great. He sent me a list of the questions he is planning to ask.

I know that some of my mystery writer friends might have taken offense at one of the questions and probably would have gotten very defensive. The question is - What do you say to those critics who declare that mysteries are not important or relevant literature?

My answer is, I don’t care. I love writing mysteries, particularly cozies. I don’t care about them being important or relevant. I just want to tell a satisfying story, hopefully with a few laughs. I know when I read books like mine, I feel light and happy when I get to the end. That is what I hope anyone who reads my books feels.

Call me trivial, I don’t care. I just want everybody to have a good time.

I don’t feel the least bit defensive about writing cozies. And as for the people who put down cozies or mysteries in general. The easy answer why don’t they just read something else instead.

And the real truth is that only time will tell what turns out to be important.

Okay, everybody out there. Do you think mysteries are not important or relevant literature?