Thursday, September 22, 2011

First the Forest Then the Trees


The Girl Who loved Tom Gordon, a modern fairy tale by Stephen King, is also a good parable for writers.  It tells the story of nine-year-old Trisha McFarland straying from a hiking path and getting lost in the woods. 

She is tormented by insects, tested by the elements, trailed by a mysterious beast, and learns that “the world has teeth.”   An archetypal survival tale if ever there was one.          

So what does being lost in the woods have to do with writing?  Everything.  The protagonist finds herself in the vast unknown, “a place where the rules she was used to no longer applied.”    There was no outline for plotting a course out of the woods.  No instruction manual on survival.

In writing, do you always come full circle and end up where you started?   Or do you get lost among the trees in the forest, chasing one rabbit trail after another…

Until you lose sight of where you are, as I did when writing a novel once – which I finally managed to finish after five years of hunting jackrabbits.       
   
Of course writing the novel was never about fame or fortune – thank God - but about proving to myself that it could be done – and done well.  It was about surviving the wilderness without a compass.  About finding my way through the woods and coming out on the other side alive.   
     
Then comes the time for pitching to an agent and/or publisher.  I sent the first fifty pages to the former, the entire 350 page manuscript to the latter.  Long story short: rejection from both.  But it never deterred me from continuing to navigate my way through forests dark and deep.              


The Right/Left Brain Fusion

I’ve recently been studying right/left brain characteristics.  Right brainers see the forest first, then the trees.  The big picture, then the details.  They are masters at creating, but losers at innovation.

They finish books, then hide them in manuscript boxes in closets and move on to the next artistic project without having sold their finished products…   

Because when it comes to taking care of business and coming up with a selling strategy, their left brain seems to be in a coma.   What to do, what to do?   Remain a starving artist forever?    

Some folks are apparently adept at exiting the forest alive and getting their survival story out there.   Those most likely to find success with their creative ventures are switch hitters… 

You might be a switch hitter if you know how to shift gears from the right-brain creation mode to a left-brain innovation focus when you reach that juncture… Like a gifted baseball player who can hit the ball with his right or left hand, depending on the pitcher’s angle.             
        

Are you left brain dominant or right brain dominant?
Or have you succeeded in becoming a switch hitter?


If you aren’t sure, and would like to take the quiz before answering, go ahead, I’ll wait.


72 comments:

  1. Hi Debra:
    This talk about left brain vs right brain reminded me of a FANTASTIC book that was recommended by a friend of mine. The book was called:
    A Whole New Mind
    by
    Daniel Pink.

    I highly recommend it. Pink's theory that the world will shift in favor of right brained people makes sense after reading the book.

    Took the test above, Debra:
    60% RB. But I knew that EVEN before taking it.

    I knew that EVEN before reading Daniel Pink's book. Everything about me is Right Brained.
    --Librarian
    --Reader
    --Writer
    --Artistic (photography)

    Just to name a few.
    --
    Chris

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  2. Chris, funny you should mention that book, because it’s been on my mind recently, especially after reading this article about the shift.
    http://enterthebetween.blogspot.com/2011/07/meaning-is-new-money.html?showComment=1310698546198#c8383914666678143138
    In the words of Margaret Durate:
    The future, according to Pink, belongs to a very different kind of mind than we value today. We are moving from the Information Age, which values logical, linear, computerlike capabilities, to the Conceptual Age, which values inventive, empathetic, big-picture capabilities.

    That means artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, and consolers--Right-Brained thinkers, the "emotionally astute and creatively adroit whose distinctive abilities the Information Age has often overlooked and undervalued…

    YAY US!

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  3. Hi Debra....here after a long time and saw this interesting thing , never thought much about left and right brain functions. Mt test results show 52% left brain and 48% right....I am not sure if i am a switch hitter :)

    Enjoyed reading it.

    Want to read many of your posts i saw cursorily, will come back soon.

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  4. Hi Sangeeta – You took this test? Interesting, I’d have thought you to be more right-brained, since you are a poet, right? Maybe you’re just one of the lucky switch hitters who can, as you read in the post, shift over from right to left brain as needed. This is difficult for me, but it can be done ;-)

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  5. Oh, Debra, I am SUCH a right-brained person! After I, too, was rejected (or just didn't hear from) fourteen different agents, I closed up for awhile, though I have not given up on having my book published. I would rather spend time creating than spend time selling and promoting, but I know that is something I'm going to have to force the left side of my brain to do here in the near future.

    As always, an excellent and though-provoking (whether using right or left brains) post!

    Blessings, my friend!

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  6. I would be 63% RB according to the quiz. I just know that I learn by doing, no matter how many times I do it wrong, and that hearing someone tell me how to do it doesn't work at all. Somehow I tune it out and have no clue what they said 10 min. later. If I'm reading instructions I have to go over it try do do it then go back and read again, I may have to doe this a few times before I figure it out. Once I do though I can do it again with out an issue. I'm an odd bird really.

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  7. I found this a really interesting read. I now believe i am a switch hitter. I have learnt to allow my creativity to continue to flow as it always has, but now my logical brain can step in and get me to knuckle down and finish things off before i move on. Previously i was a typical gemini, never finished anything, always having a new wonderful idea to move on to

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  8. This was a great post Deb. I think writers should learn about this.

    I am ambidextrous. Never in my life have I ever clung to one way of doing anything. The only thing I do everyday with the same hand is when I am writing with a pen and that is right-handed. As the RA effects my bones more and more though I write with a pen less. My writing is legible with my left hand but, because I was raised in the era of creative handwriting I always used the hand that wrote the nicest script. I imagine if I had more open-minded people in my early life I may have been able to write the same with both hands. My daughter is also ambidextrous, and because I am, I knew exactly how to make sure her left was as strong as her right. She writes with her right hand as well. Those tests are fun to play with but, in my experience they are not accurate. There isn't a way to answer that is accurate 100% of the time. My day to day changes and sometimes I may do it one way one day and another day another way. When I was in Cosmetology school, out of 250 students I was the only one who got equal percentages when we were given a test about learning styles.
    (Visual/ Verbal Visual/ Nonverbal Tactile/ Kinesthetic Auditory/ Verbal) I am definitely a switch hitter, just ask my baseball coach. lol

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  9. Martha, I’ll be sending you a private FB message before long, about a business proposal – wonder how this will work for two right-brainers. However, I think you’ll be interested because it has to do with our passion: writing ;-)

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  10. Jan, I learn by doing too. Don’t give me instructions; SHOW ME. That’s exactly how right brainers think – exactly. Show don’t tell. Dramatize, don’t summarize. Skip the verbiage. Too many words and I’m lost in the woods of words. When trying to give me directions to a place, just tell me the street and that it’s directly across from Walmart. But don’t get complicated on me. K.I.S.S!

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  11. Larry – I’d have suspected you to be a switch hitter based on the subject matter of your writing. You seem able to get the ideas across in a clear-cut manner, with steps to follow in achieving goals and so forth. And I’m sure you are giving counsel that you’ve proven to be effective from your own life experience. Sometimes, maybe you can write a post on how to be a better switch hitter. Trust me; I’d be the first on board to learn how ;-)

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  12. My gut instinct (he he) told me that I used to be very right brained but have learned over time to put my left brain to use. Then I wasn't sure, so I took the test to see if any clues were there. I found that I was 44% - 56% in favor of the right brain. A little skewed by still pretty balanced, right?

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  13. Hi Debra, when I started school in the 1970´s they forced me to write with my right hand and I was actually left handed. To this day I struggle with certain things and this might sound funny but one of them is ironing! I cannot find a comfortable position to iron and always move the ironing board around or dance around it..lol! Crazy but true :) The other things is needlework and knitting :)

    Nelieta

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  14. Jenn – I know what you mean about the tests. They are fun to play with, but one test will show one result, while another will show a different. I should know, having taken at least five different ones! However, you do get a general accuracy overall. Most have me leaning strongly toward the right-brain hemisphere. One put me smack-dab in the middle. Of course I already knew that I’ve always been more right-brained. But I still found the tests amusing ;-)

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  15. Adriene - You’ve evolved over time to a switch hitter it sounds. Right-brained individuals have a natural ability to compose songs and poetry, write novels and plays, interpret dreams and even prophesy. Creative, visionary types can discern things intuitively and have advanced intuition.
    But when it comes to left brain function, some of us can hardly add two plus two without a calculator. Math seemed (to me) like rocket science in school :-( Glad I’m out of the system! *sigh of relief *

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  16. Nelieta - Shame on a system that forces children to fit into a mold for which they were never created. And of course this problem doesn’t stop with the handwriting, but encompass all subjects. Do you think your discomfort stems from your early school experience? Wonder how different it would be for you today if you’d been allowed to use your left hand. Would the ironing and knitting and needlework seem less awkward? Probably so, don't you think?

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  17. I took the test and I am about 56/44... ( left)An interesting test. My dominate on the Left side is sequential and least is logical! my right... least is holistic and dominate is fantasy oriented! I guess I live very much in Lala land!
    I am sure or could be wrong but this changes as we go through life experiences and age...
    Personally I feel that i am in between!

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  18. Savira - You balanced soul. Nothing wrong with living in Lala land on occasion… as long as you return ;-)
    Funny, but I’d have imagined you being RB dominant. Maybe it is true that we shift more toward the center with age. Some say that’s the case. Perhaps that has happened to me too. It would be wonderful to achieve perfect balance in all things, wouldn’t it?

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  19. Hmm apparently, based on the quiz I'm 41% left brain and 59 % right brain! Interesting post! I've tried to write books in the past...I usually can see the whole picture, my problem is the lack of discipline I think ;) I definitely think I could create more effectively a book that was nonfiction rather than one that is fiction...not sure if that tells more about what kind of brain I have or not! ;)
    ~blessings

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  20. very interesting read and i took the test 45 left 55 right. now i have to think about this, as i am very much a switch hitter even in baseball always have been. i have this problem of deciding which hand to use, it comes with dyslexia, at lest that what they tell me. ha ha i have fun thank you and god bless

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  21. Being DID (dissociative Identity Disorder) I am a switch hitter with lot's of players ..it's amazing the things that are all together ..and the drafts that are left to linger...ohhh why not..just unique...As always...XOXOXOXO

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  22. I am 51% RB and 50% LB...supposed to be more of a RB but I feel neither here nor there. But, I am more of the intuitive type....This has been both informative and interesting read. Thank you.

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  23. Jessica – well, I could have guessed you’d be mostly right brain ;-) Goes with the contemplative territory, I’m convinced. Seeing the big picture first (or the forest) is a sure sign. Having the concept in your mind, then working backward through the details does require a great deal of disciple though. Whatever you’re led to write, it works!

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  24. Roy – Wasn’t it fun taking a test that doesn’t “grade you” but just reveals how your mind works? How interesting that you’re a switch hitter in baseball. That must be some trick, or gift rather. Cowboy, railroader, baseball player… you’ve done it all! You’ve lived a colorful life dude ;-)

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  25. Bonnie – I’m just so glad you’re writing your stories down, no matter what form they take. You never know, you may just have a masterpiece somewhere in your head. You can take dictation from the players and see what they come up with ;-) Who are some of your characters? I think I’ve met a couple so far. But I look forward to hearing more.

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  26. Janu – I feel neither here nor there many days ;-) But you sound quite balanced to me. When you are centered between intuitive and logical, you’re in good shape. Were you an A+ student? I’ll bet you were.

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  27. Oh, you've just described me...although I've trained my left hand to do the exact things as the right :P...eating was a bit disastrous though... the spoon never reaches my mouth :P...

    I haven't crossed paths with this book by S. King... but it sounds like a mystery...

    In writing, well, most of the time, images come first, then the writing... I have to read my writings several times to keep up with the theme...hmmm...

    ahahaha... I want to be fully awake and aware...lest I go astray :P

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  28. Melissa – You always manage to stay on task (in your blog posts anyway ;-) Would it be safe to assume that you are predominantly right-brained then? Seeing images first, and then writing what you see? You make me think of a quote by E.M. Forster, “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?”
    You might be a writer if…
    Your car is rear-ended and your first thought is what metaphor you would use to describe the sound…
    You love restaurants that put a big sheet of paper over the tablecloth and leave you with a handful of crayons…
    More later….

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  29. Took the test and I am 53% right brain and 47% left. hmmm I guess I'm a switch hitter which is interesting when I played baseball I was a switch hitter also lol



    http://jpweddingphotograpy.blogspot.com/2011/09/photographing-our-road-trip-to-key-west.html

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  30. Jim – shh… I’ve been secretly profiling my bloggy friends, and have properly assessed their results, even before they took the test. Intuition? Educated guess? A little of both, I think.
    I’d have deduced that you are a switch hitter because you seem to have a perfect blend of artistic and tech savvy ;-)

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  31. Hi, Debra! --

    As we previously discussed I'm closely balanced between right and left brain, with a slight bias toward the right.

    Good news! My son, Joey, just signed with an agent for his novel! He was rejected by many before the right one came along, so don't give up hope. We've all heard the stories of Louisa May Alcott's may rejections, right?

    xoxox

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  32. Great post Debra! I've posted this to my Facebook page.

    I'm not sure on this one - perhaps I'm slightly more left brain than right, but can switch if the circumstances are right. I struggle with bringing the two sides together (or having the "time" for my right side), and appreciate how you've applied this to writing and publishing a book.

    One question that stood out for me - how do you think our intuition plays into all of this? Is that about creativity or innovation?

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  33. What an interesting post! I knew all along I was right-brained, but I think I'm easing into the switch-hitter lane. I'm 53% right and 47% left so I am becoming more balanced over the years. I am a creative all day and night, but I do respect and welcome certain types of structure. I think they marry well actually. Nice to read everyone else's thoughts.

    http://lyricfire.typepad.com/lyric-fire/2011/09/lyric-fire-who-am-i-soul-inner-viewing.html

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  34. Linda – I remember the test you took, and in fact I went to that link and took it myself. We both had the same results, with right brain leaning.
    I’m SO happy for Joey! You’ve heard it said of many well-known writers that they could have wallpapered their room with rejection slips. Persistence and tenacity is key .
    Thank you for reminding me of Louisa May Alcott’s many rejections; this actually makes my day!

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  35. Kristen - Thank you for sharing with your friends; bless you!
    Good question. How does intuition play into all this? From my understanding, the writing process involves both intuition and skill.
    I recently read a book that makes a very clear distinction between creativity and innovation. In a nutshell, “creative” is more internal; “innovative” more external.
    Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.
    Creativity = Ideas
    but
    Innovation = Ideas + Action

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  36. Tameka – I’m trying to do the same: veer into the switch-hitter lane when needed. This, I believe is the key to success in anything. But without the creativity first, there’d be no chance of innovation. It’s a simple matter of putting the proverbial horse before the cart… then taking off and going somewhere.

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  37. Years ago, I was living in Atlanta, Georgia studying therapeutic massage. During a Mind/Body class, we were given a test for brain dominance, i.e., to ascertain if we were left or right brain dominant. There were 19 people in my particular class and every single one of my classmates, except for me, were a firm left or right brain result. My test was neatly split into 25 answers in each category. I was convinced my Mom really had dropped me on my head as an infant and never told me, as I was clearly brain damaged. What did this mean??? I went to the instructor with my results and she got a big smile on her face.

    "We rarely see one of you," she told me.

    "...one of you". What in the world did THAT mean? Did I need an MRI? Was I dying? No to all those panic stricken questions. The answer was that I was this odd thing called "balanced brained". Yep, such a thing exists and can be quantified by the test I took. It means that I'm one of your "switch hitters" and that I see both sides of the coin with most matters. It also means that I endlessly analyze the petunias out of most matters and I can end up falling down my own personal rabbit hole if I'm not careful.

    Sadly, being balanced brained hasn't helped me achieve being published. Maybe someday it will. Until then, I'll spin myself into another endless trail of thought....where I see all sides and facets....

    - Dawn

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  38. Dawn, you are the one who actually inspired this post. I remember a comment you made some time ago that mentioned the psychological tests you’d taken ;-) And it got me to thinking; well maybe I should take a few tests myself. So that’s what I did. And so did Dangerous Linda.

    Before long I found myself researching the right/left brain subject, and then writing one draft after another… I know you’ve done that too, written drafts and put them on the back burner. But I couldn’t bring myself to post them because something about them didn’t feel quite complete. Some key ingredient was missing. Do I get a witness?!

    Then I read a post about 21st Century Writers by a guy who’d always known he was a writer, but didn’t know how to make a living on his craft. A good deal of his post was about the right/left brain conflict. You might enjoy it yourself. Here it is. http://www.copyblogger.com/truant-confession/

    xox

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  39. I inspired this post? Well, dang! How utterly cool is that?! I'm sort of flustered, but in a good way. It's so much fun to see how we have that stone tossed in the pond ripple effect on one another in the blogging world, don't you think? I regularly get inspiration for future posts by reading/commenting on blogging friends' work. I love this little serendipity wave that you and I seem to toss back and forth between us!

    Big Hugs!

    Dawn

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  40. Dawn, yes, you did inspire this post ;-) Thank you girlfriend, you always inspire!
    Big Hugs!

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  41. Debra - I'm 54% right brained and 46% left...I must tell you I'm always a little skeptical of tests like this because I figure out the pattern very soon and I'm not sure whether my answers then get motivated by the outcome I want to see! Am I making sense? If I'm not, then put me down in the no-brain category ;)

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  42. So much to think about, very interesting and inspiring too.... I think I'm more left brained..

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  43. I never thought about being one or the other until I started writing (seriously) and a good friend pointed it out. For me it was like coming out of the fog. In an instant, everything made sense and I stopped wondering why I was different from others in my life who were more scientific and proceeded in a linear fashion. They seemed to ..you know, 'together'. I tried to live like that but it didn't work. Funny. I was so naive and young.

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  44. Corinne – Not an exact science, I agree, but still amusing ;-) And the patterns are easy to discern after a few questions. It’s interesting to me to discover how they’re designed and to read what kinds of questions they ask, don’t you think? Just curious…did you know you were right-brain dominant before you took the test?

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  45. Being Me – What makes you think you’re left-brain dominant? You must have excelled in the sciences –yes? And I’ll bet you enjoyed math ;-)

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  46. Brenda - I used to think I was the only one who was dense because, well, I was not the linear-type thinker. Never have been, never will be. You’ve put in a nutshell exactly the way I felt for a long time. I too thought everyone else was so ‘together.’ And, like you, when I discovered the fact that I was just uniquely designed, I actually started appreciating me for who I am: an imaginative, creative individual ;-)

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  47. Thank you Debra for the test. I am 50/51 more right brain the test said. :) Interesting post. Thank you for posting it.

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  48. Debra, I am right-brained all the way! I've never had time or interest for silly things like math and logic. I'm all about spontaneity and free-spirited things that don't require a lot of planning. To me, predictable means boring and I go with my gut feeling when in doubt. I loved exploring the right and left brain possibilities. I wonder what it takes to be a switch hitter? :)

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  49. Sonia – I can see it. Your right and left brain are happily married ;-) A rare match, but opposites that managed to attract and stay together – and are successful as business partners too!

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  50. Bella – you and me both: whimsical, spontaneous, capricious, mischievous… we have a life! Who has time to sit down and worry about math problems or logical solutions? Predictable = Boring. Let us continue to color outside the lines and move where the spirit leads ;-)
    What would it take to be a switch hitter? If you come up with an answer, please let me know. Maybe hire a secretary to handle the business end for us? I’ve thought of that, truly I have.

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  51. Debra - I had guessed, but didn't know for sure. Of course these quizzes are enjoyable...I was only questioning my own honesty when doing them. :)

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  52. oh, how I love thee, just let me count thy ways...this topic has been with me for a long while and in fact, something I do not shake but carry around like a little back pack tucked just under my...yep, right there. See the lump? Its so important to understand the mysterious workings of our inner selves and this is a big chunk of how we respond to the world. You are a candle flickering in a dark cave.:)

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  53. Corinne – you mean like a preconceived notion that pulls our mind in a certain direction and sways the outcome. Yeah, I thought that already KNOWING I was right brained would probably determine which of the multiple choices I’d chose. Sort of a mind over matter deal.

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  54. Brynne – We are in that same Plato’s cave, with your light flickering in the dark too – and thank you for your bright light! I don’t believe most of the cave dwellers look into the depths for understanding of the inner workings of the soul, do you? I’ve always had a total fascination with psyche ;-)

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  55. Fascination with psyche? Ahhh, Debra, if you only knew.:) People talk about the depths of the ocean or the infinite realms of space...and all that is indeed fascinating but the psyche...thats the real journey of discovery for me. How I love having you in my life. Another explorer to hold hands with in the sky:)

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  56. Brynne, I just have to ask… are you a Jungian too? Jung just used the depths of the sea (or space) as metaphors for the depths of the soul! Everything outside of us seems, at times, just metaphor for the inner world. He claims that we have no earthly idea what a wealth of buried treasure lies beneath the deep sea of the unconscious. I’ll gladly hold hands with you and explore the heavens, if you’ll go on a scuba diving journey with me in search of hidden treasures ;-)

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  57. oh yes.. interestingly, Debra, I did excel at Maths, but I do love my poetry and my card crafts.

    BM

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  58. Debra,
    This is a very interesting posting about the left/right brain. I like the analogy of writing to getting lost in the forest. Many times when I'm writing, I get lost, and don't know where I'm going, or where I will end. Some way I make it to the end. Great posting.

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  59. Being Me – thank you for confirming my suspicion ;-) You might be a switch hitter if you’re good at both math and poetry.

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  60. Brenda Kay – Right brainer – yes? On getting lost in the woods… don’t you find it rather enjoyable chasing those rabbits at times? In poetry, I find myself less likely to get lost though ;-)

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  61. Great post! and such perfect timing as I am working through my first book and must soon switch to that selling part. I had always thought of myself as a switch hitter but we shall see :)

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  62. Aaron, that’s WONDERFUL! What age group are you targeting? I hope you ARE a switch hitter, because it will sure be helpful ;-)

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  63. There is a bridge between the right and left brain called the 'corpus collosum' and it's said (and damned if I can remember who said it) this bridge is more accessible (bigger?) in women than in men, thus allowing greater ease of movement from one side of the brain to the other...

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  64. I feel like the white rabbit "I am late.. I am late" ... Sorry for my tardiness at reading this great post ...

    I took the quiz... I am 52% right brain. I am almost worried at the results to be honest. (at how close to home it really is)

    After taking the test I had to be a bit nosey and see what others were saying... you know the fear of fitting in kicked in (just kidding)

    Larry's got my attention ... The typical Gemini.. I giggled at this one ... I had forgotten the "typical Gemini stuff" but not naive enough to believe that isn't my case...

    Ok I am rambling .. Really enjoyed this post as always Debra...

    Thanks
    Deb

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  65. Cathy – I SO appreciate the way you describe the 'corpus collosum,’ compared to the Google results I found ;-) Yep, I had to look it up because the term is new to me. I dislike wading through the verbosity of these, and found your simple description far better – thank you!

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  66. Deb – talk about the white rabbit! That’s me most of the time, at least when it comes to catching up on bloggy friends. I haven’t heard from you in a good while. Where have you been, gal? If I were to keep up with all my acquaintances in the blogosphere, I’d be online most of the day. It would be a full time job hopping here and there. So yeah, I understand 100%. Just don’t be a stranger again ;-)

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  67. Hello Debra, this is exactly what I feel w/ aging and knowing more about the world. Being raised in the province and transferring here in the city 8 years ago...as I thread through life here, it gives me the strong feeling that the rules I used to know no longer applies...

    I hope as any successful writer, I can also succeed w/ the life here in the city.

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  68. Lost for Words – I know you’ll do fine wherever you are, in whatever you do, with whomever you’re with. Some of us have a roadmap for life, and even though we do sometimes wander off the trail, we eventually find our way back. Bless you!

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  69. Ahhh, my friend...I studied many in my transpersonal psychology program but yes, Jung was my favorite by far. Of course he was! Have you read Marion Woodman? How I would LOVE to meet her in person! Oh, Debra...someday lets eat cupcakes with our feet in the sand! Wanna? Happy October, magic girl! lovelovelove:)

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  70. Of course I've read Marion Woodman, and Clarissa, and a host of wonderful Jungians.
    Cupcakes... what color? Orange?
    Happy Fall!!!

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  71. I am a right brainer for sure. But I am finding it necessary to be a switch-hitter to take my writing to the next level. I have always been able to activate my left brain as a teacher (all the paperwork and aligning lesson plans with standards, and of course -- my days in special education with all the paperwork)but it is right brain first then left brain matters. A great friend, who publishes a very successful magazine, Mamalode.com, gave me some great advice: "Stop thinking about your left brain and right brain opposing each other; it is the whole brain. Until you embrace this, you will only have a hobby. You need both to accomplish being an author, otherwise you just have a hobby." She nailed it and I have taken her advice and run with it. I do get caught up in the rabbit hunt and sometimes I marvel at the forest -- its beauty takes my breath away.

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    Replies
    1. Oh Megan, I know, I know. Right now I struggle with organization of manuscripts. I’ve seen the lovely, grand forest too, but when I set out on foot to identify the trees, I get lost in the woods :-( I just get lost. I’d like to take your friend’s advice and run with it. I can’t imagine, for me, writing just being a hobby. It’s a call.
      Vincent Van Gogh said, "Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do. With such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.” That’s what writing is for you and me. It’s a vocation. I’d keep doing it if I never received a penny.

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