Wandering Wednesday - Vienna, Austria

 By Morgan Tarpley Smith

 “The Butterfly and the Violin” by Kristy Cambron

A mysterious painting breathes hope and beauty into the darkest corners of Auschwitz—and the loneliest hearts of Manhattan.

Manhattan art dealer Sera James watched her world crumble at the altar two years ago, and her heart is still fragile. Her desire for distraction reignites a passion for a mysterious portrait she first saw as a young girl—a painting of a young violinist with piercing blue eyes.

In her search for the painting, Sera crosses paths with William Hanover—the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul—who may be the key to uncovering the hidden masterpiece. Together Sera and William slowly unravel the story behind the painting’s subject: Austrian violinist Adele Von Bron.

A darling of the Austrian aristocracy of 1942, talented violinist, and daughter to a high-ranking member of the Third Reich, Adele risks everything when she begins smuggling Jews out of Vienna. In a heartbeat, her life of prosperity and privilege dissolves into a world of starvation and barbed wire.

As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds beauty in the most unlikely of places: the grim camps of Auschwitz and the inner recesses of her own troubled heart.

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My Review of The Butterfly and the Violin

The story drops you right in the action with Sera in her long-time search for a hauntingly beautiful painting of a young Austrian violinist named Adele who lived in Vienna at the outbreak of World War II and wanted to make a difference despite the consequences.

Vienna, Austria

Sera and Adele’s stories merge after Sera’s search for the painting and her need to hear of Adele’s life leads her toward healing and a possible chance for love again amidst a broken past—something that Adele herself knew something about along her life’s journey that led to Auschwitz.

Cambron’s writing is fresh and sharp with beautiful and at the same time heart wrenching moments whether in an upscale art gallery of Manhattan or behind the ghastly barbed wire walls of the notorious Polish concentration camp. I learned a lot about the history of art and music at Auschwitz from this novel, and I so keenly felt for the innocent souls who spent their days—most final—there. This story is simply unforgettable.

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Wandering Spotlight: Vienna, Austria

My 234th cup of hot chocolate and plate of apple strudel (lol)

I was able to visit the city that Adele Von Bron called home when my husband and I were on our honeymoon in 2014. The city is gorgeous with ornate architecture from the Hofburg Palace to the St. Peter’s Church. 

We enjoyed walking around in the snow taking in its beauty! Also, we stopped in many cafes to enjoy a cup of Viennese Hot Chocolate piled high with fresh whipped cream accompanied by famous Viennese Apple Strudel.

The highlight of our stay in Vienna was our attendance at the Silvester Ball on New Year’s Eve at the Hofburg Palace. It was an incredible experience! I was all dressed up in an evening gown like Adele was for her special and very memorable concert performance for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (That scene! Wow!).

The Silvester Ball (or "Silver" Ball)

Also some members of a Viennese Orchestra performed at the ball as well as the Vienna State Opera Ballet. While in Vienna, we also paid a visit to the Christmas market in front of the lovely Schönbrunn Palace.

Vienna certainly did not disappoint with its charm and beauty, and I cannot think of a more extreme opposite to Auschwitz for Adele to have experienced in her journey than from the opulence of the city’s grand concert halls to the dank, cold bunkerhouses of the concentration camp.

Have you been to Austria before? If yes, what was a memorable experience you had there? If no, what would you like to visit most there?

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About the Author: Kristy Cambron

Kristy Cambron has a background in art and design, but she fancies life as a vintage-inspired storyteller. She is the bestselling author of The Ringmaster’s Wife, named to Publishers Weekly Spring 2016 Religion & Spirituality TOP 10. Her novels have been named to Library Journal Reviews’ Best Books and RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards Best lists for 2014 & 2015, and received 2015 & 2017 INSPY Award nominations. The Lost Castle (HarperCollins, 2018) is her fifth novel. Her first Bible studies, The Verse Mapping Series, will release in 2018.
Kristy holds a degree in Art History/Research Writing, and has 15 years experience in education and leadership development for a Fortune-100 Corporation. She loves storytelling from the stage and travels to teach about the intersection of walking story roads with Jesus, and Bible Verse Mapping. Kristy laughs daily with her husband and three sons, and can probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good read.

To order the novel on Amazon, click here. To find out more about Kristy’s other novels, visit her website at KristyCambron.com

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About the Reviewer

Morgan Tarpley Smith

Morgan Tarpley Smith is an award-winning newspaper reporter and photographer in Louisiana. She is also an inspirational adult and middle grade novelist. Besides writing and traveling to over a dozen countries, her interests include acting, genealogy, photography, and essential oils (Facebook: Pura Vida Louisiana). 

She resides in Louisiana with her husband and is expecting their first child in early 2018.  For more information about Morgan, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.

A Multi-tasking Writer’s Best Friend!

By Morgan Tarpley Smith

I think you will agree with me that - while I’m very grateful for the 24 hours that God gives me each day - there are just too many things that are left undone. There are always more things to do around the house, for work, with friends and family and with my writing to have much leisurely time to do much anything else.

So I’ve been faced with quite the conundrum for some time now. As an amateur novelist, how do I follow the advice of countless other authors to read, read and read some more… If my days were already crammed full with other responsibilities, how in the world will I read? 

Then, I made a discovery that I feel like I should have realized years ago. And since that breakthrough a few years ago I’ve been able to read dozens and dozens of books with my prior average being about one to two a month. I’d feel so bad for my ever-growing TBR pile, and the answer to this dilemma is now on my phone in an app and what I call a multi-tasking writer’s best friend—audiobooks!

I didn’t know about Audible until I saw an ad for it on Amazon.com and checked it out. I signed up for a free one month trial membership, got hooked and now I’m a proud and very happy member! It’s quite the bargain in my opinion at $14.95 US per month (which includes an audiobook credit a month), and the rest are heavily discounted. There are also several other plan options as well.

Plus the added bonus is that since it’s an Amazon company if I order a paperback or Kindle edition of certain qualifying books then I can get that book as an audiobook for under $5. There is also an email update you can sign up for through the site that sends you a notice to what the Audible Daily Deal is for that day.

For optimum use of Audible, I downloaded the Audible app to my iPhone as well as downloaded the audiobooks straight to my iTunes account. It really couldn’t be easier. And once I’ve downloaded my audiobooks to the app I use my iPhone to listen to the books. I plug up my headphones, slide the device into my pocket and get cleaning or organizing. It turns tedious tasks into dually productive ones, and I can’t imagine how I’d get by with reading more books per month without using this service.

Of course, there are many other options for listening to audiobooks besides Audible.com and CDs, so here are a few to investigate:

http://websearch.about.com/od/booksandprintedmaterials/tp/Free-Audio-Books-The-Best-Ten-Websites.htm

https://www.scribd.com/audiobooks-join?source=google&medium=cpc&campaign=Audiobooks+-+US&adgroup=General&keyword=Audio%20books

http://www.audiobooks.com/learn_more

http://www.loyalbooks.com/

http://www.audiobooks.org/

https://www.youtube.com/user/audiobooksfree

Do you enjoy listening to audiobooks? If so, do you use another audiobook source like Audible? Do you use audiobooks to multi-task?

Morgan Tarpley Smith

Morgan Tarpley Smith is an award-winning newspaper reporter and photographer in Louisiana. She is also an inspirational adult and middle grade novelist. 

Besides writing and traveling to over a dozen countries, her interests include acting, genealogy, photography, and essential oils (Facebook:Pura Vida Louisiana). She resides in Louisiana with her husband and is expecting their first child in 2018.  For more information about Morgan, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.

“Zoom” into a New Way to Brainstorm

By Morgan Tarpley Smith

Technology is ever evolving and as writers these type of advancements can be super helpful but also possibly overwhelming. But one new technological method has brought brainstorming with fellow writers from across the country to a whole new level for me – and it’s called Zoom.

Several weeks ago, I took part in an online video conference with three fellow writers and it couldn’t have been easier or more fun. 

The best part was that we were all in different states and time zones. We chose a time that fit us all, and we joined in to talk through one of our manuscripts. I even used my Kindle Fire for it, which was awesome.

Now, let me tell you more about this awesome technology called Zoom. Zoom is a private company headquartered in San Jose, Calif. Founded in 2011, Zoom is a leader in modern enterprise video communications that offers a secure, easy platform for video and audio conferencing, messaging, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems.

Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in conference, huddle, and training rooms as well as executive offices and classrooms. Zoom helps over 650,000 businesses and organizations bring their teams together to get more done.

The Zoom app is free, and it was free to sign up to have our meeting. All we had to do was create a log-in and then was click on Start with video to start a video meeting. The next step was to click on Schedule to set up the future meeting. Then, we had to join the meeting when we were sent an invite. It was fairly simple, and we were able to speak uninterrupted and with no issues.

The free version allows for 40 minute meetings with up to 100 participants, but you can have unlimited meetings. You also have unlimited one-on-one meetings. We could see each other on the screen in our own little boxes, and I had flashbacks from “The Brady Bunch” show intro. (ha!)

Have you used Zoom before? If not, what other technological methods have you used for online brainstorming? What has worked best for you?

Morgan Tarpley Smith

Morgan Tarpley Smith is an award-winning newspaper reporter and photographer in Louisiana. She is also an inspirational adult and middle grade novelist. 

Besides writing and traveling to over a dozen countries, her interests include acting, genealogy, photography, and singing. She resides in Louisiana with her husband and is expecting their first child in 2018. For more information about Morgan, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.

"Escape to the Country" and Write!

By Morgan Tarpley Smith

These past two weeks have been a little rough for this writer. I woke up one morning with a sore throat, and it quickly progressed into a really bad summer cold complete with runny nose and coughing until my whole head and neck were sore. I usually get hit pretty hard by these type things, but I usually can take some strong meds and knock it out.

Not this time though because I am currently 11 weeks pregnant, and there are not many strong meds you can take. Therefore, I found myself home from work several days and over the whole weekend. All I could do was take the meds I could, drink hot tea, and lie on the couch. By day two, it was taking its toll on me.

I tried to write. I tried to read. I could not focus on anything. I could barely get up off the couch. My head pounded, and I coughed nearly constantly. What was I to do?

Enter Netflix. I don’t watch many movies or television programs. I tend to write and read with my spare time. But scanning through Netflix’s offerings, I spotted a show that ended up saving my sanity and my writer’s mind over the course of nearly two weeks. It’s called “Escape to the Country,” and it truly was the escape I needed at the time.

It’s the neatest show – a combo of house hunting meets rural documentary. The show focuses on helping prospective buyers view three country home options in the U.K. with most of the shows filmed all over England. The buyers view the houses during the episode but also have a local experience with something of interest to them and the show’s host also experiences something that’s locally noted.

There is only one season on Netflix with 22 episodes. Each episode is 43 minutes in length – and I have now watched them all in just under two weeks. It was the escape I needed from my illness, and it also was what I needed to engage my writer’s mind – even if my mind was bit muddled at the time.

All the special little tidbits of British history and that county’s way of life definitely inspired me for future novels and trips to the U.K. You never know where inspiration will come from next.

Do you have a movie or television show that has inspired you recently in your writing or just in general? I’d love to hear about it.

Morgan Tarpley Smith

Morgan Tarpley Smith is an award-winning newspaper reporter and photographer in Louisiana. She is also an aspiring inspirational novelist for adults and middle grade students. 

Besides writing and traveling to over a dozen countries, her interests include acting in her local theater, genealogy, photography, and singing. She resides in Louisiana with her husband.

Writing Workshops & Writer Renewal

By Morgan Tarpley Smith

With our writing we all have hang-ups or road blocks from unexpected life happenings, jobs, families, and just the business of life – and as writers I feel we can all use renewal with our writing to remind us of our spark for that certain story project or just our passion for writing in general.

My ACFW-Louisiana chapter held our second annual writer’s workshop this past weekend, and I’m feeling seriously refreshed. The workshop was filled with such practical information for writers at any stage in their journey that I’d like to share some of the highlights with you.

The workshop was led by the petite fireball of a lady named DiAnn Mills, who just so happens to be a bestselling and award-winning author. She engaged our minds and hearts through her sessions and wit. Her sessions focused on characterization, plot, backstory, emotions, and more. She’s also written a book on writing called “The Dance of Character and Plot.” You can check it out here.

Here are some of my favorite tidbits from her sessions:

-Think about your favorite book or movie. It usually goes back to the characters. Now with our books we have to give our reader an adventure like they are those characters not like they are only reading about them.

-Remember what Helen Keller said about character—“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved.”

-Your story has to entertain and inspire the reader to be a better person and encourage the reader that no matter what they face there is a positive solution.

-Man was created with three distinct needs: relationships, significance and security. When man decides to try to fill those places with something other than God that’s where flaws come in. Even in our writing this is how to flaw your characters. Even if you’re not writing a Christian novel you can still have morals. Whether a protagonist or antagonist, the character must have at least a moral code that guides them.

-James Scott Bell says, “Every character faces a kind of death.” Some of these “deaths” are physical or occupational but they are always psychological.

-Character motivation is the match that lights the flame of your novel.

-Heroes are not victims. They may have been victims in the past, but they are not anymore.

-Avoid character flaws in the first 50 pages or so because we want readers to fall in love with our character.

Bestselling author DiAnn Mills

-Everything your character does to get out of trouble should only make it worse. This is the key to any novel if you want to show growth or change in a character.

-All novels need stress, tension and conflict. It has to look like our protagonist will fail.

-Story always trumps structure.

-A setting has to be antagonistic (Ex: a co-worker you don’t like creates a hostile work environment for you)

-Put your character in the worst situations possible (at that point). Keep writing things down until you get past your first ideas.

-Your character has to face the consequences of their decisions/choices. What if you have your character choose between two wrongs instead of two rights.

-Emotive conflict is when you want something but also want something else. (Ex: I love living in the country, but I also want Starbucks.) Emotions should be constantly at war or conflict with each other. Our character’s reactions to the world around them is emotive conflict.

-The seven universal emotions are surprise, fear, sadness, disgust, happiness and contempt. Make sure your characters experience all of them.

-Whose POV should be used in a scene? The character who has the most to lose.

Do you have some gems of advice from writing conferences and workshop to share? Please do! And best of luck to everyone on their writing journeys!

Morgan Tarpley Smith

Morgan Tarpley Smith is an award-winning newspaper reporter and photographer in Louisiana. She is also an inspirational novelist. Besides writing and traveling to over a dozen countries, her interests include acting in her local theater, genealogy, photography, and singing. She resides in Louisiana with her husband. For more information about Morgan, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.

A Maze of a Writing Journey

By Morgan Tarpley Smith

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle in southeastern England is one of my absolute favorite places in the world. The castle is beautiful and unforgettable in its own right, but what stood out to me the most during my visit was the hedge maze. (So much so it’s featured in my latest novel but more about that in a minute.)

Thinking of this truly memorable maze brought to mind an interesting parallel to my writing. You see, my fiction writing journey resembles that maze.

My actual foray into novel writing began about seven years ago in Young Adult fiction with the birth of two very different book series. The problem was that two years later I still hadn’t completed a single book, and today they remain unfinished. Therefore, this maze path led to a dead end.

In the meantime, I turned from it and headed in another direction, a completely different pathway—a very long and winding one that has lasted the past five years with many more writing conferences, numerous writing critiques, writing research and the completion of my first novel manuscript—except this one was in the adult inspirational genre.

Maze at Leeds Castle

The problem was it truly wasn’t finished and was in desperate need of extensive and involved rewriting to start resembling a publishable manuscript. For many reasons, it remains unfinished today; though, I know it I will finish it one day, but I have way more to learn about myself and writing before that time.

So, that path isn’t a dead end per say but more of a “I’m going in another direction at the moment.” And, right now, that’s where I am—maze path #3 of Middle Grade fiction.

For many years now, I’ve been quite passionate and intentional about fostering imagination and self-confidence in young children. As a trained journalist and through my work with our local newspaper, I’ve had many amazing opportunities to share in classrooms about my job and writing in general—including my dream to be a published author. A few years ago, an idea sprouted in my mind to merge these passions—and, viola, my MG series was born.

Middle Grade Research!! How fun is this?!

The books follow a ten-year-old girl and her twin brother who travel through Europe one summer with their aunt and grandmother while their aunt completes various photography assignments for travel magazines. The girl dreams of being a writer, but she needs encouragement and direction—therefore her aunt steps in and enrolls her in a young writers’ class in London that gives her the tools and the confidence to start writing stories inspired by each country they visit that summer.

And, guess what, I recently completed Book One in the series which is set at Leeds Castle and features the maze in a big way. I’ve already begun the next book set in Ireland. With this series, I feel completely prepared to write compelling characters and enticing story arcs after all my years of research and practice. I am, in no way, saying that these books are simple and basic, but they are much less challenging for me to write than that adult novel that right now is still way over my head.

The end of the maze

But I’ve finished a book, and it’s still complete after thorough editing and polishing. This maze path has led me closer to my goal, closer to the end of the maze prize. All those maze paths that seemed like they led absolutely nowhere are all part of the experience, the learning process, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I continue to learn so much and it all makes getting to THE END so much sweeter.

Is your writing journey a maze too? Have you switched genres? If yes, was it easy for you? Did you have dead ends? I’d love to hear from you!

Also, are there any middle grade authors out there? I’d love to meet you and join the MG party! 😊

Morgan Tarpley Smith

Morgan Tarpley Smith is an award-winning newspaper reporter and photographer in Louisiana. She is also an aspiring inspirational novelist. Besides writing and traveling to over a dozen countries, her interests include acting in her local theater, genealogy, photography, and singing. She resides in Louisiana with her husband. For more information about Morgan, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads. 

Lessons Learned in Fiction Writing

Guest Post by Alexis A. Goring

Hi everyone! My friend and fellow journalist, Alexis A. Goring, is visiting our blog today as my guest and sharing some really great lessons she’s learned in writing fiction. Thanks for joining us, Alexis! – Morgan Tarpley Smith

I’m a new author whose first book was self-published by Crossbooks in September 2013. Four years later, my second book was traditionally published by Forget Me Not Romances and in that four-year gap, I learned a lot of lessons in fiction writing. As a result, I’ve grown as a writer.

This guest post is for aspiring authors who would like to take a page from my lessons learned so that they too can grow as a writer.

So here are a few of the main points from my lessons learned after working with my God-sent editor Liz Tolsma:

#1: When writing romance for the CBA market, your hero and heroine should meet in the first chapter. It took me a few times to get this one right because I struggled with what I thought was ruining the flow of my story because with the original draft of my most recent story, the hero and heroine did not meet until Chapter 3. I held fast to the thought that everything that happened before Chapter 3 was important and needed to be there. But I was wrong and after I followed this rule, my story (to my surprise) flowed better.

#2: Before you start writing a story, take time to determine the emotional/physical/spiritual GMC (Goal/Motivation/Conflict) of your main characters. I used to simply create a few “character sketches” for each my story’s main characters and then dive into writing the story. The character sketches included a brief overview of details like my characters’ age, role in the story, background, strengths, weaknesses and ethnicity. Each sketch only spanned one page. But my editor sent a GMC chart to me and informed me that after I filled out the chart for each character, I would have a better handle on who they are and how to use them in my story. She also told me that their goal cannot “only be to fall in love.” She challenged me to delve deeper into their psyche and discover their innermost motivations and desires. She said that my story would be more solid as a result of this. She was right!

#3: Don’t make your characters too perfect. They need to have at least one character flaw. This is actually the challenge I faced after filling out the GMC chart and character profiles for my third book that I’m working on now. My editor reminded me that imperfect people make a more interesting story. You’ll have to wait until my next book is published to see the result of that advice!

#4: Know what makes your character tick and use it. Conflict makes the story. Don’t allow your characters to have smooth sailing in every scene. I applied this concept in A Second Chance in the scene where the hero gets mad at the heroine because she broke his trust by keeping a secret that affected him, from him. He had issues with honesty in his relationships so this discovery of her secret really threw him for a loop and created a rift in their romance.

#5: Every scene should build the tension. I had to learn how to “write tight” in a whole new way. As a trained print journalist, I already knew how to write news and feature stories that were “precise and concise.” But I learned that when writing fiction, I needed to really tap into the emotions of my characters and draw out their desires in a way that makes the plot thicken.

#6: Always end every scene in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next. Use “cliffhangers.” My editor told me that I don’t want my readers to stop reading halfway through the story because the way that I ended the previous chapter led the reader to infer that everything would work out perfectly and have a happy ending. So she taught me how to write in a way that left the reader at the edge of metaphorical cliff when they reached the end of each chapter, leaving them with no choice but to continue to the next chapter to satisfy their curiosity.

#7: Invest in an emotional thesaurus. So I bought this book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression, and it was worth my investment! This book provided in-depth guides covering how to write deep emotions in a creative way. So instead of just saying, “She was astonished”, I can say “her eyes widened” (physical expression), “her heart seemed to freeze, then pound” (internal sensation), “Her mind momentarily forgot everything else” (mental response). After reading that, your mind can paint a picture of her being astonished, right?

I could go on for a while, but those seven points were some of my most important lessons to learn that once applied, helped me to grow as a fiction writer. So my closing message to aspiring authors is this: Be encouraged in your writing journey! Never give up. Keep learning, growing, and writing books. God bless your dear hearts!

Alexis A. Goring

 

Alexis A. Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ. For more information, visit her website at www.screenwriteralexis.com and her “God is Love” blog, http://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com or through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Goodreads. Her novella, A Second Chance, can be found here.

 

A Second Chance

Newly single food critic and newspaper reporter Traci Hightower is done with dating. After the man of her dreams left her at the altar on their wedding day and ran off with the woman she thought was her best friend, Traci resolves to focus on work and resigns herself to being a bachelorette for life.

Marc Roberts is a political reporter who is known as Mr. Nice Guy, the one who always finishes last. However, Marc’s compassion and kindness are of invaluable help to his newly widowed sister Gina Braxton who is trying to raise her two kids in the wake of her firefighter husband’s death.

Traci and Marc may be the perfect match, but they don’t know it yet. With God’s guidance and the help of Gina’s matchmaking skills honed by her career as a bestselling romance novelist, there is hope for a happily ever after for these two broken hearts.

Fuel Your Creativity By Scent

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By Morgan Tarpley Smith

Aromatherapy is not something this writer has paid much mind to over the years. I don’t particularly care for candles, and I only use a select few lotions and products of that nature, but the more I’ve heard about essential oils the more I’ve become interested in them.

The first time I saw an essential oil diffuser I was backstage on opening night of my theater group’s latest production. It was a tremendously challenging play, and we needed all the help we could get, so one of my fellow actors broke out her diffuser that puffed a little trail of pleasant-smelling near-translucent smoke into the air for boosting memory and mental clarity.

My diffuser at my bedside along with some research & reading

Over a year later, I decided to try it out myself. I bought a diffuser along with Eucalyptus and Vanilla essential oils. I’ve used it nearly everyday in the evening before bed to relax. It’s really comforting, and the visual puffs of steam combined with the sound and smell add to the calming effect.

My writing partner recently sent me a fascinating article about essential oils to use for focus and creativity for writers. I definitely wanted to learn more about it, and I thought so would you. The link to the article is here.

“Helping ourselves be creative as writers is not always as hard as we might think, we can of course challenge ourselves to try new things, explore new ideas and try new writing places, all of these can help with the flow of new ideas aiding our creative process immensely. But a very simple method to encourage creativity may be resting right under our noses.

“Aromatherapy has been credited for many different uses, from heath, relaxation, massage, creativity and focus and as a writer I know that I am always looking for a way to expand on those last two items. Creativity and focus.

“Essential oils have long been known to be able to elicit emotional response in many of us, helping to create moods, relax and of course uplift our mental attitude all of which can be a great aid in helping with the creative process of a writer. By using our sense of smell as a tool for creativity we are aiding our own natural senses with the process of memory, stimulating our emotions and activating our brain via the limbic system. The limbic system is responsible for pleasure, emotion and of course memory, the more times that we have smelt a particular scent the more we are able to retain a clear picture of a past memory or experience, create patterns of new habits and entice our senses towards the different moods and energy needed for the creative process that is writing.

“Choosing the right essential oils for you - There are so many essential oils available to us in this modern world that it may be a bit confusing to know which ones are right for you and the mood you are hoping to encourage within your creativity. So take a peek at the list below for some of the best essential oils known for their ability to promote focus and creativity.

Bergamot - this wonderful essential oils is a great aid with keeping you alert and focused helping to keep your flow of creativity constant, while keeping stress levels from rising

Cinnamon - a great essential oil for helping to raise focus and feelings of happiness as it helps to lift and motivate our senses, known for its ability to promote love and harmony

Cloves - This essential oil is well known for its ability to help with creativity and helping to create a greater understanding of self all the while creating an environment of contentment which is very pleasant to work within

Cypress - an essential oil which is great for its ability to help you focus while boosting your self confidence and self awareness in a calm relaxing manner

Eucalyptus - A great fresh smelling oil that is very useful in boosting creativity, understanding, mental clarity and even enthusiasm a great aid for many writers

Lemon - As an essential oil lemon is great for helping with concentration, creativity, focus and even helps create a joy positive attitude

Frankincense - an uplifting essential oil that is great for creativity, performance, concentration and helps to provide a joyful peaceful environment to write

Geranium - a great oil for helping with the self-esteem while creating a relaxing uplifting atmosphere (mixed into a carrier oil and applied is also great for relieving the symptoms of headache)

Grapefruit - a very useful essential oil, grapefruit helps with performance, alertness, confidence and of course inspiration

Jasmine - One of my personal favorites this essential oil is fantastic with boosting your confidence, raising your happiness and of course helping with creativity and performance. A must have in my opinion

Neroli - A good essential oil that aids in many types of creativity fostering a good sense of peace and personal contentment helping to calm nerves and reduce stress

Peppermint - A great essential oil for renewing the mind and lifting a flagging spirit helping to create an alert mind ready for new things

Rose - This essential oil is often used in massage for its ability to uplift the spirit and create feelings of romance and love, it is also very good in helping us writers to create in a joyful happy manner, especially if romance is your genre

Sandalwood - is a great essential oil for writers who are struggling with self doubt or writers block. This wonderful oil is very useful for lifting flagging spirits, instilling self confidence and self awareness while creating a peaceful work environment for which you can start afresh in

“Scent is a powerful tool in activating many different parts of our brains, so when choosing your oils start with the ones that appeal to you the most, and slowly experiment with others as you go. As time progresses you may even find yourself combining your favourites into scents that are all your own…”

Do you use essential oils? If so, have you used any listed above? Which oils are your favorite to use for writing?

Morgan Tarpley Smith

Morgan Tarpley Smith is an award-winning newspaper reporter and photographer in Louisiana. She is also an aspiring inspirational novelist. Besides writing and traveling to over a dozen countries, her interests include acting in her local theater, genealogy, photography, and singing. She resides in Louisiana with her husband. For more information about Morgan, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.