Ask the Author: Lila Devi
Answered Questions (7)
Lila Devi
Living in Northern California with global warming, severe drought, the onslaught threat of fires night and day invoking evacuation, and toxic, unbreathable air from nearby fires has make life here prohibitive for half the year. Some people, for age and health issues, are forced to move away. How to survive?
Lila Devi
The writing of "From Bagels to Curry" was prompted by the most difficult test of my life--learning 7 years ago that my father had Stage IV pancreatic cancer with only a few months to live. I suppose my reaction was that of a writer--to start writing. Something about the sheer intensity of those days with him drove me to write down everything--his process, my thoughts and feelings, some pretty spiffy flashbacks, notes of meetings with my 4 brothers, phone conversations, and also voicemails and emails from friends. The pre-release is available at http://spirit-in-nature.com/online-fl..., while the official launch through my publisher (http://www.crystalclarity.com/product...) begins in January, 2016. Eager to hear your comments on this read!
Lila Devi
A couple of books. There's always something on the literary burner. I've made great progress with an advanced book about Spirit-in-Nature Essences, the company I founded in 1977, a sort of sequel to "The Essential Flower Essence Handbook." The bulk of that material has come in seminars over the past few years, the programs themselves providing ample material to piece together a complete book. The interactive nature of what my students both draw from me and offer to the group as a whole creates a tremendous cycle of life force. Plus writing my latest/4th book, the spiritual memoir entitled "From Bagels to Curry," was so entertaining and engaging for me that I've already started a second book, a novel, which is somewhat in the flavor of "Bagels.". Being a writer isn't something one does for part of the day; it's a way of being. I find it's a way of living, of looking at life, of exploring more deeply into events and interactions where stories hide, waiting to be uncovered.
Lila Devi
Instead of putting on my reading glasses, I put on my writing glasses! I look more deeply into things. Nature. Beauty. A seed thought waiting to be expanded upon. Saying something in a unique, even quirky way. I like surprises - to surprise others and myself as well. For example, one of the chapters in my latest/4th book, "From Bagels to Curry," begins with a description of a flea who hitchhiked a ride on my body from the Sierra Foothills to Los Angeles. An unusual intro to a new chapter, but it seems to work.
Lila Devi
Just have fun! Some people are more disciplined, perhaps setting aside an hour a day to write; others work from an outline. I do neither. I let the writing, write me, without judging or criticizing myself. There's nothing like getting swept up in a tornado of inspiration and seeing where it takes you. Be really kind to yourself, have fun, and the rest will follow.
Lila Devi
To me, it's the pure joy of writing, the intensity, the creativity, the higher consciousness, the expansion of awareness; it's that place where the act of writing takes me. It helps me to dive deeper in my own understanding of this world, of Nature, of other people. And then there's the element of service to the readers in transmitting that art to them as entertainment, education, catharsis.
Lila Devi
Firstly, I deal with it just by knowing there's rarely, if ever, time to write and often not the mental space to do it. I try not to judge myself or to feel that every word has to be perfect. Most of my writing time is spent editing, like sculpting, until I'm really happy with what's been written. Sometimes I find it helps a lot to recall to mind the times when the writing really flowed; just the memory of those times helps to create the mindset to get in gear. Hope this helps!
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