What's Behind a Book Title - Symbolism or Something Else

"Dragonfly" detail, acrylic painting ©Mary Montague Sikes

What's behind the title of my current book project? I started thinking about that last night when a friend at the Fitness Center where I workout asked about it. Dragonflies in the Morning is the title, I told her. Her face lit up and she wanted to know the meaning of my title.

It's complicated. It isn't worked out yet. There's lots of back story.

My book is a romance about relationships, danger, intrigue, and the death of a mother my heroine never really understood. The title is symbolic in many ways, some of which I don't yet know.

Worrying about the meaning of my title is a perfect topic for the insecure writer. There are too many questions. Too many ways this might go wrong?

Thank you Alex Cavanaugh for the Insecure Writers Support Group. It is much needed for writers of all levels. Perhaps we never cease being insecure.

Now I am waiting for the characters to take over. They are late in doing so.

What about you? Does the underlying meaning of your title concern you?

"B" is for Bryce Canyon National Park

As soon as I saw an image of Bryce Canyon National Park, I knew it had to be on my bucket list of places to visit. The reds and oranges of the hoodoos drew me in. What artist would not want to go there, camera in hand with visions of paintings yet to come? The hoodoos are actually spires of rock carved by wild winds of erosion. How glorious the scenery there must be.

We were within 50 miles of the park when we visited Antelope Canyon two years ago. At least, I think we were that close. From the map, it appears the roads are more remote than those we traveled to the Grand Canyon. Bryce has fewer visitors than the other parks in the area.

"Is There Hope?" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Mormon settlers came to the Bryce Canyon area in the 1850s. It's named for a homesteader, Ebenezer Bryce, who arrived in 1874. Bryce Canyon isn't a canyon at all but is a series of natural amphitheaters on the eastern side of a plateau. It's elevation varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet.

All those travelers who enjoy unforgettable scenery will want to put Bryce Canyon National Park on your bucket list as well. Hundreds of photo ops await you.





(Since I've never been there, I have no photographs of my own from Bryce Canyon National Park. When I tried to use ones listed as free on the Internet, I had problems with my blog format and the photo disappeared. Because I wanted art with my post, I decided instead to use an Antelope Canyon photo from my files.)

Insecure Writers Support Group Post

Sometimes you reach a point with your writing where you wonder if you will ever be able to finish the book you're working on. That often happens to me when I reach the sagging middle.

I'm there right now.

What I've decided to do is to take a deep breath and meditate for a few minutes each day before I start to work on the project. I have a painting created for my meditation moments and I will use that to gain focus.

Do you have sagging middle moments? What do you do?