Monday, June 27, 2011

...cloudy ideas

when you were just a little kid did you ever just lie down on the grass and look up at all those big white fluffy clouds? its like you could just reach up and touch them and theyd feel like soft cotton. WOW! you could see sooooo much neat stuff in those clouds like animals and ghosts and funny faces and angles and whatever you could imagine.

writing ideas are like cloud watching. sometimes we get a idea but its cloudy and floats through our head and we just cant see a shape. thats a cloudy idea. sometimes it gets a real neat shape and we know just what it is and what were gonna write. some clouds just keep floating and get mixed up with other ones and just float outta our head.

the cloud you write bout could still change its shape once you get going cause coulds could do that with a little change of wind and weather. weathers your writing partner cause its what gets your story moving and changing and keeps it interesting and exciting. you still got that basic shape but you could help it change and it could change itself when youre writing. its like youre a weatherman cause you could pretty much predict whats gonna happen but lots of times mother nature could fool you.

go look!
i go out lots and lie down in the grass and look up at those neat clouds. it gets me feeling lazy and makes me close to nature. makes me happy. did you find shapes in clouds when you were a kid? now cause you know how cool it is are you gonna go do it and have some fun? i hope so. you could do it by yourself or with your kids or any one. its soooooo much fun! it could get your imagination moving and guess what? maybe you could even get a real cool story idea out of those clouds. WOW! how cool is that!


cool cloud stuff
guess what? in the united kingdom theres a group called the cloud appreciation society! they got 26285 members that live in 89 different countries. yep! theres people that didnt ever grow up and still love watching clouds. they even got a book called cloud collectors handbook and they got a cloud shop where you could get post cards and clothes and art. they got a cool photo gallery and cloud chat and music to watch clouds by. wow! talk bout cloud ocd!! for sure i gotta ask miss sarah fine bout that! (shes a cool psychologist writer blogger) if you wanna see their web page go here. its fun looking around it and for sure check out their picture gallery. its got all kinds of cool cloud pictures.

cool cloud pics
mostly i like the ones that look like stuff specially animals. heres some of my most favorite ones. could you tell what they look like?
hooray for clouds!


…hugs from lenny

45 comments:

  1. Wow, what a great post! You are right, sometimes an idea starts out like a picture book and grows into a mid grade novel. :-)

    Those are some really cool pictures!

    PS: Nice to see you posting, Lenny!

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  2. Those are amazing photos, and so glad to hear you love watching clouds, too. My favorites are those cumulus ones with lacy edges, especially on windy days, when they soar over, and the sun streams through, and you can watch their edges curl and stretch out and melt into the sky.

    And I love what you said about clouds as writing ideas and how they're always changing. It's so true.

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  3. Such a clever post, Lenny. I love how you compared the act of writing a story to clouds changing in the sky. Great idea, friend. And I love your pictures!

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  4. That's COOL, Lenny!
    And what a great statement, comparing clouds to inspiration. You, my friend, own the sky.

    Stay safe and have a great week!

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  5. Great post, Lenny!

    I'm definitely going to do some cloud watching tomorrow. I forgot how fun that used to be! Finding animals in the clouds used to be one of my favorite things to do and I love how you compared it to writing.

    Have a great week! :)

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  6. I used to do that too when I was a kid. Especially when I went on long drives. I'd lie down in the back seat of the car, focus out the back window, and pretend I was swimming in the sky :o)

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  7. I think most people have lost touch with cloud watching. It's a good reminder to slow down and enjoy what is around you. Love those pictures!

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  8. Great post Lenny. I used to love and lay on my back and watch clouds. Or in a plane I still stare at them and wish I could walk on them into a new world. I love your analogy between writing and clouds.

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  9. Lenny! This is a great post, and I LOVE those pictures! Regarding your question, this sounds like more of a hobby than a disorder (and don't we writers understand being obsessed with something? Sigh. I know I do.). I adore the cloud shark. He's my favorite.

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  10. New Ideas ARE like clouds -- great comparison! They are so fluffy and beautiful and they do change their shape while you are watching (or writing about) them -- and sometimes they even get away from you. I didn't know there was a cloud-watching society in the UK. That's pretty cool!

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  11. This post is the best! My daughter, Charlotte, and I love looking at clouds! She usually ends up seeing ice cream cones and dragons (maybe I should write a story about an ice-cream loving dragon who keeps melting his snack with his fire-breathing!)

    Thanks, Lenny!

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  12. I love the cloud pictures!
    I think I would be a pretty good member of the cloud appreciation society...

    And thanks for the reminder to stop and appreciate some of the wonder that is all around us.

    Shelley

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  13. I love all the neat things I learn from you Lenny! Cloud watching is a favorite activity of my family's when we're on road trips. :) I love that there is actually a 'cloud appreciation society'!

    Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

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  14. This is AWESOME! Excellent post, Lenny. You make a fantastic point.

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  15. Nice cloud photos, Lenny. If it's all right, I'll lie down in a recliner on my back deck instead of the lawn. We have too many bugs!

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  16. wow, i can really see the shape in the clouds. how cool. i should go out and watch some. although, today, there is not a cloud in the sky.

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  17. Great examples of different clouds. I like that idea of lying on a patch of grass & looking up at the clouds.

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  18. A cloud appreciation society! Very fine, indeed. And the sun is finally out today, so I think we will go out and look at some clouds. Thanks for the perfect tip today! :)

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  19. Weather's my writing partner because it gets my story moving and changing -- that is so clever, Lenny!

    And I had no idea there was a Cloud Appreciation Society in the UK. Thanks!

    Love the pictures. I like the one in the second row that looks like a hawk or an eagle. Oh, and the shark in the bottom row.

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  20. I love clouds too! I especially love it when it's near sunset and the colours change and blend and merge. They're awesome. Thanks for the reminder to slow down and enjoy!

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  21. Hi, Lenny!

    What a great post. Thanks for helping me to remember when I was younger and enjoyed laying in the soft green grass to look up at the clouds. Now that I'm older, I haven't done it for a long while. I think I'll have to make some time to do some cloud watching. What a great way to clear the mind, work on story ideas, relax, remember what it was like to be a kid, or just do nothing but enjoy the day.

    Not only should we take time to smell the roses, but we should make time to stop and look up at the clouds.

    Thanks for spreading some sunshine today. Have a great day, Lenny! (((((HUGS)))))

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  22. You're absolutely brilliant, bud. It's like you been alive a hundred years and have more wisdom than all of us.

    Has there ever been a raccoon cloud? I wonder.

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  23. Instead of saying I'm a panster, writing by the seat of my pants, I'm going to say I'm a cloudster! I love the analogy, Lenny.

    Even as an adult, I love to look at clouds and find images from their shapes.

    Let's keeping on imagining and writing!

    (It's great to read another post from you.)

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  24. I love looking at clouds, too, Lenny and I take lots of photos of them! :) Thank you for sharing!

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  25. hey Lenny!!!! yes, i still love clouds and always try to grab my camera or cell phone when i see some cool clouds. they make me happy and calm. except the dark stormy ones, though they still look really amazing.

    i loved your analogy, by the way. it's what's been going on a lot with me lately. i just didn't know what it was called. cloudy ideas. sweet. thanks for clearing that up for me :))

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  26. Those are some really neat cloud pictures Lenny! Great post!

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  27. Super excellent analogy. I love this post, Lenny. And may I say how nice it is to see a post from you? Cuz it is. Now I'm smiling all the day long. Thanks for the pics. <3

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  28. How lovely to see your post, Lenny! You have some good thought about clouds and writing. Those are great pictures. Makes me want to go out and look at the clouds. I do that sometimes still and always enjoy seeing ones that look like something particular.

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  29. Challenge Accepted. In honor of your post next week I am going to laze around on the beach and take some pictures of clouds in your honor and see what types of stories they can inspire.

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  30. Last year when I was trying to find out what my Totem was, it appeared to me in a cloud form of an eagle. I was very excited to see that shape that was so clear and beautiful. There is something very magical about watching the clouds. I think they make us feel light or something. Great posting Lenny, thank you.

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  31. I was a cloud gazer when I was young. Now not so much. The park next to me is crawling with ants, but maybe I should find a spot elsewhere since I do miss admiring clouds. Those are awesome pics.

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  32. Love the cloud pictures! And it's true, I think--writing ideas is a lot like cloud watching. Great post!

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  33. Hey Lenny!
    What a fluffy and inspirational posting. And you know what, I'm a big old dude, but I still like to lay outside, stare up the clouds and dream. The number of times the clouds looked like sheep :)
    Great posting and great photos!
    Take care of yourself, my young buddy.
    Fluffy, cloudy thoughts, your way, Mr. Gary :)

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  34. Hi Lenny .. such a great post .. I used to do that too - and still do now .. sometimes seeing all kinds of faces ... but in your clouds I can see polar bears, a cockatoo and a heart .. that's a start - but they've moved!

    Love the ideas here that clouds can help us appreciate our imagination .. yes - that English Cloud Society is something typically English .. I loved learning about clouds at school ..

    Wonderful to see you back .. enjoy your time relaxing with the sky and clouds .. and your family time - thinking of you .. a big hippo hug or two ... Hilary

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  35. I LOVE those pictures, Lenny! Clouds mean a lot to me too. There's something so invigorating about big fluffy ones. To me especially right now because it's monsoon season--my favorite time of year.

    Big hugs, my friend!

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  36. Love the pictures. Wish clouds really did look like that. How cool would that be?

    And love the weatherman analogy. Though the ones here really suck at predicting the weather. :P

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  37. Very happy to have just stumbled upon your blog. Fabulous! Those are great cloud pictures!

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  38. I love cloud watching. Thanks Lenny!
    Hugs
    Lydia

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  39. Lenny, I just dropped something in the mail for you!!!!

    Rats Rule!

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  40. Stopping by to say hi. Hi! Thinking of you.

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  41. Love the heart cloud. Makes me think of you! I miss you!
    <3

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  42. I used to *love* lying on the grass and looking up and the clouds! And since I live in the UK, I could join the Cloud Appreciation Society!

    Hope you're having a good weekend, Lenny!

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  43. Hello my friend!! It's been far too long since I've visited. How are you? :) I love your line of thinking here - and I guess maybe I've never totally grown up, because I still love to look at clouds and think about what they look like. I especially love the ones that linger around the sun at sunset and turn colors. Just gorgeous. And I see a ton of animals in your pics...the shark one is especially cool/creepy. Thanks for a great post!

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  44. Wow! Those are some pretty cool looking clouds. And I definitely was (still am) a cloud watcher. (But you might have guessed that from my story in your book).

    And I love how you connect clouds to writing . . . so very true!

    P.S. It's so nice to read a new post by you!

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  45. I have always loved watching clouds, Lenny. For me, it's like being lifted off the earth an' being carried away to a whole 'nuther world. Many of my stories an' poems have come to me whilst I was cloud-watching. I love the pictures you posted. An' I'm glad to know you are also a cloud watcher.

    ~ Yaya

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Whatever wonderful, witty and wise words you manage to come up with!