Astrological Obsessions...

I have a basket next to my desk which is full of notebooks of all different shapes and sizes.
I have notebooks to do a sort of mini analysis of things I have watched; one for plays I have seen, one for films I have seen and one for TV programmes I have seen so that I can remember who the writer was and what I loved about their structure, setting or characters.
I have one that lists all my favourite writers with a little picture (It is important to be able to recognise your favourite writer if you ever meet them) and a CV of their work.
I have a notebook full of writing exercises from all the different courses I have been on or books I have read about getting started and/or beating writer's block.
I have one notebook for scribbling thoughts from books I have read that have nothing to do with writing - Lance Armstrong's books and Michael J Fox's autobiography being the most inspiring and therefore taking up the most room in there.
I have a little one for writing down the dreams I have, a tiny one that I carry in my bag and scribble down ideas in when I'm on the tube and one with a gorgeous cover that I use for unconscious writing when I'm tucked up in bed.
Finally I have one to store the things that inspire me, move me or make me think. It can be a quote, an article, a phrase, a picture or just an idea...
Some of my favourites include;
"We do not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time"
Unknown
"If you're willing to fail interestingly, you tend to succeed interestingly"
Edward Albee
"Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch the little fish you can stay in the shallow water but if you want the big fish you've got to go deeper."
David Lynch
"Fail. Fail again. Fail better"
Samuel Beckett
"Travelling from the known to the unknown requires crossing an abyss of emptiness, we first experience disorientation and confusion."
Dawna Markova
"In the end 3 things matter most; how well did you love, how fully did you love, how deeply did you learn to let go."
Buddha

As well as quotes and ideas, I stick copies of horoscopes that I have read in the book. Not just anyone's horoscopes, always Jonathan Cainer's.
Wether you do or do not believe in horoscopes this guy's website is worth a read anyway because his horoscopes are just beautifully written little snippets of insight into the feelings and frustrations of life.
I used to check the site maybe once a month and I would keep a copy of what he said maybe once every 6 months or so, but recently I have started checking every day without fail and I seem to be sticking a copy in my book once or twice a week.
I started to worry that I was becoming obsessed and that soon my walls be covered with print outs from this guy's website so I actually emailed him and explained that I had become a regular reader and whilst I loved what he wrote I was worried that I was relying on them too much.
I asked him if he thought this meant I was becoming weak because I needed someone else's opinion. To his credit he replied within an hour and he explained the process he goes through when writing his horoscopes.
I can't reveal his secrets obviously but it is always inspiring as a wannabe writer when you are given a peek into how someone who inspires you does their work.
He also said that my reliance on his horoscopes meant that maybe I was more self aware about my goals than I was before and it was a sign of strength that I was trying to see past my current obstacles of that day or week to the bigger picture of where I wanted to be and that if his website helped do that just a little bit then there was nothing wrong with that.

As I have mentioned on here before, I have been through a rough patch lately and here's some of the things he said which have helped;

24th Sept
"It's as if something within you is ready to make a once in a lifetime bid to escape a stale situation and to find some way to do more of what you have always believed you should be doing with your life"
25th Sept
"You know you must follow the dream. You also know you are not quite fully ready yet"
10th October
"Face the possibility of failure if you want to truly embrace success"
1st November
"You reall may as well trust the plan you have already made. It is no worse than any other plan, and considerable better than many"
3rd November
"This week you are only inches away from a big breakthrough so don't go travelling miles"
6th November
"You may be having an intense experience, but at least you are finally becoming clear about what does and does not need to happen next"

Check him out at www.cainer.com.