Yes, a good appreciation of the nature of water (especially ripples) reflects a good zen sensibity. I’ve always found clearwater moving over sunbleached stone to reflect it as well.
Are you saying you’re writing a novel, Ierrellus? Or do mean something else by “novel”?
I only ask bec ause I attempted and bogged down so bad in the 3rd chapter, I finally had to walk away. It sucks, because the story still haunts me. May have to turn it into a screenplay or something. The point is, my hat comes to you if you manage it.
I’ve written several novel drafts, novel meaning story, not novelty. Agent claimed he liked the one I referred to here, “Atom & Eve”; but, when he passed it on to his hired readers, they couldn’t understand anything past the third page–apparently had never read Kafka, Lem or Dick. Oh, well. Life goes on. If your story still haunts you, work on it from what you want it to be. PM me about the blockage at Chapter three. Maybe I can help you flesh out what you want to say, by suggesting, not by adding or detracting.
Meanwhile Windwalker has written a poem here that I believe is wothy of publication in literary journals. The language, symbols, and their evocations of what’s inside our psyches, could we only listen, are notewothy . Wm. Blake noted, “I see though the eye, not from it!”
Actually, Ierrellus, it was primarily a problem of lacking the patience for any project that goes beyond a couple of months. One of the problems with being a generalist who likes to bounce around a lot is that you’re always haunted by what you’re not doing or what you’re missing out on. Plus that, the story was time dependent in that it must always be set slightly ahead in the future while remaining vague about the current events that are leading up to it. I don’t want it to come off like some counter-culture conspiracy theory written by some paranoid militia-type. Making the story work would be hard enough without the work and time involved in a novel. This is why I think it would be better done in screenplay form. Besides, I tend to envision it more as movie anyway.
My apologies, Ierrellus - I never noticed this.
You have no idea how you just made my day and maybe for a few more days! 
Thank you.
Writing is Being to me.
Similarly flows,
River nook trapped leaves swirling
Galaxies are born
I usually write poetry which rhymes. I wanted to go beyond myself and to branch out on a simpler path though truth to tell it wasn’t so simple.
My first haiku actually -except for the tidbits in the Haiku thread.
Haikus do not always have to be composed in the 5/7/5 rhythm - it’s wonderful to break the rule but to keep the spirit…
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If you can pull off rhyme and still manage a modern sensibility (in other words, not sound dated), that’s quite a feat. The only way I have even come close is with those mad-cap nursery rhymes of mine. It’s not easy to do.
This one, in spite of its cheekiness, is based on the meditation exercise of the bubble where you allow your thoughts to flow up in front of you like bubbles.
I suppose that one could say I was the fish to the extent that I was stoned when I wrote it.