I'm working on it....

Louise DeSavlo's book WRITING AS A WAY OF HEALING: HOW TELLING OUR STORIES TRANSFORMS OUR LIVES came out in 1999.  Even 16 years later, every word in her book rings true and is valuable for anyone going through the healing process.  As a writer, I recommend EVERYONE follow DeSalvo's premise of writing as a way of healing.  I realize, though, that not everyone finds healing in writing.  If that is true, then I am going to take a little side path from DeSalvo's text to say that I think that when it comes to healing, each person should find what he/she loves to do--writing, dancing, gardening, etc., etc., etc.--and do it.  Use your passion for what you love to do lead to your healing.  Of course, like DeSalvo, I personally do agree that writing is a perfect outlet and does lead to healing, but I love to write.  I not only love to write, I HAVE to write.  If writing isn't for you, then find what it is that you HAVE to do and do and allow yourself to be healing through the doing....

I have been writing my own story of healing for a while now.  I am currently working on getting my memoir ready for publication and in the meantime, I have a blog where I add posts that are directly related to the topic of my memoir.  Please feel free to read my blog if you'd like:  http://joyregardless.blogspot.com/

Put your hands together: Reading AND Writing

Julia Cameron's THE RIGHT TO WRITE:  AN INVITATION AND INITIATION INTO THE WRITING LIFE is the 3rd book by her I have read.  As great as each of her books has been, including this one, they are beginning to run together--to repeat.  That isn't a negative thing because what she has to say is very valuable.  There are new points as well as varying ways of stating her repeated points, so each book has great value and is well worth reading.  One thing you need to know as you go into Julia's books is that most of her books are workbooks, so be ready to write as you read!  That's one of the reasons why I love her books!  I get to combing my two favorite things:  reading and writing!!!!

Surviving NaNoWriMo

As a NaNoWriMo participant, Kevin Kaiser's @WRIMO:  30-DAY SURVIVAL GUIDE is a motivational read.  I would not dare to say that it gave me the inspiration I needed to stay focused and actually finish my 50,000 words for the month, but I will dare to say that it kept me wanting to work on my novel.  It is written in the same style as devotionals which means that the chapters are short, sweet, quick to read, interesting, and motivational.  There is one chapter for every day of the month.  I finished it a day or two early only because I also finished my 50,000 words a few days early.  I have now read this book for three years straight during the month of November.  It just keeps getting better and better.

The one question I have for Kevin Kaiser or anyone on the NaNoWriMo staff is:  What are the current statistics and/or how do I find them?  I don't know why, but I find it fascinating to know the number of people who signed up for NaNo vs. the total number to finish.  

Definitely a resource worth its money

There isn't much to blog about when it comes to a book that is part handbook and part reader beyond the fact that THE CHRISTIAN WRITER'S MARKET GUIDE 2014:  YOUR COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCE FOR GETTING PUBLISHED by Jerry Jenkins seems to be the must read resource for anyone hoping to break into the publishing industry--in the Christian Market......There are some great articles by various authors, including Jerry Jenkins, as well as the list of publishers, their publishing guidelines, agents, magazines, etc....everything a Christian writer needs to break into the market and create a product worth selling.

Here's hoping.....!!!!

Writing really does heal

Dr. Klauser's book WITH PEN IN HAND:  THE HEALING POWER OF WRITING is another winner for me.  I've always known that writing is valuable and important in general, but it's great to read when an "authority" confirms and validates the fact that writing is also a powerful and important tool when it comes to healing.  I am not going to say a lot about this book myself; I'm going to let Dr. Klauser's words speak since they already do such an eloquent job.  Following are some of the quotes/lines from the book that really spoke to me, personally:

"healing writing. . . .[is] about the power of the written word to soothe our souls and ease the anguish" (ix).

"Writing goes right to the place that hurts, and writing heals" (x).

"Ask yourself, What is the obstacle to my healing, and am I ready to let go?  Answer in writing until you get to something real" (xv).

"You cannot skirt the pain when your life is shattered by an event you never expected.
You must go through the mountain, not around it, not over it, and confront the snarling beasts and demons" (1).

"Writing brings you face-to-face with your own truth and reality" (3).

"Facing the sad emotions in your life tenderizes you to appreciate fully all the good that is there, too.  Grief is not meant to shut you down, but to point to what is important.
. . .'If you block your grief, you block your joy.  They go together.  The depth of joy can only be measured by your willingness to go to your depth of sadness.  What you discover is how deep you are'" (8).

"Writing is part of the process that gets you to the other side.  You may not feel like writing.  Do it anyway" (32).

". . .grief piles up if you don't hand it head-on" (48).

"Sometimes what makes you sad has a message for you, if you will be patient enough to listen for it" (73).

"Writing is a perfect way of getting both your thoughts and your feelings into the light.
When you write your thoughts and feelings, there is something deep and primal happening. . . .
If I keep it inside of me, it never becomes reality--but if I speak it out, if I proclaim it, if I yell into the void, or if I write it onto the paper, it takes on life.  It I don't get it out on the page, it's not born.  If I can put it down, I can feel it.  I can let it flow out of me into the world.  I'm talking about discovering what's going on inside me.  I let it go out of me so that it can be reflected.
Writing brings a fullness to ideas which holding them in your mind alone will never accomplish.  Because when you write something down, it speaks back to you" (86).

"The ability to put your thoughts on paper is yours, and nobody can ever take that way from you" (112).

"You have to do what hurts if you ever want to get to those answers.  You have to walk through the pain.  You have to go through the dark scary place" (176).

"Writing is an end in itself.  It doesn't take away the ache, it simply acknowledge it.
'When you write, there doesn't have to be any kind of result.  The pain doesn't have to go away; it may not even get better.  You may cros to the other side, or you may not, or it may take awhile.  Writing is a way to just BE with it, be with your pain, or your sorrow, or whatever it is.  It is okay to hurt, to feel sad" (235).

"Find a color that is your spirit.  Find what moves you when you write.  Paste in photos and quotes from others.  Be creative in journal writing, whatever that creative process is.  It doesn't have to be perfect" (237).