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Dear Diary: August 2014

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dd August 2014Good ol’ August.

The truth of the matter is that basically all I’ve done in August is write and revise. At times I have felt like Truest was going to kill me. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster; sometimes I’m so pleased with the work I’ve done and sometimes I feel just sick over it. I’m in a group of debut children’s and YA authors (the Fearless Fifteeners), and many of them also feel this same way. I’m SO incredibly grateful to not be alone in this. The road to publication has been much more difficult than I ever imagined.

That said, I’m back in therapy. This time for “adjustment disorder with anxiety” as opposed to OCD (so that, at least, feels good)– and my therapist believes we can tackle the panic and anxiety that’s been clawing at me since November. I already adore her.

Other fun things? I experienced the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the first time! And two of my best friends are pregnant for the first time– each of them are having a little girl!  Also, the new students moved into Northwestern on the 22nd, so that feels good: my office works hard all year to recruit a smashing new class to our university.

It’s been a hard– but good– month.

 

 

Writing Tip Wednesday: Show Up.

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Hear, hear! My laptop’s desktop even says, “Butt in seat.”

rlsharpe's avatarRochelle L. Sharpe

Do you want to write a novel but are waiting for inspiration to strike? Maybe you have that idea but are struggling to keep motivated? Maybe you have the idea and motivation but are struggling to find the time to write?
Here are a few quotes from writers on inspiration and motivation that might help:

“Writers who wait for inspiration before they decide to write are generally known as hobbyists. Working writers-those actively writing and growing in their craft-must write whether the muse is “in” or not.”
– Kristi Holl.

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

“I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired to write at 9 o’clock every morning.”
– Peter De Vries.

“Write even when the world is chaotic. You don’t…

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OCD, Depression, and Suicide: There Is Hope

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Good thoughts. Be sure to check out Alison’s blog too: http://www.alisondotson.com!

Alison Dotson's avatarIOCDF Blog

Eight years ago, I was so depressed I considered committing suicide. My obsessions had completely taken over my life—not only were they daily distractions from work and friends, they were terrible. These obsessions, the fear that I might harm a child, didn’t just consume my free time. They consumed me. Nothing about life was enjoyable anymore. Not my wonderful boyfriend, Peter, who’s now my husband. Not visits with my parents. Not my favorite TV shows, or books, or dinners out.

Not even shoe shopping! On St. Patrick’s Day weekend in 2006, Peter and I went to visit a friend in New York City, and we all went shopping. Peter wanted new shoes, so we headed into a crowded Puma store to browse. I felt a small jolt of panic when I saw a little girl with her father. It was the middle of the week, a school day, so all…

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To Die For

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Love this.

thebeautifuldue's avatarthe beautiful due

I’m sure I don’t understand everything that was involved
but some evenings when the breeze is slight but jazzy
 
and the shadows are almost honest I feel I’ve a hunch
as to why God thought this world was to die for.
 
I’ve got nowhere near the courage God has but I’d like to
believe that if presented with the same chance to take
 
one for the team that I would have taken it, shame and all.
Again, this would not be due to broadly shoulders but rather
 
of possessing a ticker that’s a sucker for lemonade stands
manned by the pure of heart that refuse to close up shop early
 
because surely there’s one more righteous neighbor willing
to pay for a cup of cold sweetness before the day’s end.
 
Meadow-Dawn
 
 
 
 

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Her Heart in Czech

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eir1

I remember thinking how your heart
was getting tangled with Czech and how
vines overtake a wall.

I remember the frustrated locals
reproved in broken English:
“We must not anger. We must make love.”

And how your heart—bruised but adored—
made so much love in those months:
love and love and love and love.

For more poems and stories, go to jackieleasommers.com/writer.

Image credit: Erica Murriel Davis

The Mournful Sound

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Jamie Engelhardt 4It breaks my heart, she’d said that day.
But it’s a heartbreak I’d choose.

And then gone.

She had smelled like pressed cotton
and Listerine, had dressed for executive success
but with a twist of her lips to suggest regret.

So he plays each day now,
in that same spot, hoping for her to
choose again so that he can
choose again too.

Image credit: Engelhardt Photography

This month I featured photography by my friend Jamie of Engelhardt Photography; would you like me to feature yours next?  Email me some of your photos, and maybe I’ll write poems about them!