Lessons From WritingLand

         I have been struggling lately with balancing things. Blogging vs. not blogging regularly. Working on shorter pieces vs. working on a longer project (which is on the side of the road right now...I've got the flashers on, and the sign posted in my back window that says, "Send help" but no help has arrived yet). Being open and free-flowing vs. stifling myself (like Edith Bunker).


       While I'm going back and forth on those seesaws, I will say I've learned a few things in the two weeks or so. Here are some of the things that smacked me upside my head:


      * Regularity is a good thing. If we're constipated when it comes to our creativity and our work ethic, we suffer. After reading Lisa Ricard Claro's post about what we should strive for in our writing and our blogs, I realized I had been very inconsistent when it comes to posting. So, I'm going to be posting on Mondays and Thursdays...at least until I get into another rut. (If you go to Lisa's website, not only will you get loads of information, you might also get to take a gander at a hunky hunk--you can get your fill of Philip.)


     * Writing is healing. I've been trying--for the last year--to get a particular story published. It's a story about a friend who is healing after tragedy hit her family. It's a story of strength and forgiveness and unimaginable sorrow.


     I've written the story several different ways, from several different slants, to no avail. This week--finally--I got word that someone might be interested in publishing it in an anthology. Two days ago I read the story aloud to my friend, to make sure there was nothing in there she didn't want laid bare. (Reading things herself hurts her head due to a traumatic brain injury.) By the end, I was crying, as was she.


    And if you want to read one of the most exquisite lines about healing and pain, go to this article on Jean Ellen Whatley.  (A "security box" might pop up, but just cancel and you'll land on the article.)




*  And I know that three is a magical number when it comes to writing...but I only got two things rattling around in my brain today. (And since technically two means I can claim I'm talkin' 'bout plural lessons, I can avoid being corrected.)


    Have a great rest of the week, and place your bets on how long I can last posting twice a week--on a regular schedule. And if you want to comment on the importance of regularity (but don't get too brown about it) or about Lisa Ricard Claro's brilliance or the poignancy of Jean Ellen Whatley's words--I'd love to hear from you.