I am so happy to be resuming my blog. Like many, I made an activity shift during Covid. That meant letting my curious side take over, returning to school to learn more about holistic medicine, earning my masters degree in Integrative Health and Healing. I longed for more wisdom about trauma, indigenous practices and the mind, body, spirit connections to apply to my personal association with mental health and autoimmune conditions. Never did I deviate from my passion to write, I merely changed forums.
First I have to make peace with my old projects, so I unearthed and published a romance novel that I wrote fifteen years ago (my only work of fiction). When I emailed a writer friend to deliver the news, his response was, “That's a different subject for you.” Considering that it has characters, contains dialog and is entirely fictional, he is right. But like most stories, it served a purpose and contained elements of truth at the time it was written. This was the fantasy escape I needed during a failing marriage. Like a child with an imaginary friend, it offered comfort. The story kept replaying in my mind, and it was getting more and more elaborate, so one day I was divinely inspired to put it down on paper. I knew nothing about fiction writing, I just needed to get the story out, and it started building from there. I was the main character, and a celebrity crush was my fantasy partner.
My children were both in their teens when I wrote this, and involved in extracurricular activities which would have me transporting them to and from dance lessons, sports practice and scouts. Since our house was in a rural area a distance away from these events, I usually parked myself nearby at coffee shops to write for an hour or two until they were finished. It flowed out of me for a year. Eventually the manuscript made it into a file drawer where it sat for a decade untouched. By the time the divorce and child rearing were complete. I had created my own better real future, so the need for my mind escape disappeared. Years later I remembered the story and pulled it out of the cabinet. Although the writing was not especially admirable, I was surprised to enjoy the story, so I decided to publish it as From the Moment You Said Good Morning, the Worst Romance Novel Ever Written.
There is a story behind every story, and I wonder if any other romance writers have ever penned their work to mend longing hearts the way I did. No matter, Although it was an interesting experience to write that, necessary at the time, and it served its coping purpose, I’ll not delve into the genre again. Writing the book was highly helpful to me, yet, I prefer to write with the reader in mind, and I wish my words to make their lives better. From this point on, I’m content to leave the fantasy stuff to the fiction experts, and continue to write about my favorite topics, love, nature, human connection with more of a focus on mental health. Especially in relation to spiritual experiences, altered states of consciousness and different approaches and views on mental illness. I will also be featuring guest bloggers to keep things fresh and lively. Stay tuned.
FROM THE SANCTUARY
The thick and lush late summer nature greenery is serving two wonderful purposes…decorating the landscape and muffling the hammering sounds of the roofers completing the nearby development. It’s pretty…revealing goldenrod, queen anne's lace and asters and an array of bushes and trees. It’s not very deep, but I enjoy the deer that enter and exit these limited woods and bring their babies into the field for their delightful evening zoomies.
A new woodchuck has taken up residence under my deck.He is getting used to me pecking away at my laptop on my screened-in porch. Not as skittish as he was when he first appeared, he will bypass my play place to grab a bit to eat in the grass. We are each learning about each other’s habits.
Thank you for your patience in my blog absence! I have resumed my mental wellness work and writing coaching and am welcoming visitors to The Sanctuary, so if you wish to pay a visit, please contact me at maryclistalaughs@gmail.com.
Love and hugs,
Mary
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