The Ups and Downs of Writing SOL #7


Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for hosting the March Slice of Life Challenge.  I am joining other bloggers and writing a Slice of Life story each day in March.



Tonight I sit with our Teachers as Writers group, a group that has been meeting once a month since October. We all came for different reasons, and at the same time we all came for the same reason...to write. Our group has come together like writing communities do. I so look forward to these Tuesday evenings. As the rain spattered against the windows, we all began to write about what we've learned about ourselves as writers these past months. I knew right away what I wanted to say.


I’ve learned a lot about myself as a writer these past few months. Shortly after this group began, the girls came to live with us and our lives were turned upside down.  In the process, I stopped writing.  Never in our wildest dreams did we think our lives would change so drastically. People tell us all the time what a wonderful thing we've done. I don't look at it as anything special. In our hearts, there was really no other choice. The girls are very important to us and we wouldn't do anything differently. From the outside, it may appear that now that the girls live with us, all is well.  

From the inside; however, that is not the case. There have been ugly, scary times and this is when my writing came to a standstill.  Why is that?  Some of the stories were raw and not mine to share publicly.  However, I could have written in my journal, which I chose not to do.  Something continued to hold me back.  I still grapple with what that "something" was. Fear?  Writing would make it real?  It would force me to feel things that I didn’t want to feel or to acknowledge things that I didn’t want to acknowledge?  Like the realities of what drug abuse does to a family?  Like maybe we're not equipped to deal with the mental health issues facing us. Like how angry I am at the system and at a mother who doesn't see what she's doing to these beautiful girls. These are not pretty subjects to write about and I worry that I sound like a broken record.

Not writing hasn’t been good for me.  Thoughts swirl and tumble around, building anxiety and fueling negativity.  It's time to write again. Returning to the Slice of Life challenge gives me the space to come back to writing. I remember now why I write.

I write to think.
I write to process.
I write to connect.
I write to heal.
I write to celebrate.
I write to make sense of the world.

So, what have I learned as a writer? I've learned it's ok to be vulnerable with my words. It's ok to share the not so pretty stuff. People will treat my words with compassion and empathy because that's what community does.


Comments

  1. Beautiful, Julie! I love your writing, and hope that you never stop. ~JudyK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I appreciate your writing and hope you not ever stop your writing. Writer is a person who represent their idea in writing and produce a creative word. So writer’s role is very important role in life. Since I am also a writer and I am very happy to assisting students by providing business essay help - http://www.essaywriter.org.uk/business-essay/ as I am an essay writer at Essay Writer UK where I am now working. Being as a writer I understand what you want to write here. Thanks.

      Delete
    2. Being as a part of education and as an assignment writer I understand value of writing and I hope you never stop writing because writing is an important job skill. Every writer has their own exclusive writing process so develop a strong incredulity which leads to consideration of ideas, an inflamed world opinion and a self-assured imagination. I also want to discuss about writing skill with my team of marketing assignment writer - http://www.assignmenthelpfolks.com/marketing/ of Assignment Help Folks where they are prepared to give best quality marketing assignment help to students of different college and universities with no plagiarism and affordable price.

      Delete
  2. I know exactly of what your write here...When we are sad, worried, we are cared....we can write...when our world is turned when those we lovewith all our hearts turn against us....we cn no longer wrtie and share....You are in a scary new world...bt I wish you peace...and in the future....time to reflect, pray and write.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This was exactly where was on Feb 19. The dry spell lasted almost a full year because of extended family issues.. like you, maybe I just didn't want to visit a part of me that was coping. I emerged Feb 20 through a writing workshop and haven't stopped writing since..

    I may have written about this for SOL.. but I forget, probably because half of my braim is still used to putting things away.. Now, I'm writing furiously, trying to remember!

    Wish you the best.. and a healed heart. That's what I find I'm still needing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so happy you are finding your voice and see writing as something you need to do.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Having dealt with some heavy stuff around my teen, when I began to write this last summer, I found peace. Thank you for writing. I believe that when someone writes what is real and true. somoeone else in the universe needs to hear it. You are appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We do this to ourselves so often. Judge our own thoughts and fear writing them down will make them too real. I'm so glad you've come back to this space, to the writing, to the community that supports you. It's hard stuff, this living. I hope you will keep writing. I like the connection it brings between us.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice Very good sharing this quality information with us. I really enjoyed reading Connaught Place Escorts

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Please add to the conversation.

Popular Posts