Welcome and Introduce Yourself!
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Hello and welcome! I'm Shelah, the group moderator. I hope you find a great place here to discuss your writing projects and get to know others writing in a similar genre! Please share with the group a bit about yourself!

What strong women or difficult circumstances have inspired your writing?

What you're writing:

Blogs:

Websites:


 

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Replies
  • Shelah, that's an amazing idea!  It would be easier for me to come up with a collection of essays than an entire book! :)

  • Thank you!  Shame is the one thing that I have been kicking out of my life as fast as I can. It's nice to be free of it ... for the most part!

  •  Cate,

    Thank you sooo much for sharing so much valuable insight and information! My name is a unique spelling as well I suppose. As the story goes I was first named Tabitha, but my mom changed my name a day after I was born to Shelah (which is Hebrew for "asked of God") because she had prayed for a girl just like herself. It's a story I treasure having been born into a family of 8 children where I'm pretty sure none of us were planned. We just weren't prevented, hehe. Needless to say my mom got what she prayed for in spades--note to myself...never pray for someone just like me!

     

    You bring up such good advice when it comes to managing bi-polar. I believe my husband is what the psychologist referred to as "light bi-polar." He seems to cycle fairly quickly as well....maybe a week or two between...medication was also a disaster for him. It seems to be manageable at this point, but two years ago he started his own business and it triggered a suicide attempt. That caught me way off guard (did NOT see that coming) but ever since we've had a more open dialogue about it, things have improved a lot. I think I used to give him a hard time about his mood changes, thinking he could control it or he was "just being a jerk." He's worked a lot on telling me, "I love you but just a heads up that I'm feeling low" because I used to take the depression personally before I understood it better. I've learned to adapt to him. He's started coming to yoga with me, and allows me to use reiki (energy healing) on him every morning...which he says really helps him. I agree with Maya Angelou! I also learned recently about smudging the home with white sage, it clears residual energy. There was a period where my husband and I were fighting a lot and ever since I started clearing the house with sage, the entire house calmed down and love just seems to flow in our house now. Our friends have made comments along those lines..that our house feels good. I now do it weekly. I feel like we're both super sensitive to energies....so filling our interactions with LOVE, praying for him, and sending him loving energy makes a world of a difference!!

    So sorry that you have had such struggles with your family members! Alas, I can relate. My husband's mother is ill as well and we aren't on speaking terms (I've tried three times to make amends, but she refuses). I do believe it's for the best that we start to drift from them a bit, although I have to be very careful because she is my husband's mother afterall. :)

    Anyway, thanks so much for taking the time to really connect with me here! Hope you're having a great weekend! ;) S

     

  • Wow, people think it should be kept hush-hush because of the shame. But the shame is what perpetuates the sickness so I applaud you for speaking out, whether it has caused a ripple or not! You are sending a clear message to the young girls in the family of what healthy boundaries are. I wish the older women in my life had been strong enough to set that example. I also believe you will be impacting generations after you for the better...long after you've left earth....by breaking this pattern/cycle. I applaud you!

  • Hmm....what about thinking of each chapter as a short memoir essay? This is sort of what I did w/ my book. They did all end up creative a flowing narrative, but I started writing each chapter as a sort of stand alone reflection on one aspect of Zenab's life.

  • I will definitely look into that book.  Sounds like something that may keep me focused on my journey.  The spiritual aspect is very important to me also, so I'm glad to know that it's not skewed to a certain belief.

    I definitely know the feeling of "Who cares what I have to say?"; then I'll get a phone call from a friend and some of the things they're discussing are things I'm going to write about.  Must be some kind of sign, it's happened too many times to be coincidence :-)

    My son is doing ok, but next week is the big hearing and the judge will decide if he gets probation or not.  My mind is so scattered right now I can't stay focused on anything too long.  Thankfully things at work have been crazy so I haven't had too much time to be in my head.

    How long did it take you to write your first novel?

  • Debi, 

    I think that's going to be a great book!  There's a lot of parents who find themselves in a world of issues, misdiagnoses and callous providers. I applaud those who are willing to be transparent and share what is really happening. 

    A lot of people dismiss memoirs. But I truly believe that they have the ability to change the way the world works. When you read someone's account of REAL experiences and HOW it affected them, you can't help but reflect on how your own actions affect others.

  • I LOVE your synopsis! They pull me and I can't wait to read. Looking forward to seeing what you write!

  • Cate,

    I love your comment about real women. I know what you mean. Sometimes I read novels and I want to throw them. Seriously, where's the REAL stories about life and love and romance. :)

    Taunya