This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 1:25 AM and is filed under Real Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Watermarks
Lisa Silverthorne's writing life blog…limping along since 1996
Daring to Write Again
I’m sitting here in my hotel room at the Portland Airport plotting out a short story. Working title is Daffodils.
I just attended a short story workshop on the Oregon Coast and feel more like myself than I have in a long, long while. It’s a very long story, but I’m back here taking a workshop, I’m back here writing because of my dad who passed away in January. He suffered greatly in his last few years and I watched him become entombed in his own body, unable to communicate. But we managed to find ways to communicate and I now know what a precious gift it is to be able to talk and write. While I will never understand how he felt in that last year, I am thankful I still had some time with him. He brought me back to my writing in a way I never expected, in a way I never imagined. Yes, I’m writing again with a new sense of purpose and for a new reason that is really more of a feeling than anything else. For my dad, I’ll communicate what he couldn’t.
I wrote 2 stories in 2 weeks and for the first time in 2 years, I felt like I knew the face in the mirror again. I felt like me again. And it didn’t hurt anymore. It didn’t matter how good or bad at it I was…it mattered that I felt something and transferred that feeling to the page. It felt good and familiar.
So…my plan is to write a short story a week until my head explodes 
And I’m gonna mail the suckers and all will be well with my world. It’s who I am. It’s what I do. And I find tremendous peace in that.
9 Responses to “Daring to Write Again”
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March 2nd, 2010 at 1:49 AM
I can’t write this in big enough letters:
WELCOME BACK!!!!!
I’m SO bummed I wasn’t at the workshop–I would’ve loved to hang out with you. We really do need to have a long chat soon.
You wrote two kick-ass stories, too. I loved them both.
And, very appropriate that you’re working on a story called “Daffodils” on St. David’s Day.
{{{hugs}}}
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:03 AM
I can’t describe the utter joy I’m feeling at this moment.
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:11 AM
[...] favorite post [...]
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:54 AM
Writers never stop writing Lisa — they just haven’t written in a while. Good to see your while is over . . . welcome back!
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:43 AM
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:40 PM
Thanks Dayle…I wish you could have been there. Just didn’t feel quite right without you there. Glad I got to read your stories though. Man…Mirk and Midnight blew me away. Everyone was talking about how amazing your 2nd story was. Many of us picked your story to end our anthos. It was one of the best stories submitted. Hopefully we can get together at another workshop soon! Let me know if you’re going to be at the others.
*hugs* — Lisa
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:42 PM
Thanks, Ron — didn’t think I’d ever come back to this, here I am.
–Lisa
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:42 PM
Thanks, Jenn! Thanks, John! Good to hear from you both!! –Lisa
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:45 PM
Dean told me both my stories “sold.” I’m utterly gobsmacked. I thought they were both crap! LOL I thought I rushed both of them, especially the ending to “At the Mirk and Midnight Hour.”
That said, both stories are going in the mail today/tomorrow. I know I’m the worst judge of my own work!
Hugs to you!