Sunday, January 21, 2018

What are friends for? by Barbara Edwards


Getting into the routine again hasn’t been easy.  I finally realized I needed to resume the routine I had before all the chaos that broke it into pieces. As you may recall, my husband had cancer. It turned into months of treatment, other issues and finally time for recovery. He just had his second six month cat scan and is still clear.

What a relief. Then I discovered having all the stress relieved didn’t release my creativity.
In fact, I felt empty. 

Writing is a journey. I’ve used emotions and incidents from my life to fill out my plots, but I couldn’t use this. Thinking about what occurred gave me nightmares. the days waiting in the hospital. The recurring chemotherapy treatments. The surgery that lasted hours. Just mentioning it makes my shoulders stiff with tension.

So  how do I take this phase of my journey and turn it into a positive step.
I
 know all the tricks. Take a walk in the woods. sit by a lake or river. Listen to the wind. Look at the stars. Read a book.  I bet you have a special way to refill that empty tank and could share  it.

I tried going to RWA chapter meetings and found the other authors a source of strength. Everyone had serious problems. Everyone was hanging onto their dream of writing that book by their fingernails. It was a comfort and a challenge. They talked me into volunteering to be president. 

So here I am. I’m writing again. Because of my friends.

Check out the on-line class we’re sponsoring at www.charteroakromancewriters.com
Marie Tuhart shares the basic’s of writing erotic romance.

I’m taking it because I still choke at writing love scenes.

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Amazon Author’s Page http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003F6ZK1A


12 comments:

Alicia Dean said...

Awww, lovely post. I'm so glad your husband is doing better. And, I'm glad you're writing again! I don't know what I'd do without my writer friends. Such an amazing, supportive group of people. Hugs and best wishes!

Rolynn Anderson said...

So pleased to hear your husband is a survivor, and you, as caretaker and chief worrier, can stand down, returning to the world of imagination... released from gritty reality. We'll all be in your place some day, so thanks for letting us know we'll get through it, with friends propping us up. (Thanks for the tip on the class...Marie knows how to write love scenes, for sure!)

Barbara Edwards said...

Hi Alicia,
I do appreciate my author friends. They are the best.

Barbara Edwards said...

Hi Rolynn,
I hope everyone escapes the crisis and chaos. Life is never simple, but it doesn't have to burn us out.
I agree about the class. Hope a lot of peolpe take advantage of it.

Jannine Gallant said...

I'm really happy to hear your husband is doing well. And congrats on getting your mojo back!

Alison Henderson said...

I'm so glad you're now on the other side of that big stress mountain, Barb, and I'm happy you have writer friends to help you on your path back to normal.

Andrea Downing said...

Barbara, so glad to know your husband is still clear--may it continue. And, in time, the stress will just be a memory and the creative juices will flow again. Best wishes..

remullins said...

Some days writing is a series of baby steps but you have to keep plodding on

Leah St. James said...

As the others have said, so glad you and your husband are on the other side, Barb. What an ordeal. Thank goodness for writing friends who commiserate and lend support and share the joys and challenges of writing.

Brenda Whiteside said...

Beautiful photos and so happy your husband is improving. And as Jannine said, glad your mojo is back!

Margo Hoornstra said...

Interesting. I reluctantly accepted the Pres position of my local chapter, then two weeks in got my own cancer diagnosis. The year turned out to be great. I kept busy, bonded with others in the group facing their own bouts with the disease. Very impowering and healing. As with my ROP colleagues here. One day at a time and onward.

Diane Burton said...

Lovely, thought-provoking photos, Barb. Tranquil. Just what a person needs while going through so much stress. I've never gone through what you have. Knowing myself pretty well, I'd probably bury myself in books and/or movies. They are my therapy, my way of escaping reality. Writer friends (esp. those in my RWA chapter, same as Margo's) support us. I'm glad you found that. Those friends know what major stress does to our creativity. Your chapter is lucky to have you as their prez. I'm so glad your husband is getting better. A long haul but worth it in the end. Thanks for sharing. As Rolynn said, many of us may be in your position some day.