Tag Archives: dread

Relearning Stillness

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Nancy

For two months I have been on the move within a twelve mile radius. I was forced to leave my beloved studio (dubbed the treehouse) where I have worked and taught my classes for ten years. There was a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, Day by day, emotion, Energy, fiction, Listening, Maintenance, Process, procrastination, silence, Starting Again, Stillness, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized | Tagged busyness, character, dread, fear, life of a writer, not writing, priorities, process, productivity, spaciousness, starting again, stillness, storytelling, Voices | Leave a comment

Letter to Self

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Nancy

Dear Nancy, What can I tell you that, deep inside, you already know? The world is a rough place. Find the beauty. It is what will save you. The fear you feel at the publication of a new book is … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, Community; Genorosity, Day by day, Decisions, depression, emotion, Energy, Gratitude, Grief, Journaling, Magic, Pain, positivity; grace; light, privacy, Publishing, silence, Society, soul, spaciousness, spirit, Strength, survival, the world, Uncategorized, Wildness, women, work | Tagged dread, fear, giving up, grief, magic, priorities, process, promotion, public, renewal, spaciousness, support, working | Leave a comment

Is Confidence Necessary?

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Nancy

I am at an age where I look back on my younger self with great tenderness. I wonder what happened so early in my childhood that my confidence was completely wiped out. There are of course institutions and people to … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, Comparison, creativity, critique, emotion, failure, fantasy, privacy, Self-worth, silence, Society, survival, Telling our stories, Uncategorized, Visibilty, Wounds | Tagged creative life, dread, fantasy, fear, life of a writer, literary world, public, self esteem, self-worth, success, winners losers | Leave a comment

Taking it Off

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Nancy

Sometimes. Sometimes I want to take it all off, give it all back. The skin, the hair, the eyes, the fingernails. I want to return it. The bones, the liver, the lungs, the vagina, the clitoris. Has it really been … Continue reading →

Posted in Grief, home, Prompts, soul, spirit, survival, the world, Uncategorized | Tagged dread, fear, grief, life, physical world, renewal, sensuality, souls, spirituality | 2 Comments

Wounded

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Nancy

It is hard not to lead with our wounds. We all have them. Some are personal. Some are from childhood. Many are cultural. Every day we step out into the world and the wounds are bumped and beaten and reinforced. … Continue reading →

Posted in Day by day, Decisions, emotion, Pain, silence, Uncategorized, Wounds | Tagged creative life, dread, fear, renewal, support, writing life | 10 Comments

Wild Jesus

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Nancy

This morning I felt something break inside my chest. It was not a bone or an artery or my heart, but it was physical. It felt like a thin glossy sheet of bitter candy, the last vestiges of something that … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, Day by day, Decisions, depression, emotion, Energy, Gratitude, happiness, Magic, Self-worth, spaciousness, Uncategorized, Wildness | Tagged anxiety, dread, fear, love, magic, praying, relief, renewal | 9 Comments

On Becoming a Writer

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Nancy

Once I’d made my mind up to it, becoming a writer was fairly simple. I committed myself to it. I studied it. I read a lot of books. I attended a lot of readings. I attended as many workshops as … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, Comparison, Competition, Completing a novel, creativity, Day by day, Decisions, editors, emotion, failure, fiction, marketing, Play, privacy, Publishing, Self-worth, Starting a new work, Starting over, success, The market, Uncategorized, what artists need, Writing career | Tagged art and profits, creative life, dread, giving up, life of a writer, literary world, not writing, process, productivity, promotion, public, self esteem, success | Leave a comment

Writing Fiction

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Nancy

Writing fiction is always about relationship, and the first relationship that must be established is between the author and the main character. There’s got to be a certain intimacy in order to proceed. I can’t just write. I don’t just … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparison, Competition, Completing a novel, creativity, Day by day, Decisions, Drafts, emotion, Energy, Exploration, failure, fiction, Journaling, Magic, Process, Public appearances, Publishing, Starting a new work, Story, Visibilty, voice, Wildness | Tagged character, creative life, dread, fear, future, life of a writer, priorities, process, productivity, public, working, writing life | Leave a comment

Let evening come

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Nancy

Dear Sonja: I also have a garden that is a tangle, not of sweet peas, but of sunflowers and black eyed Susan’s and Echinacea spilling over a bank onto the patio. As I sat out there last evening sipping … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, creativity, Day by day | Tagged creative life, dread, love, physical world, praise; accolades; worth; words and value | Leave a comment

Thick Skin, Tender Heart

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Nancy

Dear Lisa, Last week I received the revision letter for a novel that will be published in 2016. The notes are far more extensive than I expected. As I scrolled through initially I panicked. It seemed too much to absorb, … Continue reading →