Writing. Boston to Austin.

Downtown Boston looking pretty good. View of the recently renovated green over the tunnel.

This is about writing. Overcoming whatever obstacles to get the words down. Simply playing with words. Using them as building materials to tell your stories. That's it.

In several writing classes, I've noticed that a lot of folks have trouble getting started. I do too, sometimes. The trick is to go with the ebb and flow, you write what you can when you can.

Came across the best advice for parents of children who write. Outstanding for the inner child, as well. If we all treated ourselves this way, we could actually change something. And then write some more.

My writing ebbs and flows. I sometimes resist it. Fear rushes in where fools dare to tread. To mangle a metaphor. I keep writing. That's all that matters.

I came across a notebook from a La Zona Rosa workshop with Rosemary Daniell dated 1.27.07. The prompt was "You can no longer deny..." I wrote of my frustration with not finding/making more time to write my own stuff. Also blogged about it. I was paid to write, edit, et al, all day. Academorporate Speak. I had a bad taste in my mouth, writerly-wise. The upshot is that the act of sitting down, focusing, and knocking out anything AT FREAKING ALL about my own resistance to sitting down and writing something that was important to me, and how I came up with ideas to work through my tendency to procrastinate, was pretty danged awesome.

Four years later, I am refreshed by the fact that I've been actively writing for decade after decade. I find that it's a little easier finding a few moments to just get some of that stuff down that's bouncing around in my head, even if it's only red ink in a composition book. Give your Future Self the gift of You Right Now. You never know what blinding insights you'll receive from Your Very Own Self.

Tell your stories. No matter who does or does not read them. That's the Connection.