Aw Kate. THANK YOU for taking the time to read all my posts so far. I’m so happy to hear that reading this made you let that story about yourself go! And one of the most important and liberating things I’ve learned about writing is that, while listings and publications are great, the best thing of all is writing for the love of it, to get better at it, to find ways to express the truths we carry inside ourselves. You are good enough. 💙
Thank you for your honesty in your email. And I just wanted to pass on my sincere and heartfelt sympathies for all the losses that you have endured in the past few years.
And also for your absolute resilience in coping with everything and dealing with the awful issues of childhood abuse.
Aw thanks, Jayne. What a lovely thing to say. I hope that by sharing how I have found peace and happiness despite everything that's happened can help others who may be feeling troubled like I used to. Mindfulness is a wonderful thing and that combined with therapy has transformed my life, and me!
I enjoyed ‘Remember Tomorrow’ and am looking forward to reading your other work.
I’ve written plenty over the years - courses, non-fiction ‘content’, other bits and pieces and am only now (64) starting with fiction. It’s very easy to convince myself I cannot write, and I guess that feeling never goes away. Perhaps, strangely, that’s a good thing?
I know how tough life can be sometimes. Keep writing, keep believing.
Many thanks for reading my novel, Ian. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And also happy to hear that you have found fiction writing. I'm sure you can write. I do love losing myself in creating stories but have come to realise that I also love other kinds of writing just as much now.
"What about the characters you write in your stories? What do they need to stop telling themselves about themselves, their past, their present and their future?"
This is an excellent question, Amanda. Thank you for this edition of your newsletter, which points the way, for me, toward writing better, and, for me and for my characters, toward living better. x
I too am sorry you've had so much loss in your life but I'm glad you have such a deep well to draw from. You got me to thinking that when someone we respect tells us once that we can't do something, the comment might become a motivator. When we tell ourselves that "we can't," the echoes can turn the thought into an anchor.
Amanda I feel like I want to reach out and give you a virtual hug. Life is too flipping hard sometimes, just doesn’t seem to convey enough. I see you and the new you emerging and all the beauty that that will birth into the world and how all of those experiences will allow you to set yourself free in words. I will look forward to enjoying what comes next. 💫🙏
Thank you for the virtual hug, Louise. It has been hard but it’s made me appreciate everything a whole lot more. It’s created space for a new, more carefree me and my writing and life has gone in a whole new direction that feels right. 💙
Letting go of these disempowering stories can be quite challenging, no doubt about it. It's like trying to figure out what you don't know, right?
Let me share a little incident from last year. I went for an eye exam and to my delight, I discovered that my eyesight had actually improved - for the second time! So, I got my prescription revised and picked up my new frames. However, there was a problem with these new glasses; they turned out to be blurry every time I put them on. I returned them to the manufacturer, and they provided me with new ones, but the experience was the same - still off.
Thankfully, when I visited my eye doctor again, she had a clever insight. She said, "Oh, I know what's happening; your eyesight is getting better, but your brain is resisting the change." So, she made a small tweak in the prescription, giving my brain some time to adjust to the improvement.
I've been working on accepting that things are getting better and trying to see more clearly these days. It definitely takes time, but I'm getting there.
Thank you for the touching reminder today. Wishing you much peace with your clarity seeking journey.
Thanks for reading and sharing your story, David. Yes, it does take time for our brains and habitual ways of thinking and being to catch up with the ways we, and everything around us, change. An ongoing job!
Condolences for your losses, Amanda, and thank you for your courage and compassion! I'm new to your work, and look forward to getting to know you, too.
Aw Kate. THANK YOU for taking the time to read all my posts so far. I’m so happy to hear that reading this made you let that story about yourself go! And one of the most important and liberating things I’ve learned about writing is that, while listings and publications are great, the best thing of all is writing for the love of it, to get better at it, to find ways to express the truths we carry inside ourselves. You are good enough. 💙
Dear Amanda
Thank you for your honesty in your email. And I just wanted to pass on my sincere and heartfelt sympathies for all the losses that you have endured in the past few years.
And also for your absolute resilience in coping with everything and dealing with the awful issues of childhood abuse.
You truly are an inspiration.
All the best
Jayne
Aw thanks, Jayne. What a lovely thing to say. I hope that by sharing how I have found peace and happiness despite everything that's happened can help others who may be feeling troubled like I used to. Mindfulness is a wonderful thing and that combined with therapy has transformed my life, and me!
I enjoyed ‘Remember Tomorrow’ and am looking forward to reading your other work.
I’ve written plenty over the years - courses, non-fiction ‘content’, other bits and pieces and am only now (64) starting with fiction. It’s very easy to convince myself I cannot write, and I guess that feeling never goes away. Perhaps, strangely, that’s a good thing?
I know how tough life can be sometimes. Keep writing, keep believing.
Many thanks for reading my novel, Ian. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And also happy to hear that you have found fiction writing. I'm sure you can write. I do love losing myself in creating stories but have come to realise that I also love other kinds of writing just as much now.
"What about the characters you write in your stories? What do they need to stop telling themselves about themselves, their past, their present and their future?"
This is an excellent question, Amanda. Thank you for this edition of your newsletter, which points the way, for me, toward writing better, and, for me and for my characters, toward living better. x
Thanks for reading, Ellen, and I'm really glad it resonated with you and your characters. A x
I too am sorry you've had so much loss in your life but I'm glad you have such a deep well to draw from. You got me to thinking that when someone we respect tells us once that we can't do something, the comment might become a motivator. When we tell ourselves that "we can't," the echoes can turn the thought into an anchor.
Thanks Mark. Yes that’s true about the things we tell ourselves. Time to pull up the anchors and let things that no longer serve us go!
Amanda I feel like I want to reach out and give you a virtual hug. Life is too flipping hard sometimes, just doesn’t seem to convey enough. I see you and the new you emerging and all the beauty that that will birth into the world and how all of those experiences will allow you to set yourself free in words. I will look forward to enjoying what comes next. 💫🙏
Thank you for the virtual hug, Louise. It has been hard but it’s made me appreciate everything a whole lot more. It’s created space for a new, more carefree me and my writing and life has gone in a whole new direction that feels right. 💙
Hi Amanda,
Letting go of these disempowering stories can be quite challenging, no doubt about it. It's like trying to figure out what you don't know, right?
Let me share a little incident from last year. I went for an eye exam and to my delight, I discovered that my eyesight had actually improved - for the second time! So, I got my prescription revised and picked up my new frames. However, there was a problem with these new glasses; they turned out to be blurry every time I put them on. I returned them to the manufacturer, and they provided me with new ones, but the experience was the same - still off.
Thankfully, when I visited my eye doctor again, she had a clever insight. She said, "Oh, I know what's happening; your eyesight is getting better, but your brain is resisting the change." So, she made a small tweak in the prescription, giving my brain some time to adjust to the improvement.
I've been working on accepting that things are getting better and trying to see more clearly these days. It definitely takes time, but I'm getting there.
Thank you for the touching reminder today. Wishing you much peace with your clarity seeking journey.
Thanks for reading and sharing your story, David. Yes, it does take time for our brains and habitual ways of thinking and being to catch up with the ways we, and everything around us, change. An ongoing job!
Condolences for your losses, Amanda, and thank you for your courage and compassion! I'm new to your work, and look forward to getting to know you, too.