A Blogging Break.

by Leave a Comment

I am standing this side of something. A tunnel. A current. A dark place. An ocean of grief. It feels so strangely appropriate to stand on the precipice of a new year, and to stand at the ledge of this experience. I know that light awaits me. And I know that the light will not meet me all at once, but in slow, gradual gradients as I make my way across. And then I will stand, feet in the tides, on the opposite shore and welcome the sunrise. But first I must take the plunge.
I’m taking a break from blogging to turn my focus to my mother as she lives out her final days with us. She has battled breast cancer for 14 long years. We are deeply grateful for her life, for her love, for her unwavering faith and strength to the very end.
I wish each of you a happy new year. See you on the other side.

On Writing : Louis CK Interviewed on NPR

by Leave a Comment

The following is a quote from comedian Louis CK in an interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air from a couple of weeks ago. I found this bit about script writing especially insightful. Louis had decided to write an episode for his FX series, Louie, based on some of his fellow comedians, in which a friend has informed him that he has decided to commit suicide. Louis wrote the episode mere months before his friend and fellow comedian Patrice O’Neal died of complications from diabetes.

Gross : Have you been in that position where somebody’s told you that they want to kill themselves and you have to decide what are you supposed to do with that?

C.K. : Well, it’s a scary thing to ponder, you know, but it’s emotional to hear that clip now because, I mean, I wrote that about a lot of comedians I knew coming up and comedy and show business are very cruel and they don’t have a nice way of saying no or good-bye, you know? And a lot of guys live really tough lives in this racket.

And I’ve known a lot of them and come up with some of them and some have made it, some haven’t. And, you know, the idea of somebody saying to you look me in the eye and tell me I have a reason to live, it’s terrifying to think, well, what if I fail them in that moment?…

And, you know, it’s just funny because I have such a different perspective on that issue of, like, someone’s not taking care of themselves. Someone’s not keeping themselves safe, and what is your role in that? And the anger I feel towards Doug in that scene is the kind of anger I feel about Patrice now that he’s gone. So it’s interesting to look back on it because the thing – the place I took myself in that scene, as I was writing it, I didn’t know where it was going. I knew I wanted to stand on that street and have him give me that news and I didn’t know where I wanted it to go. So I started writing to him my argument why not to kill yourself, and as I was writing it I realized for this argument to succeed would be really gross. For me to, like, be the guy who gives him the reason to live is so self-serving.

And the fact that I was even attempting it on paper, I was embarrassed alone in a room. And so the way that I – the path I found to the truth of the scene for me was having Doug be the one to tell me how full of crap I was for trying it. So in other words, as I was sitting there typing here’s why you shouldn’t kill yourself, I stopped and said to myself, oh my god. Congratulations, you pig. You know, who do you think you are? And so then I had Doug basically say that.

I think the quote speaks for itself, but I will say that this is something I contemplate often. In my younger years of writing, I felt afraid of writing what I know, afraid that if I wrote it, it might not be the truth because it’s just me and my perspective. Yet, I have this desperation to write and life as I experience it only spurs me toward writing more. I have to tell this story, I think to myself. How do I tell it truthfully? Will others understand what I mean by what I write?

But the truth is what you know when you’re writing in a room alone. It’s what you uncover, beneath layers of drafts and words and ideas, once you sit down. It is scary because it is real. Don’t be afraid to write the truth.

bookish : A Guide for the Dreaded Semicolon

by Leave a Comment

The dreaded semicolon. Most avoid it using it, but it’s really not that hard to understand. Should you need a re-education in appropriate semicolon use, here is your guide, courtesy of the Oatmeal :
book·ish/ˈbo͝okiSH/Adjective

1. (of a person or way of life) Devoted to reading and studying rather than worldly interests.
2. (of language or writing) Literary in style or allusion.
3. (of art and all manner of lovely things) devoted to the written word as a form of art and as a way of seeing the world.
4. (of SheWritesandRights.blogspot.com) anything of the aforementioned characteristics as they are found on the interwebs and reposted by Bethany, because bookish and writerly things always give reason for amusement.

Business in the City.

by Leave a Comment

Tuesday night I joined Jess Constable of Makeunder My Life for Business in the City, a gathering of small business owners for the purpose of talking through ideas, struggles, and plans related to starting a new business. Now that I’ve opened my Etsy shop, I’m looking for ways to connect with other small business owners and dialogue with them about this process. Having a network of like-minded people is key to building your business, for moral support, for idea generation, for learning the nuts and bolts of business success. It was so great to hear the diverse ideas and experiences that other attendees were there to share. A definite feeling of we’re all in this together.
I also had the pleasure of meeting two dear blogging friends live and in person, Abby and Melissa. Abby is a nanny/waitress/traveler/blogger/total free spirit girl that blogs over at Underlined and Bold. She just completed her first ever marathon just because she wanted to “prove to myself that I could do it.” How awesome is that?! Keep your eyes open, Abby is doing a giveaway of one of my paintings in the next day or two. And Miss Melissa is a freelance writer that is about to celebrate transitioning from her full time job to her freelance job – so inspiring! Go get ‘em, girl.
Tuesday evening solidified so many things for me. That writing this blog was the best random thing I’ve ever done. That there are people in this world that understand this visceral need to make an impact, to leave a positive mark, through art and writing and creativity. That the best thing I can do for myself, for others, for the world, is just keep going.
Thanks, Jess, for opening up this opportunity for beginners like us to be inspired and motivated.

Poem: For the Apple

by Leave a Comment

For the Apple. 

I delight in the crispness of an apple,
 my lips wrapped around smooth skin
 and pure, sweet flesh
 broke open between my teeth. 

To hold it in my hand, 
 the weight of it reminds me, 
 the gleam of green skin reminds me 
 of growth 
 of goodness
 of briskness and autumn
 of contentment 
in the order and seasons of things. 

Sun 
and rain
and leaves of trees
then blossoms bursting to this new thing,
  this sweet new thing,
ready for the picking, 
for the plucking,
for the grip of my fingers,
for my lips on its skin
for my delight in this gritty, delicious 
  nectar of nature 
  and newness of life. 

In one sweet moment, 
I hold goodness in the grip of my hand.