It was nauseating to listen to the high whine of the fly’s wings while I attempted to eat my breakfast. The sickening extension of each thick silence that stretched between moments of terror.
Trapped
Today, I Went to the Movies
Today, I went to the movies. I went alone. I bought my ticket online and had the lady at the ticket counter help me figure out how to retrieve it. I bought myself popcorn and a cherry coke. I sat alone through an intense 2-hour movie. I drove myself to the theater and back. I... Continue Reading →
Open and Honest
One area in my life that I've been pushing myself to improve is my total lack of social skills. I am an introvert almost to the extreme, and often find myself content with no other company than my few closest friends. Building new relationships is excessively difficult for me. I think one of the reasons... Continue Reading →
Being Brave and Letting Go
Brave art is beautiful art. My husband reminded me of this after I bemoaned the increasing number personal elements that seem to be creeping their way into the short story I'm handing in for my Fiction Writing class. About an hour ago, I finished my third draft and had so much of my own self and struggles leaking... Continue Reading →
To Turtle, or Not to Turtle?
I'm not accustomed to this level of praise from anyone but my husband. My professor is holding out my short story to the rest of the class, my √++ a loud red against the white paper. It's screaming, "loved it" almost literally, because that's what he's written next to my grade. "Look at the format. This is... Continue Reading →
So I read, “The Shining”…
I scare a little too easily to take much of a shine to the horror genre, but in the past months I've been experiencing a severe emotional shakeup that reaches back to the roots of my childhood. All the raw and repressed pain and anger I'm dredging up has been attacking me in my sleep, filling... Continue Reading →
So It Begins…
After months and months of nerve induced procrastination, I have officially sent out my first query letters for Us. I sent them out last week. My husband wrapped his arms around me, we counted down, and clicked the send button together. Sharon was a major help to me that day, sending me constructive criticism on... Continue Reading →
Best Laid Schemes…
I've been meticulously methodical about sending my novels out for representation to the point where, last month, I called myself out for being utterly ridiculous. And, as J.R.R. Tolkien said, "It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish." So, I decided to take March off from writing new things and focus on querying... Continue Reading →
“It’s Braver to Have Climbed…”
Flushed from my successful six-hour road trip to Williamsburg, I decided to tackle the next fear on my list, driving alone. I used to be able to drive by myself for an hour, so that's all I'm really shooting for. I figure an hour is enough to get me to my parents house or to visit the friends... Continue Reading →
A Road Trip with Neil and Charlotte
A few weeks ago, I posted about my struggle with anxiety disorder and depression. After which, I mentioned how I’ve been pushing my boundaries, forcing myself to stand against the things that most frighten me On this list is the gradual expansion of my forty-five minute radius safety bubble. I was sitting at about two and a half hours when my in-laws invited... Continue Reading →
R. C. Svendsen 