Prescription Eight

"It has been said that every writer, without exception, is a masochist, a sadist, a peeping Tom (or Tomasina), an exhibitionist, a narcissist, and a depressed person constantly haunted by fears of unproductivity. Thank goodness. Now we know why we write!"

Take a minute to answer this question: Why do you write? Is it for pleasure? Is it for financial reward? Is it to tell a story, or is it to share your soul? For me, writing serves to quench my constant craving for creativity. I have been a painter, textile designer, scrapbooker, teacher, pianist, clarinetist, guitarist and poet, and each role has allowed me to send my story into the world. My creativity is the vehicle driving behind my deep desire to matter, to make the world more beautiful, to move the hearts of people. Creativity has become my authentic voice: to get to know Lyndi, look no further than the things I have created.

My chest is full of stories; I am an emotional nomad and my writing allows me to 'get things off my chest'. In some respects, my writing has become a balance sheet, not only a scorecard. When penning words, I pour my emptiness onto paper and the pages in turn fill me up. There is a quiet joy in my hours of writing; piece by piece I dissolve into my words as they become me.

We all experience strong emotions at various times of our lives: fury, futility, betrayal, hope, joy, arousal, shame, grief, pride, self-loathing.

Today I am going to ask you to explore your feelings, emotions that visit you during your wakeful hours. Pick a word. I will give you some ideas:

VERY HAPPY? Use words like ecstatic, elated, energized, enthusiastic, exuberant, jubilant, loved, marvellous, terrific, thrilled uplifted.

MILDLY HAPPY? Use words like alive, amused, assured, cheerful, delighted, determined, encouraged. Fulfilled, grateful, optimistic, resolved, valued.

SAD? How about crushed, defeated, dejected, depressed, disgraced, hurt, drained, helpless, hopeless, rejected, unwanted, discarded, worthless, wounded, burdened, demoralized, distraught, empty, grievous, miserable, pitiful, apathetic, deflated, disenchanted, lost.

ANGRY? What about enraged, furious, hostile, humiliated, outraged, rebellious, repulsed, seething, vengeful, fuming, spiteful, throttled, vindictive, agitated, annoyed, frustrated, infantilized, irritated, stifles anguished, provoked.

Are you SCARED? Use words like desperate, dread, fearful, frantic, horrified, overwhelmed, panicky, petrified, terrified, tormented, tense, uneasy, vulnerable.

Do you feel CONFUSED? What if you rather feel baffled, bewildered, constricted, directionless, flustered, stagnant, trapped, ambivalent, foggy, hesitant, misunderstood, puzzled, torn, troubled, unsettled.

The above words touch on a small percentage of emotions we all feel at some or other time. They are universal expressions of what is 'going on' inside the human spirit. If you write about any of these and make your reader feel, touch, taste the emotion, your reader will relate to your story. And that will sell your book.

How to write a novel readers won't read? Write at a slow, boring pace; make your words weak and unremarkable; base your story on a ridiculous plot; make your main character unlikable, someone your reader cannot relate to.

Chuck Kloaterman said of loneliness, "It's not 'clever lonely' (like Morrissey) or 'interesting lonely' (like Radiohead); it's 'lonely lonely', like the way it feels when you're being hugged by someone and it somehow makes you sadder." Did you feel it? I bet you felt what he meant by loneliness, and I'll bet you have felt 'lonely lonely' too.

I hope I have left you with a bit of inspiration for your days writing.

Word of the day:

This is a word I use to describe the person I try to be for my children -

CAIM (n): 'santuary', an invisible circle of protection, drawn around the body with the hand, that reminds you that you are safe and loved, even in the darkest times.

Character flaw # DERANGED: mentally decayed, insane, crazy, mad, psychotic.