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 Each day is new; my recollection of the previous day is minimal. I’m learning to adapt. |
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Following a severe seizure, an MRI revealed a tumor the size of a lime in my brain. September 2019 is when this occurred. Situated one inch left and seven degrees from the center of my brain, the tumor touched the hippocampus. The part of the brain that handles language and memory. When someone wants to know how I am doing? My reply is, “Seven Degrees Left of Center”. |
| I ran into an old friend last night. Someone I haven't seen or thought about since the stroke and tumor took away the neural pathways of memory. It scared him a bit because the instant I started speaking, I did not recognize him. I could not pull up his name. Yet, I knew he was someone I should know. That confusion was too much for him, and the meeting became short. I don't blame him for being set back. As usual, 15 minutes later, I started remembering how we knew each other. In fact, we had worked together for several years. I hope he wasn't insulted. Though, I could tell he didn't understand why I couldn't remember. My wife tried to explain that I had memory loss. He then seemed more nervous, and the encounter shortened to a short minute. The encounter caught him off guard. If we run into each other again, I hope for a better exchange and experience. |
| Just like doing laundry with clothes, I have to clean up my writing. That task of cleaning up the details and finding the loop hose. This is the hardest part of the writing process for me. Killing my darlings, if you will. Often, I rarely kill them. I put them aside for another adventure or phrase somewhere else for another time. Why waste the work? However, there is a time when a character or scene has to die. |
| It's time to get back to writing again. The vacation was excellent. At first, I thought I would keep writing. No, the lake weather and general atmosphere took hold. Now I'm back at my desk, and the keyboard is cold—it's time to get back to clicking. |
| I thought I could stay away during my vacation. I was wrong. The first couple of days were okay. Now I am bored. Here I am, writing a blog post. It might have been easier if I didn't bring my computer. I knew deep down I couldn't stop writing for more than a couple of days. That is the nature of the beast, right? So, write on and on, even on break. |
An interesting way to generate a story prompt is using Fireside Story Dice or Roll 'A' Story dice. I am going camping for a few days and taking the dice. I haven't used the dice in a while. Some time at the lake and rolling some bones  will generate something worthy of posting. |
| One of my recent writing challenges is the feeling of being a fraud. Everything I write reads like something I have read before. Though the thoughts are mine, the words seem ... copied. Even in the books I read, I find similarities in scene descriptions. Is this just a stage in learning how to write? By noticing these similarities, I'm learning more about the craft. This has become frustrating. How to tell my story, my why, yet using the same dictionary of words as everyone else. |
| This past week, I experienced change up close. My granddaughter graduated from High School. She doesn't know what is coming. Change. Gone are the daily rituals of preparing for school with the aid of a parent. Gone are the highly monitored rules of public schools. No, now, she will enter the world of self-management, a time when the simple choices of whether to eat breakfast or wear clean clothes are private, personal choices. I think she is well ready. She has already shown tenacity and independence. I look forward to seeing what she chooses to do in the future. I wish her well and send my love for a bright future. |
| Once again, I am starting a day with a near-blank slate. Yesterday had faded into that gap in my brain where things disappear. I haven't been writing for the past week or so, and it is starting to show. What I am working on is not so much the fading past as the bright future. The future has important moments, and the present is the precious moments. These are things I have had to relearn. I have spent too much time on the past or trying to recover the past, and I have missed out on some of the present. Take it from me: Learn to appreciate the present and look forward to the future. There is little to nothing to gain from dwelling on the past. |
| I took a week off because I had a problem with follow-through. The words stopped flowing. Some people may call it writer's block or a form of burnout, but it is something else. The story lost its flow. The words couldn't find the follow-through they needed to move the text forward. So, I put everything down for a few days to allow my brain to refresh. I will go back to work this week. The juices are flowing again. We often say keep writing. I wholeheartedly believe in that, but it is also okay to step back and take a break. Recharge, regenerate, and then follow through with energy. |
| Do you ever have trouble reading your work? If there is one truth about me, I am not an editor. When I reread my work, I wondered if the person who wrote it knew English or how to type. The first draft is so raw that it is almost impossible to read. That is why it is called a process. Most things make the second draft. If they make a third draft, I might be onto something. That is when the "want-to" kicks in. Do I really want to be a writer? The answer is yes; the process is part of the deal. Never give up on the process. Keep writing and reviewing and rewriting and reviewing until you are happy with something. Whether it is shared or published isn't important yet. I do say yet. Stay with the process, and the rest will eventually line up. Keep on writing! |
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Are you taking fish oil? It’s supposed to help the brain.
