A Woman’s Gotta Do What a Woman’s Gotta Do

See, I think, as we write, we heal. The trauma therapy former child soldiers undergo often involves their reaching a point where, just once, they paint a picture of what happened to them and their emotions. This can be done through drawing, sculpting, dance or by writing. The children who do manage to somehow describe their ordeals have a better chance of living relatively stable lives than those who are so blocked they cannot find their way back to, and out of, that dark place.

I’m not saying we need to have (or find) a trauma in order to write. But we may listen to what weighs heavily on our hearts and write about that, once we’ve found a safe place, and locked the door.

(By the way, that’s not me in the tub.)

Writing Tip #2–Write On! *Finish the job you are doing in one go. (Compartmentalize large jobs into definable chunks.) *Give the task your full attention. Don’t switch attention to other things. *Keep your attention present and focused. *Start and stop the task with a quick stillness exercise. (With thanks to Bruce)