Writing Through Emotional Upheaval by Pamela Mytroen

     Our family took a hit in March and yet I was required to continue writing blogs, articles, and to edit pieces. At first I told my husband that I would never write again. (Picture the Drama Queen). Anxiety made it impossible for me to sleep or focus. But after a few days I was able to sit down and concentrate on a piece that needed editing. I found that if I compartmentalized, I could carry on. Now, when I write, I set a timer and I block out those relentless questions of what the future holds. "If I want to dwell on it later, I can," I tell myself. While this may not be the best approach to dealing with stress, it is working for me.

     There are still times when the situation flares up and pulls me down, and I must confess that I just can't get my focus to write. This is not something that is going to go away; I will likely be wading through it for years. Somehow I need to learn perseverance and push through. There are deadlines to meet and people waiting for my words. I can't just give up.

     I recently read the autobiography of Marina NeMat, "Prisoner of Tehran" (Penguin Canada, 2007). It was a difficult season of writing for her as it meant re-opening memories that she had wanted to seal off forever. But she wrote it so that the world might see what goes on at Evin Prison in Iran. She wanted the truth to be told.

"Prisoner of Tehran". A memoir by Marina Nemat. 

     Shortly after she and her husband immigrated to Canada, she met an Iranian friend at a dinner party in Toronto and by coincidence discovered that they had been imprisoned together in Evin. After a few phone calls back and forth, and talks about their time as political prisoners, Marina's new friend said she didn't want to talk to her anymore. "I can't do it. It's too hard. It's too painful," she said, her voice choked by tears. Marina understood and didn't argue, but it was this type of silence that had held her captive. "She had made her choice--and I had made mine" (page 4).  Marina felt that her own story needed to be told. She continued to write about the atrocities she endured and survived. Some of the emotions she experienced were shame, guilt, fear, and deep sorrow as she unlocked the carefully guarded memories, yet she carried on and finished writing her story so that the world might know the truth.

     How do you persevere through life's interruptions? What techniques do you use to write under the heavy cloak of emotional turmoil?

Pamela Mytroen

My sweet grand-daughter born in April with Mama watching closely in the background!

   

     

Colourful Time – Lawrence

Once more, the colourful time of year arrives. The trees and hedgerows are blazing with reds and oranges, yellows and golds. We are in awe of nature and sing our praises to the Creator. It is a time of glory and we marvel, as we always do at this time of year, at the magnificence of creation.

However, as thinking human beings, the edge is taken off this season of fall because, in the back of our minds, we know that this astounding beauty is the precursor of winter. We marvel at the beauty of fall while being unable to enjoy it fully, knowing that it heralds trees’ bare limbs, long cold nights, and the short, harsh days of winter’s onset.

We are not fully able to enjoy this amazing autumn season because it is taken up with anxiety and dread of the coming winter—a winter season extended by our fear of unknown and untold possibilities. Unlike our pets who take every moment as it comes, we look ahead into the time of what is not yet and imagine the winter horrors that await us.

This takes a lot of energy away from our delight in the present moment; we spend time worrying about the future thus causing ourselves anxiety long before the actual happening, only to find when the time arrives, the imagined event is often not as bad as we anticipated.

It is good to be prepared for the storms of winter—the hydro outages, accidents and black-outs—but the point of being prepared, I think, is to take away worry because we have done all we can to ready ourselves for any emergency.

So, let us do all that needs to be done to ready ourselves for the unpredictable winter, then put aside worrying and fretting about what might happen and enjoy this present and stunning fall moments.

These moments God has given us and they will not return again, except in photographs, memories and the written word, and in our praise and thanks to the Creator for this wonderful world where we live.

www.judithlawrence.ca
http://welshcakesshortstories.blogspot.com

Pre-Christmas Without Anxiety - Lawrence

Here in Central Ontario we have had snow several times already this fall and, by the magic of television, we’ve watched the Santa Claus Parade from Toronto—both these events prepare our minds for Christmas.
Since Hallowe’en, we have been encouraged to buy our cards and presents and are daily admonished to mail them out by the due date in order for them to reach their destination on time.
I have heard rumours that the postal workers may go on strike at this crucial time of the year, and that retailers are worried that people will cut back on their spending because of the current economic climate, thus making the shopkeepers’ profits less than desirable.
People are getting anxious over a festival that commemorates the coming into the world of Jesus Christ, the one who came and continues to come to give us peace and take our fears away.
While we take part in the social events that surround our celebrations of Christmas, let us keep the Christ Child firmly in our hearts, knowing that he is the only gift we need and the best gift we can possibly give to others.
When we have Jesus in our hearts we have nothing to fear. Jesus is love and, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4: 18 NRSV
© Judith Lawrence
Author of Glorious Autumn Days: Meditations for the Wisdom Years; and Grapes From The Vine, Book of Mystical Poetry. Both available at www.lulu.com
Author of Prayer Companion: A Treasury of Personal Meditation, available at Chapters and www.pathbooks.com
Web Site: www.judithlawrence.ca

CDs and Books and Massive Anxiety Attacks, Oh My - Arends

There is a lot of talk these days about the perilious future of both recorded music and book publishing. As a recording artist and author, I furrow my brow in the general direction of both topics. I was intriguiged by this recent article by music journalist Chet Flippo. He refers to a "massive anxiety attack" that has plagued the music industry for some time and discusses specifically his concerns that commercial uncertainty is breeding an artistic insecurity that is robbing recording artists of their "mojo". (I think one can draw some parallels to what is happening to many authors in the world of book publishing as well.)

I just began recording my 10th CD in August, and I have difficulty giving a solid business rationale for the undertaking. Digital distribution models (both of the legal and pirate variety) have radically changed the income potential for artists, which is a nice way of saying I won't make very much money. And my plans to record songs that would fit neatly in the direction my speaking and touring career has been going were all shot to bits when a passle of new songs literally showed up and wrestled me to the ground -- songs that remind me of a line from an old Mark Heard song: "I'm too sacred for the sinners, and the saints wish I would leave."

So what am I doing? Why am I doing it?

The other day an acquaintance asked me (in a non-threatening, interested way) what my objectives were for the new recording I was working on. And I hemmed and hawed for a bit and then finally told the truth.

I want to sing honest songs. I want this cd to be better than the last one--a deeper pocket or a sweeter line. I want to record some bit of something that gives me and maybe someone else goosebumps. I want to be moved, and to move someone else.

Like most artists who are also Christians, I walk a fine line between calling and indulgence; I could not honestly tell you the ratio between flesh and spirit at any given moment. But this is what I know. We must all tell our stories, as truthfully and as beautifully as we can, and God is such a good God He can and will use our efforts. I've seen it more times than I can count. And I don't know if that gives me mojo, but it gives me motiviation. And I can't wait for the next recording day.

I think the Flippo article reaches a pretty fine conclusion:

"So what can we as individuals do? I try to follow the advice of my high school Latin teacher, who I have increasingly realized was a very wise woman. 'Just tend to your own garden," she would say. "If we all do that, things cannot help but get better.'"

I don't know the future of recorded music or book publishing or painting or sculpture or theatre. But if we tell our stories, as honestly and beautifully as we can, things can't help but get better.

CA

I blog, therefore I am at:

Songville (brand new site for songwriters)

Conversantlife.com (where I muse on Stuff That Matters)

Wrestling with Angels (where I park my Christianity Today columns and other pieces)

Carolyn Arends Newsblog (where we post goings on, twitter updates, and other news relating to my work as a recording artist and writer)