It’s my third morning of work — back on the novel — and, just as I predicted, I’m feeling better about it. And about life. I’ve also been reading The Pen and the Bell, a splendid new book about writing and meditation by Holly Hughes and Brenda Miller. One exercise they suggest is to write about how one begins. This […]
I am in a blue mood, what my husband calls “the Dempsey Dumpster.” Yesterday was my first real day back at work on the novel and it did not go well. I stayed in my office, groaning and fidgeting and not writing for four hours. I have forgotten how to write. I was never […]
So I have been thinking about mentors, and then today my friend Carolynne gave me a piece of writing about courage. I think what the ideal mentor does is to give us courage. In Homer’s Odyssey, Mentor is a friend of Odysseus, an older, trusted adviser. The goddess Athena later takes the form of Mentor in order […]
I intended to drop by for a long post about mentors, as it must seem a little clumsy of me to include mothers and wives in that category (but why not?). Unfortunately, I am preparing to leave for Chehalis — another round of doctor visits for my mom tomorrow — and am pressed for time. I need […]