A is for April Fool

At least I feel a bit foolish committing to a month of daily blog posts with only Sundays off. When it comes to describing my writing practice, A words like avoidance and ambivalence spring to mind. A few years ago when I cut back on my work life to devote more time to writing, and people asked how it was going, I had to confess, “Well, it turns out I’ve freed up more time to avoid writing.”

Not only am I undisciplined, I have also made a sad discovery: The Spirit—the one I rely on to speak through me as if I am just taking dictation rather than toiling away —also suffers from writer’s block.

But rather than throw in the towel, I have thrown myself into the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I’d heard about it a couple of years ago from my writing friend Claire, who participated. Then last year, the Write On Mamas, to which I belong, participated in the Challenge in a kind of round-robin way, with the members each contributing a letter. (Mine was E is for Empty Nest, which I reveal here with some trepidation in case I want to recycle it for this year’s Challenge. On the other hand, recycling is a conscientious choice for a planet threatened with environmental degradation, so if you see it here again in a few days, it is not because I am ambivalent and avoidant—aka lazy—but because it is the ethical thing to do.)

As part of our writing group’s effort, I also wrote a post on my own blog called A-Z: A Writer’s Alphabet. I was not yet ready to take the plunge, but I could at least come up with a line pertaining to writing for every letter of the alphabet. I had gotten into the habit of writing one line, a far less daunting task, with my friend Mary’s encouragement.

Then the aforementioned Claire said, “You really ought to do the A to Z Challenge! It’ll be good for you.” (Actually, she said “A to Zed,” because she’s British, which makes everything she says sound persuasive.) So now I am trying to think of writing as just a bunch of lines, strung together. One line upon another building into a paragraph, a post, an essay, an article, even a book. Or at least a month of daily blogging.

As you can see, my blog is called Shrinkrapped. It’s not about therapy, but I am a therapist, so psychology suffuses my world view. I’m particularly interested in how the personal, the political, and the psychological come together.

Some of my current favorite obsessions include: Motherhood; The Empty Nest (and, since my daughter has recently moved back, the not-so-empty nest); Politics; Psychology; Friendships; and Ruptures in Women’s Friendships. Plus, since everything is copy, one unwelcome obsession: What I’m calling my Cancer Detour, a new muse that showed up in my life in September 2012 (I’m fine now).

I hope you enjoy Shrinkrapped. Let the Challenge begin, and please chime in!

 

 

 

 

 

14 thoughts on “A is for April Fool

  1. I don’t know how you found my blog, but I am so glad you did! I have enjoyed reading all of your posts so far (I started at “I” and went backwards).

  2. Vive le “recycling”! In fact, I am recycling my whole A to Z from last year, just from a different perspective, so I guess you could say that I am being very…ethical? ;-) Thanks for visiting my site and best of luck with the challenge!

  3. How fun! Your list reminds me that I need to find a writing group. I’ve put it on my task list for after I move. Will try to comment on your alphabet posts. Someday I would love to do the a-z(ed) challenge too!

    • I don’t yet know whether or not to recommend the Challenge as I am already exhausted and falling behind. But you should definitely find a writing group–they’re so helpful. I think you moved to SF, right? So maybe you should check out the Write On Mamas in Mill Valley. Many members come from SF. Cheers!

    • Thanks for visiting. I tried to leave a comment on your blog, but couldn’t figure it out (T is for Technophobia!), so here it is:
      I love movies, so look forward to hearing more. Haven’t seen either of these, though, so can’t render an opinion. I also love your Insecure Writer’s Support Group–must have a very large membership!
      Thanks for visiting me over at Shrinkrapped.

    • Thanks, Elen. As a friend once said about our kids, “Gifted, Talented, and Lazy.” I envision lots of recycling, as I’m already exhausted on Day One of the Challenge. Loved your Alphabet Soup. Thanks for visiting me.

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