My new project has been full of surprises the past couple of weeks. The chapters are sounding more like essays than memoir-ish pieces. I think it works. I just have to be careful not to sound like an amateur self-help guru.

This is the first time I have written something personal that is meant to be shared with others and it’s surprising that so far I have written everything by hand. Other than some brainstorming or sporadic journaling, I’ve always preferred the keyboard. But this time the words refuse to come when I’m looking at a screen. I must admit that I am enjoying the process. It’s so satisfying to fill up a page with ink. Every time I turn to a new page I am much more aware of my progress. Writing by hand also keeps my internal editor somewhat quiet. My hand has a hard enough time keeping up with my first thoughts that I can’t worry about incomplete sentences and misspelled words. There are no red and green squiggly lines to distract me.

Previously published at bridgetshaffer.wordpress.com

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