Recovery & Mental Nuts

[Gabler]

Haven't been reading much for years, though.

That's at least part of your problem. My creative writing teacher in high school would always begin every class with the mantra: "In order to write you have to be reading." Then he would go around the room and ask us each what sci-fi and fantasy books we had been reading in our leisure time. My college creative writing professor would assign various stories and poems, and she had us emulate the styles from our assigned reading. Pick something you like, read it, and then try to emulate the style. Then, try something else, and something else again, and eventually, you'll figure out how you like to write.

 

[Carol 83]

I hope you find your writing voice @ShadyStump . That's what I always wanted to be, a writer. Perhaps that's why I have a useless degree in English. But life got in the way, married young and really needed to get a job out of college. So been in accounting for 30+ years. Wishing you success.

 

[ShadyStump]

Thanks, everyone, for all the ideas and support. If nothing else it's helped me evaluate why it's been such a struggle for me.
I think my problem has been mental blocks related to life stress; so caught up in the worries of the moment that I kinda keep ignoring myself, if that makes sense.

I'm going to start with some journaling exercises, free writing especially. Journaling has never really been my thing - at least if I'm not inclined to just burn the whole book immediately afterwards - but I think that may be exactly what I need to sort through things again; differentiate the emotions of the moment from my actual thoughts. That's something I used to be really good at - too good, actually. I would ignore how I feel in favor of how a thought. The past several years I've been working on that problem, and swung to the opposite extreme. Now I'm working on balance.

It's only a couple weeks away, but there's a shot I might feel ready for NaNoWriMo in November. Not holding my breath for this year, but I WILL win NaNoWriMo some day!

 

[pandacular]

I had an interesting encounter with someone who is hopefully now working on recovery. I was hanging out, shooting some photos. A down-and-out asked me for some cash, so I helped him out. I keep a few twenties in my car with hats and gloves for the cold months specifically for this. He thanked me, and said he had something for me, on the condition that I destroy.

I was pretty shocked when he handed me a crack pipe, but I did as I was asked and found a big rock to smash it with.

 

[Haydz]

I am so stoked to see a thread like this here... I just found this and instantly bookmarked..

I am 4 years sober, retired crack head and heroin junkie lol, found my community out here in the LA AA scene, I am also a bassist in a band out here and recently got into bonsai as I have always had a love for Japanese culture and art, its given me routine and keeps me caring about things that don't always give instant gratification..

I just wanted to pop in and post because it genuinely made me so happy to see a page like this on here!

 

[ShadyStump]

I am so stoked to see a thread like this here... I just found this and instantly bookmarked..

I am 4 years sober, retired crack head and heroin junkie lol, found my community out here in the LA AA scene, I am also a bassist in a band out here and recently got into bonsai as I have always had a love for Japanese culture and art, its given me routine and keeps me caring about things that don't always give instant gratification..

I just wanted to pop in and post because it genuinely made me so happy to see a page like this on here!

Always glad to see new faces. Welcome aboard.

I had an interesting encounter with someone who is hopefully now working on recovery. I was hanging out, shooting some photos. A down-and-out asked me for some cash, so I helped him out. I keep a few twenties in my car with hats and gloves for the cold months specifically for this. He thanked me, and said he had something for me, on the condition that I destroy.

I was pretty shocked when he handed me a crack pipe, but I did as I was asked and found a big rock to smash it with.

Little encounters like that are what keep me going in life. I hope the guy makes it. For all we know this might be the third time he's asked someone to do that, and there may be three more times after that, but as long he keeps trying there's hope.