Tuesday, October 07, 2008

"A Writer's Struggle for Emotional Freedom"

A couple of years ago, I posted about a tactic I was using to help myself keep writing through a sticky place in my novel:

"...When I was feeling shocked by what I was writing, I read bits of an autobiography by a friend, Lucy Daniels, With a Woman's Voice: A Writer's Struggle for Emotional Freedom , which was startlingly personal and disclosing. I kept thinking: if she can do this, I can surely keep on spinning this fiction."

Tonight I'm going to the ceremony for Lucy to receive the Raleigh Arts Commission's Medal of Arts for 2008. Boldness rewarded!

I'm telling how I used her book for encouragement on a documentary about her career that they'll be showing. (Which I haven't seen yet, and I'm indeed curious.)

Again, the technique, which worked very well: About every 45 minutes or so, when my courage would be fading again, I'd stop work on my own book, and read a few pages of Lucy's, and think, "Well, if she can do this...."

You probably know of a book or piece of music or some such that has done or could do the same thing for you.





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6 comments:

Debra said...

Hooray for you, Peggy! A BOLDNESS award, indeed! I feel so proud of you. I wish that I could be there to give you a congratulatory hug! And once again, I must tell you that YOU inspire me to be bolder, to be braver and to write even when what I write might feel uncomfortable. You inspired me to write, and because of that I have utilized a gift that I buried for way too long.

Thank you, my friend. Congratulations.

Big hugs,
Debbie

Peggy Payne said...

Thanks, Debbie. But it's Lucy who's getting the award, not me. I'm merely carrying on about her. I do appreciate your appreciation though--immensely.

Debra said...

Well even though I read wrong, I think it's great that you will be participating in such a BOLD event! Congratulations to Lucy! I am going to have to look into her work. Obviously she feels very strongly about the creativity that came from you after you tried her technique. That is also very exciting. So you can continue to carry on about Lucy, and I will continue to carry on about you. I like the way that woks.

Hugs,
Debbie

Peggy Payne said...

Thanks, Debbie. You are ever generous with your encouragement.

Anonymous said...

Hooray for you, Peggy! A BOLDNESS award, indeed!



Emotional Freedom

Peggy Payne said...

Many thanks, Anon. I hadn't looked at this post in a while and your comment brought that episode back in a nice way.