++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My daughter has now sent me Question #2 to respond to for our book.  I woke this morning with the fear that during my book writing process I will not be able to write for this blog.  How will I maintain Stop the Storm if I can’t write here?  Responding to commenters is a separate writing adventure.  I know I can do that.  But writing here?  Now what?

I have mentioned before that I have identified that I have found ways to continually deplete the reservoir that holds ‘my story’ both by writing posts here and by talking to people I am close to when I need to.  This process I have agreed with myself – and my daughter – to participate in so that an actual book can come out at the end of it will NOT allow me to continue to do either of these two things while the book is being written.

In time perhaps I can find a way to keep my writing processes completely sequestered and closed off from one another, but I don’t know how to do that yet.  The simplest solution that I could hope for is that with this invitation to this blog’s readers to write some posts of their own that I can post here the gap that will continue to exist in my blog-writing-posting patterns will not be so worrisome to me over the next 3 to 5 months while I answer the 19 questions my daughter will be asking of me for this book.

The only way I can think of for readers to post their writings here is for any who wish to to send me a comment anywhere on this blog that lets me clearly know you are offering your writing for a post.  I can then email the commenter back privately and they can send a word document back to me as an email attachment that I will then post.

This means that guest posts cannot contain complicated formatting that I cannot reproduce here.  Any photograph would have to come as an attachment also with instructions about where I should put it in the guest post once I have received it here.

The other option is for readers to create introductions to their own blog posts that can be sent to me in the same way I just mentioned that includes the active links to their own blog posts.

I hope readers will think about the possibilities I mention.  It is very clear to me today that ‘there is only so much of me’ and that ‘so much of me’ is going to be channeled into the answering of the 19 questions — first and foremost.

++

My brain is very busy with a very rapidly running mind-chatter this morning that I haven’t experienced since I started this blog because I have freely allowed myself to use the blog to STOP IT.  I had a therapist one time describe these kinds of rapid overlapping and tumbling thought patterns as being ‘thought racing’, which they tied to depression.  This is so much more than that!!

But at this point for my writing to be productive towards the creation of an actual book I have to work with myself differently or no book will ever be written.

So, those of you who might be able to help me, this blog and readers out over these next 3 to 5 months — please think about what I mention here!  Much appreciation and thanks to you ALL!  I KNOW you have much to say — !!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++