Write with TLC

Last night I attended a lecture by Maya Angelou.  She spoke at the Elsinore Theatre in Salem, Oregon.  State Senator, Jackie Winters, introduced Dr. Angelou with heartfelt words. When the curtain rose to reveal Dr. Angelou sitting in a chair on the stage in a long cream colored dress and a beautiful necklace, I was struck by the energy that eminates from her.  She looked frailer than I expected, but at eighty-two she has the right to look a bit frail.  As soon as she began to speak, the strength of her character, her words, and her convictions displaced the initial fraility I noticed. I’ve long wanted to hear Dr. Angelou speak in person.  I missed her years ago when she was in Boise because I was silly enough to think attending by myself would make me look like I didn’t have any friends.  This time, I guess I’ve matured because I really don’t care about that anymore.  I attended by myself though a friend who also attended met m...

This week Christina Katz discusses commitment in The Prosperous Writer .  She compares a writing career to the commitment necessary for a marriage to work.  I’ve been married 18 years, so I can relate to that quite well. The definition of commitment has changed for me over years.  Commitment is knowing that when you doubt every aspect of the very thing to which you’re most devoted, the feeling will pass.  It’s knowing that on the other side of that doubt lies the love, acceptance, progress, and success that makes doubt irrelevant. One day this week, I had a crisis of self-doubt. It didn’t come from any particular source.  I fought it at first.  Then I ignored it.  Then I explored it to see if there was a lesson I needed to learn.  Then I just accepted it.  As soon as I admitted its existence, it started to dissipate.  That’s when I knew it didn’t have any real source.  By acknowledging it, I was able to bring a ...