Tag: Resilient Writers

A Book I Read in June 2026

In last week’s blog post, I revealed that I needed to take three weeks off from blogging because I was trying to cope with depression. If you missed it, here’s the link:  I’m back!.

When I wrote my June 9, 2026 blog, I had started reading the book I’m telling you about today. This book explained a lot about me. It was an eye-opener.

The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person’s Path through Depression, by Eric Maisel, PhD

Front cover of The Van Gogh Blues, by Eric Maisel, Ph.D.
The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person’s Path through Depression,
by Eric Maisel, Ph.D.

I started reading this book the last week in May, and it has been a game-changer for me. It was recommended by Rhonda Douglas of Resilient Writers in one of her online classes. Thank you, Rhonda!

I never considered myself to be depressed except for Seasonal Affective Disorder in the fall and winter, but – whether I am otherwise depressed or not – I learned something important about myself in the early chapters of this book.

Dr. Maisel explains how the depression that a creative person often experiences is different from other people’s depression and how it must be addressed differently.

I was reading along and taking some notes, and then I got to page 57. It was then that I had an epiphany. The words on pages 57 and 58 described me. I was so excited to learn this that I couldn’t wait to tell my sister.

She read those two pages and said, “This is you!” That led us to have an honest conversation about why we are so different in many ways.

I learned that, as a creative person, I need to find meaning in everything I do. That’s why I cannot just goof off. (Be careful how you read/interpret the next sentence.)  I cannot do nothing. In other words, sitting down and doing nothing would drive me to distraction. If I don’t see the meaning in a task, it irritates and frustrates me to have to do it. While I’m doing that unwanted task, I’m thinking “I could be writing.”

I feel driven to fill all my waking time with an activity that has meaning for me. Otherwise, I am stressed out.

The beauty of what I got out of this book is that it’s all right that I’m made that way and it is all right that everyone else isn’t. I now know why I get frustrated and grumpy (and sometimes very angry) if I don’t see the meaning in what I’m doing. I now understand why my sister can be content to lie on the couch for hours and read a book or play a game on her tablet.

I now understand why it baffles my sister if I decide to clean out a bookcase at 10:00 at night, and she understands why I tend to do things like that. We finally, after living together off and on for more than seven decades, understand why we are so different in the way we spend our time. I can finally accept that it’s all right for her to lie on the couch and read or play games on her tablet, and she no longer has to feel guilty for not jumping up to help me clean out that bookcase.

Living with a writer, artist, or musician can’t be easy for a non-creative. I wonder how many divorces could have been avoided if more people had this information.

Creative people, in general, doubt themselves. Can I write that story? Can I paint that painting? Can I get up in front of people and sing? Can I go out on that stage and perform my part in this play? What if no one likes my story? What if no one buys my book? I’m only fooling myself if I think I can do this. I’m an idiot!

You must tell yourself that you’re better than you think you are. You have done the research. You have practiced. You know your lines. There is someone out there waiting to read your novel.

My explanation is simplified, but if you think you might be struggling with your creativeness or you live with a creative person – or you’re considering spending your life with one – it behooves both of you to read this book. It might just help you understand and accept each other for who you are.

My apologies to Dr. Maisel, in case I have misrepresented the book in any way; however, I will be grateful for the rest of my life for your enlightening me about why I am the way I am.

Reading this book gave me clarity, but my bubble burst a couple of weeks later when the realization of what my life has to be came back and hit me in the face full force. At least now I know why I find it so hard to find joy in picking up limbs and cutting sweetgum sprouts. I’ve also come to realize that I’m depressed in the summer, too, because there is no end to the yardwork and I’m getting too old for this. Besides… I’d rather be writing!.

Janet

“I was okay just a moment ago. I will learn how to be okay again.” ~ Nina LaCour

My DIY Writer’s Retreat & a Hurricane Helene Update

I read about various writers’ retreats and they sound wonderful, but I don’t have the money or necessarily the energy to participate in them. Therefore, I decided to have my own private Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Writer’s Retreat a couple of weeks ago.

It went so well that I intend to do more DIY retreats in the future.

I planned a schedule for it to last on a Thursday through Saturday. It was going to be three days for me to do nothing but write. Specifically, except for writing a blog post, I planned to work on my historical novel, The Heirloom (tentative title).

As I blogged on September 30, 2024 in Best laid plans…, life happens. None of the three days went exactly as planned, but overall, it was a productive time for me.

I learned on Day 1 that by the time I had written an hour that morning and five hours that afternoon, it had been a big mistake for me to schedule three more hours of writing that night. Hence, my schedules for Friday and Saturday were amended. Lesson learned!

Photo by Kaitlyn Baker on Unsplash

On Day 3, I needed to take a break from writing and burn some of the limbs picked up after Hurricane Helene. My writing and that project are both works in progress. Such is life when one lives on several acres of big trees out in the country.

However, in those three days I added 6,000 words to my 35,000-word manuscript in addition to writing a 2,100-word blog post for October 7. Not bad for me, after accomplishing very little on the novel so far in 2024.

I took a Resilient Writers “Book Finishers Boot Camp” online class leading up to my DIY Writer’s Retreat. The class emphasized the importance of writing consistently and measuring writing goals on a weekly basis by whatever measuring stick one chooses.

Word-count goals never worked well for me, so I took a suggestion from the class and have started setting scene goals for myself. They are flexible and based on looking ahead at my calendar. Some weekly goals are higher than others, but the point is to have an end date insight for completing the first draft. In fact, the class instructed participants to have a projected completion date and a “life happens” completion date additional weeks or months down the road.

My ideal rough draft finish date set on September 18 is November 30, 2024. My realistic rough draft finish date set on that same day is January 11, 2025. So far, I’m just one scene behind schedule, with seven of my remaining 30 scenes completed. I admit, though, that no weeks since September 18 have gone as planned. These dates aren’t deadlines, they are self-imposed goals.

It has been fun (and hard work) to get back into the heads of my characters. I “talk” to Sarah, my main character, during my daily walks and ask her what she has for me that day. The great thing is that sometimes she answers!

Hurricane Helene Update on Western North Carolina

Since I live in North Carolina, I decided to give western NC recovery updates in my weekly blog. I hoped today’s update would be much shorter than last week’s, but the recovery efforts are still beyond comprehension 25 days after the disaster.

Weather conditions: Parts of the mountains received the season’s first snow last Tuesday and freeze warnings as some people are still sleeping in tents.

Statistics: As of last Tuesday, 92 people were still unaccounted for in NC. The death toll from Hurricane Helene stands at 95 in the state, but that number will surely rise.

Roads: As of Friday, October 18, 670 roads in western NC had been reopened, but more than 500 remained closed, according to WNCN in Raleigh. There are more than 6,900 sites where roads and bridges were destroyed, according to the NC Department of Transportation.

Electricity: As of last Thursday, 8,400 homes and businesses were still without power in five counties. Helicopters and off-road vehicles are being used to install power poles in some otherwise inaccessible areas.

Water system in Asheville: Water is slowly being restored in Asheville. Due to low water pressure where the system is in operation, residents are still under a Boil Water Notice. As of Saturday, the city reported that the treatment of water in the North Fork Reservoir will be a long process to deal with the high level of sediment resulting from the flooding.

The Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock was restored to its original channel last week with the help of the US Army 101st Airborne Division.

Blue Ridge Parkway: The Blue Ridge Parkway remains closed in North Carolina, with tens of thousands of trees down and across the roadway and more than 30 rock and mudslides. There is no estimated reopening date for the beautiful parkway.

Public School Systems: Just to give you an idea about the recovery situation 25 days after Hurricane Helene hit western NC…

Avery County. Schools are scheduled to reopen on November 6.

Ashe County. Schools are scheduled to reopen on October 29.

Buncombe County. Schools are scheduled to reopen on October 25.

Watauga County. Schools are scheduled to reopen on October 24.

Colleges and universities:

Appalachian State University in Boone: The campus reopened for students to return as of 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Classes resumed in all but one classroom building on October 16.

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College: Closed until at least October 28.

Blue Ridge Community College: Reopening today.

Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk: Classes will be conducted online through November 4.

Montreat College: Started welcoming students back to campus yesterday.

Warren Wilson College: As of last Thursday, planning to welcome students back to campus on October 27. Roof and other repairs will continue over the coming months.

IV Bag Manufacturer:  Through the US Department of Health and Human Services, President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act so the company will have priority access to specific material needed so Baxter can get back to production.

Convoy of Farm Supplies from Ohio

A convoy of trucks pulling trailers of hay and other farm supplies from Ohio arrived in Deep Gap, Watauga County, on Tuesday! Thank you, Ohioans! The videos were heart-warming! I read of hay bales also coming in from Pennsylvania. Thank you, Pennsylvanians!

Fundraising Concert

The Avett Brothers from here in Cabarrus County and another North Carolinian, Scotty McCreery, have been added to the lineup for the October 26 “Concert for Carolina” at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The concert is sold-out, but can be live streamed for $25.

Tourism: Autumn is the peak tourism season in the mountains. Some towns are accessible now and encouraging tourists to come and support the local economy. Those invitations are accompanied by words of caution to travel to the towns you know are ready for you and don’t venture out in the countryside where your presence will be a hindrance to recovery efforts. If you want to visit our beautiful mountains, do your research online or call your destination to learn about current conditions.

The Biltmore Estate announced on Friday that it will reopen for visitors on November 2

Until my next blog post

I hope you have at least one good book to read this week.

Don’t take family and friends for granted.

Remember the people of Ukraine and western North Carolina.

Janet

By the way… if you have not signed up for my e-Newsletter, please visit https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com, click on “Subscribe,” and enjoy a free downloadable copy of my “Slip Sliding Away” short story which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. Then, look forward to my November e-Newsletter!