#newyear #goals #dreams #future #writers #writing #newbie #stories #nonfiction #memoir #braininjury #creativewriting #inspiration

Here’s to the year I will have the most successful approach of pursuing my passion and making my dream a reality! Those were my last words of 2019 as I watched the ball slowly sink to the ground. Then, my son questioned “You have a lot of dreams mommy, what dream are you talking about?” JJ asks with his sweet voice.

I looked into his eyes and said “the dream of becoming a freelance writer so I can work from home and have the luxury of spending more time with you!”

He smiled from one ear to the next and said “that’s my dream, too, mom! Let’s make our dreams come true!” He said with pure enthusiasm in his voice. I was in tears. Moving forward, my passion for writing came to life in 2015 during a moment of reflection. Shortly thereafter, it hit me and I knew I had forty years of stories to tell.

The only concern that once held me back was self-doubt. Why? Because, my brain doesn’t function the way it once did after sustaining a brain injury to my frontal lobe in 2016. I was injured at home where I slipped and fell head first into the oven door while mopping  the kitchen floor. Subsequently, I roused from a brief moment of unconsciousness caused by the head impact. I was alone at the time, but fortunate enough to have access to the phone in my back pocket. I called 911 and then my husband who made it home just in time as the medics arrived. The emergency department ordered a brain, the results indicated damage to my frontal lobe but only an MRI could identify to what degree. They gave me a referral to a neurological specialist for further testing and diagnosis, along with treatment, if necessary.

Within the week I had my follow up visit for my MRI. The neurologist explained that I would recover from the injury but only time would determine to what extent. The post-concussion symptoms worsened over the next month which included high levels of stress and anxiety, severe depression, loss of short-term memory and crying episodes. Most of these symptoms subsided within three months and others did not. As time passed by, my depression and anxiety issues became less frequent and those blindsiding crying episodes finally ceased – I wasn’t so fortunate with the use of my cognitive function. Once I became driven again to pick up my writing where I’d left off, I was stuck staring into a blank screen with no words to add. The endless idea’s that once flown out had dried up and I grew frustrated. I began calling it ‘inspirational blockage’ and came to believe that my impaired brain would disqualify me from becoming an established, successful writer. I was ready to throw in the towel forever until a friend, and local author inspired me otherwise. His name is Scott, a 38 year old with epilepsy who has already written five books in his writing career gave me more than enough encouragement to push myself forward no matter how difficult the struggle became. He explained that writing was the best therapy for mending a broken brain, urging me to start with baby steps and work up a daily writing habit.

I began to write every day to work through the difficulties and some days are better than others. I finally came to accept that my brain will never work as it once did, but refuse to allow it to get the best of me. I have too much knowledge and compelling stories in that broken brain of mine that needs to be shared. I live by the quote “My story is another’s inspiration” and if I only inspire one person and only one person – then I fulfilled one of the many purposes I was put on this earth to do.

#newyears #authors #newwriter #blessings #stories #poetry #authors #creativewriting #novelwritering

May the Lord bestow an abundance of blessings upon you; to fresh starts and new beginnings; to a peaceful mind and joyous heart; to a successful approach of finding the one possibilty that will lead you to the greatest opportunity of your lifetime; to set forth and rise above all; courageously and prestigiously; in all your endeavours through this promising year! Cheers to a Happy New Year! 

The morning sun ascends from above the horizon, pouring out its brilliant hues of oranges and reds, like a pot of molten lava overflowing into the sky. It’s beauty is a powerful force, one capable of imparting its warmth onto the most hardened of souls, no matter how dark your life seems, the goddess of the sky awaits you on your own personal horizon, ready to rejuvenate with it’s energizing hope. It rises to inspire, then sets to rise again. Admire it’s beauty. Embrace the day!

#mystory #creativewriting #inspiration #newbiewriter #futureauthor #hope #faith

There’s nothing more challenging than learning how to write good stories with a baffling brain injury. Over a decade ago, I was involved in a car accident where I was ejected and thrown from my vehicle. My mind went blank thereafter.

Three weeks later, I woke up from the coma, not knowing where I was or what transpired the night I blacked out. I suffered from multiple broken bones and severe head trauma. The doctors explained that I endured bleeding on my frontal lobe and a possibility of permanent brain damage that only time would determine the severity of it. I was hopeful that I’d make a full recovery, but hope had let me down once my cognitive abilities were altered making it difficult to process information as quickly as I once could.

Three years ago I picked up a pen and paper and began journaling. I wrote about past and present experiences, good and bad, I wrote about gratitude and the meaningful things in my life. I wrote about my long and short-term goals, along with my dreams. Then I wanted to do more writing so I began writing short pieces based on one inspiring topic and how I applied it to my everyday life. Then I wanted to write longer stories and that’s where my cognitive abilities began to challange me.

Most writer’s have encounters with writer’s block to some extent. Some find strategies to overcome this perplexing problem. Then there’s me, struggling for hours at a time to formulate an idea and/or finding the correct words and descriptions to make the story flow. Oftentimes, I’ll jump to a different piece of unfinished work and switch it up and still, I’m stuck in the same adverse boat trying to develop ideas; not knowing what to write, where to start or keep the words flowing and it’s frustrating. That’s when the negative thoughts of ‘not being good enough’ entered my mind and I’ll never have a fighting chance at becoming an established writer. Most individuals who are inflicted by these problems end up putting the pen down for good. I’m not most individuals. I put my blood, my sweat, and my tears into this art because I want it more than I’ve ever wanted anything.

The key to success is practice, practice, and more practice. I want to believe that I got this and just because I have an impairment doesn’t mean I’m exempt from succeeding at something I want to do to better myself. All in good time I suppose. A limitless sky comes with endless possibilities.

We all struggle with something at some point in our lives..only with the evilness we allow to happen inside of us. Most situations we face are planned, not with the intention to harm us, but merely to build us…so how will you ever know your true worth, true strength and true power if you’ve never been through it at all? There may be times when you feel alone, as if you been left out in the cold and darkness to die. Just remember that you’re never alone! No matter how difficult things may seem in a moment of distress or panic, there is light at the end of darkness, just like the transformation from day to night, and vice versa, and neither one is permanent. Yes, this too shall AND will pass, at some point. I promise. And when the going gets tough, just pray on it. You’ll find the guidance to march right through the unfortunate harsh realities life has to offer. Consequently, it happens to the best of us. So pray, let go and let God.

#mystory #creativewriting #inspiration #newbiewriter #futureauthor #embellishingmyskills #lifestyle #faithhopeandlove #faith

Live beneath your means. Return everything you borrow. Stop blaming others for your blunders and own them. Donate your unworn clothes to charity. Do something nice without getting caught. Listen more, talk less. Take a thirty minute walk each day. Strive for excellence, not perfection. Be on time, don’t make excuses. Don’t argue, get organized. Be kind to those who are unkind. Let someone cut ahead of you in line. Take time to be alone. Cultivate good manners. Be humble. Realize and accept that life is unfair. Know when to keep your mouth shut. Go an entire day without criticizing anyone. Learn from the past, plan for the future. Live in the present. Never sweat the small stuff. It’s only small stuff.

#establishment #encouragement #creativewriting #inspiration #peace #love #happiness #mystory

Emotions are the very thing that makes us human. You can experience love, happiness, excitement, satisfaction, and relief. Every emotion considered good. But, what would you be if you didn’t feel pain, despair, fear, anger, or sadness? Unfortunately, you can’t have the good without the bad. There is no light without darkness. The trick is to balance them out, evenly, and by doing that find a mental strategy that best soothes you in all aspects of life and put it into practice, I’ve utilized this method myself and I assure you that the bad things won’t seem so terrible anymore. Then you come to appreciate the good things, especially the little things, oftentimes they’re the most meaningful.

A little over a year ago, I wasn’t in the best of all places and my life was a horrifying mess. I was a lost soul living in my darkest hours, which will be the last chapter of my manuscript-to-be, which I plan on self-publishing on Amazon by The Summer of 2020, but for now it’s a work in progress. I found that prayer and meditation was a successful aid to pull me through my own past difficulties. I went to church and I began writing faithfully and found fulfillment in it and I gave my faith to the Lord up above because without God by my side to guide me through, I wouldn’t be here right now to embellish my short stories from the past three years. I want to better my skills as a writer and this is the way, by sharing personal experiences, knowledge and stories to spread some love into the world. That’s what makes writing essential.

#mystory #creativewriting #inspiration #faithhopeandlove #newbiewriter

Some people believe that “failure is not an option.” They utilize their greatest efforts to their fullest potential to avoid the inevitable shortcomings already engraved in our souls since birth. Failure is the first step to achieving success, however, not everyone approaches it in the same manner and cannot overcome the fear that holds them back from finding acceptance and coming to the realization that perfection is impossible.

Remember, when it comes to possibilities, they’re endless, and many have attained their greatest successes by being one step beyond their greatest failures. Those who work hard and utilize their greatest efforts to achieve a goal and fail exceed more than those who do nothing and succeed.

I believe that every failure is a stepping stone to build on, so why not build an empire perhaps? And if you fall down, pull yourself up and keep on building. You’re human, exempt from perfection and prone to mistakes; and oftentimes that doesn’t happen until one acquires a full understanding of acceptance before putting it into practice and applying it in their daily routines.

I’ve learned from past failures and will continue to learn from the present & future ones as well by living on lifes terms and absorbing as much valuable knowledge and wisdom to keep self-improving as I approach the next chapter of my life.

#creativewriting #inspiration #newbie #patience #acceptance #shortwritings #newbiewriter

When anxiety and fear seep into my mind, I no longer panic like I once had. I’ve been there before, I know the feeling and knowing makes it less frightening. I’m all the stronger thanks to my battle scars so instead of letting it take me down, I assure myself that everything will be alright. I remind myself that I’m a good person and I have a good heart that’s full of love. Fear can only hold me back from achieving my dreams and today I’m capable of that. It still comes around from time to time and when it does, I utilize good coping strategies and by doing so the encounters become less extreme. Anxiety is real and there’s many different ways to overcome it and/or keep it at bay. Meditation works for me along with writing. Breathing exercises are a helpful remedy too, along with yoga.

This is just a small piece of a practice write I saved in my drive with many more to come.

#myjourneytowrite #creativewriting #inspiration #newbiewriter #futureauthor #embellishingmyskills #lifestyle #mentalhealth #acceptance