Getting paid and having time

I have been hired to write blog posts for a website that promotes sailing and travel in Ireland and Scotland, things I happen to be passionate about. Unfortunately, I cannot tell anyone that I am the author of those blog posts as I am the ghost writer.  Anyway, it's great fun to write about things that I know and love and get paid for doing it. This internet world can be fulfilling at times. What it means, however, is that I have less time to do my own work.

I was away for almost six weeks this summer between the US and Ireland, which has set me back in my writing endeavors. Now, I'm trying to kick start my writing habits. It's a bit of a struggle as I also try to catch up with everything else, like gardening and laundry and friends. I suppose 'winter is coming' which for me will be a good thing. I love winters in Ireland. We get every excuse in the world to stay home.

Quote: Double-handed sailing

Double-Handed Sailing 

is after all like 

Single-Handing Half the Time

- Daria Blackwell

Quote: End of the world.

 Don't worry about the world ending today. 

 

It's already tomorrow in Fiji. 

Daria Blackwell

Citizen of the world

This week, I took part in a ceremony during which I was granted Irish citizenship. I was one of a thousand people swearing allegiance to a new country, the place we call home.

In some ways it was a bit strange after the years of pledging allegiance to the United States of America as a child in school every day. But I am still American. I retain my US citizenship, which makes me a dual citizen. I am now actually a citizen of the EU and the US, which covers a lot  of territory. Both are democracies so there is no conflict.

In a sense, I've gone full circle. My parents left Europe to make a new life in the US. I left the US to find a new life in Europe. It feels good to be back here where I've found home.

Gender bias

To make it more interesting, I'm going to write the character in my next novel as male, with the full intent of converting her to her rightful status as female. I am doing this to free myself of gender bias.

I have found that I, too, am guilty of gender bias even as a feminist. I found myself buying girls soft pink things for Christmas and giving boys cars and tools.  So this year I reversed it. I gave the boys soft plushy toys and the girls got flashlights and the oldest got a penknife, something I would have killed to get as a kid.  I'll have to talk to her to see if she appreciated it or thought I was nuts.

So my thinking is that if I write the character as a male but then change her to female, I may have succeeded in  removing that bias. But can I remove it if I know that it's going to change,  Only time will tell.

PS The girls loved their gifts!  Yahoo. The older one is a fisherman and she wanted a knife badly. Success.

Getting distracted

The past few weeks distracted me completely from the routine of writing I had established.

First, I had a party to deal with.  Alex's 60th birthday and our 20th wedding anniversary.  It was a good party, catered by the Bay Leaf restaurant at our house. About 30 friends and family members joined in, some from as far away as England. We enjoyed it, but it will be another 10 years before we do it again. Stress!!!

Does mental illness instigate creativity

I have had some of my most intense creative moments in times of depression. Not that I've suffered depression that often. But when I did, I seemed to feel more deeply, more dramatically. That caused an outpouring of emotion onto paper, perhaps thinking that would revive me. If depression gets too deep, however, it can paralyze. Been there, too.