Insecure Writer's Support Group: Fresh Starts

It seems like a hundred years since I've entered the vast (and occasionally overwhelming) blog-o-sphere. In fact it’s only been about three months. But suffice it to say three months can, on occasion, feel like an eternity. And now that an eternity has passed, I begin my attempt to dust off the old blog and dive back into the deep end, and what better place to begin than the Insecure Writer's Support Group. 

A few months back I wrote a blog post entitled The Perks of Amnesia in which I commented on the upside to losing one’s memory. Looking back I have to say . . .

I’m an idiot.

As someone who’s had a recent up close and personal experience with memory loss, I am here to tell you there is absolutely no upside to amnesia.

For the record, I am not afflicted with the aforementioned condition - though by my neglect of this blog, you might wonder if I were. But a few months ago while on a family vacation, my mother’s heart stopped for nearly six minutes, and one of the many residual effects of this traumatic event is a major loss in memory. Fortunately it’s not a permanent change and it gets a little better every day; but it has taught me a valuable lesson. Memories are fragile things. Like snowflakes or fingerprints, no two are alike. They cannot be reconstructed or recreated. If you once loved Harry Potter, that love is in part tied up in the midnight release parties and the hours of discussion over whether Harry will or won't survive the final novel. Objectively you can still say it's a wonderful story regardless of a fractured memory; but your love of the series is inextricably linked with your memories surrounding it. 

But I digress. 

So, what with the family problems and amnesiac hell, it's been a brutal past few months. Months in which I have written not one single word. So I think it's time for a fresh start. New book idea (which I'm already finding overwhelming before I've yet to even begin), new positive outlook (or at least an attempt to stop being quite so gloomy), and (hopefully) a renewed devotion to blogging. My Insecure Writer's Goal for the Month is to get back to posting at least once a week, thought you'll have to pardon me if I'm a little rusty. 

Hopefully I'll be able to stay on top of these goals and will stop neglecting my writing. Fingers crossed. And good luck to all you other Insecure Writers this month!