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The Dutchess is Keeping Me Sane (Sort of)

July 25, 2020 by admin

I’ve made it no secret that I’m not fond of social media. I have stopped and started Twitter accounts so often it’s impossible for anyone to find me. Too often I find myself getting into arguments with strangers (who may not even be real people). I’m trying again, this time hoping to avoid that fate by limiting who I follow, especially in the political realm.

Upon my return to Twitter, my stepdaughter Sarah told me about one Duchess Goldblatt and sent me a link to a New York Times article about this mysterious, sage, and very anonymous persona that has hooked thousands of followers.

The Duchess, for the ten people who don’t know who she is (I am late to the party) is a fictional 80-year-old author who lives in the equally fictional Crooked Path, New York. She dispenses cleverness and wisdom in every post. She is a major fangirl of Lyle Lovett, and over time the feeling has grown mutual.

Duchess Goldblatt recently came out with a memoir, Becoming Duchess Goldblatt. She has written the book as the person behind her creation. In stories both funny and sad she tells of a life that had fallen apart: losses of job, marriage, and friends in a short period of time. The Duchess started as a way to help her cope, and ended up helping her heal.

Though I knew little about the Duchess before buying the book, I was enthralled with the writing. It’s an easy read, but I still found myself putting it down from time to time to absorb her words. It’s likely I’ll browse back through it another time or two. Despite hiding behind a fictional character, the author behind the Duchess is an incredibly authentic human being.

The Duchess says her Twitter feed is a refuge for the broken-hearted. For me, her feed and her book have provided a bit of light in these dark times. As we continue to tend to ourselves and each other, we need to find that light wherever we can.

Filed Under: books Tagged With: books, duchess goldblatt, goodreads, memoir, nonfiction

Hope for the Insecure Writer

January 28, 2015 by admin

Do you ever have those times when you are bored with yourself? I had one of those mornings as I struggled (and failed) to come up with meaningful, eloquent prose to share. I have plenty to say, but my words came out plain vanilla instead of Rocky Road.

This happens from time to time. I’m in the midst of some deep structural revisions to my novel, and am adjusting my approach as I study my craft. It’s like rewiring the brain, and right now I feel like I did in junior high when the girls’ clothes no longer fit, but the women’s clothes didn’t work, either.

I was so depressed I set aside my blog. Instead, I decided to shop for bedspreads online. Why bedspreads? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I had a deep-seated urge to crawl under the covers and hide. In a few days, as my purchases arrive, we will know how much folly I have wrought with my purchases.

There is hope, however.

First, a small group of us on Goodreads plans to do an informal NaNoWriMo in February. Since this isn’t a formal, sanctioned NaNoWriMo event, writers can choose to work on either new or existing material. This has provided me enough psychic juice to get back to work on my novel without waiting until February.

Then, I learned about The Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Insecure? Me? Yes! And I’m not alone! *happy dance* We’re doing a blog hop in April. Since I’ve wanted to perk up my blog, this is a good way to kick into gear.

Yes, I know. Blog hops mean reading lots of blogs as well as writing them, and that’s a time challenge. However, I can prepare blogs in advance of the hop, and now that I’m breaking the Facebook habit…

Finding the ISWG felt like receiving a Message from God. Or am I a Mission from God? Let’s take a moment to pay homage to the Blues Brothers, shall we?

The ISWG is organizing a blog hop for April, so if you’re an Insecure Writer like me who’s looking to re-energize, take a look and see if it looks like fun for you.

Already I am feeling better. Just knowing there’s a group for Insecure Writers like me gives me the extra steam to keep going.

Hope to see you there!

Do long-term projects get you down? How do you cope?

Filed Under: blogs, writing Tagged With: getting help, goodreads, insecurity, NaNoWriMo, support, writing

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