Monthly Archive for May, 2010

Healing With Words

Published on May 31, 2010 in Author Blog, cathartic writing, Creativity, Health and Wellness, Journals, Memoir, Writing for healing and Writing, journaling. Tags: , , , , , , , .

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For most people Memorial Day signifies the beginning of summer, barbeques and the gathering of friends and family. For those who have lost loved ones in the military service, this is a day of remembrance. I don’t personally know anyone who lost their life in the military, but I do know many who have served. This morning, I did take a few moments of silence to honor those who have defended our freedoms.

For me, Memorial Day is also a time to remember all those loved ones who have passed away, whether as a result of war, accident, old age or illness. Since my latest book, HEALING WITH WORDS: A WRITER’S CANCER JOURNEY (http://lovinghealing.com/) just released, I would like to honor those who have lost their lives due to cancer. Thankfully both my cancers were diagnosed early, and I am alive to tell my story. The impetus for writing this book is having been diagnosed with two cancers in five years. One of my cancers is cured, but the second one I must live with for the rest of my life because to date, there is no cure. I have decided not to let my life revolve around the cancer, but to take one day at a time and enjoy my life.

My journey has riveted me and made me not only appreciate the good times, but has also continually reminded me how essential it is to focus  on the positive. In my book I stress the importance of using writing to heal because it has saved me on many occasions.  My hope is that others will learn from my example and acknowledge the importance of self- expression.

While crafting this book, I vowed to make this a different type of memoir in that it is also a self-help book. In addition to including journaling pages and prompts at the end of each chapter, I have included extensive appendices offering names of support organizations and writing tips. Unlike many cancer memoirs, mine is written with a wry and inspirational tone, offering hope for those also afflicted with the demon.

Sena Jeter Naslund, a New York Times bestselling novelist and author of AHAB’S WIFE and ABUNDANCE; A NOVEL OF MARIE ANTOINETTE says: “Though I am a professional writer, it’s hard to find words for the admiration I feel for Diana Raab and her inspiring true story: Healing With Words. Time after time, Diana articulates incisively the thoughts and feelings that convey hoped-for meaning and encouragement. She is a woman who knows what it is to live fully in the face of mortality. She will add value to the life of every person who reads this book.  That she includes the creative impulse to write and the solace offered by contemplating the beautiful as a vital part of human existence resonates at a spiritual level for me.”

The creative impulse is what keeps me going. I’m interested in hearing from you; please share how writing has helped you heal during difficult times.

Audio Books: A New Horizon

Published on May 24, 2010 in Creative Nonfiction, Creativity, General Information, Memoir, Musings, Publishers, Reading, writer blog and Writers and Their Notebooks. Tags: , , , , , .

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The first book on tape I ever listened to was of Frank McCourt reading his memoir, Angela’s Ashes. I had a two-hour drive to Los Angeles and no doubt, my destination came too quickly. In addition to hearing his amazing story, Frank had a distinctive and compelling reading voice which simply made you want to listen to the entire book at once, but in reality that was not possible.

A few weeks ago, I was invited by a colleague to read my latest book, Writers and Their Notebooks for a reading marathon at The Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic in Santa Barbara. The small and efficient office was set up with a few recording booths and after signing in I was asked what I wanted to read. T.C. Boyle had just read there the day before and obviously the person checking me in did not know I was also an author. My friend stepped in (thankfully) and said, “She’s going to read her own work, of course.”

It was one of those honored moments when I felt proud to be a published author. I was equally honored to learn that soon my book would be made available to blind and learning disabled persons across the country. I had read sections of my book at book signings, but never entire chapters at a time.

I was handed a copy of my book which had been marked up with instructions on to how to read it out loud. My glass-enclosed booth faced another glass-enclosed cubicle occupied by a woman who would spot me and give hand signals telling me when to start and finish.

At the start of each page I was to announce ‘new page.’ When I forgot, she stopped the tape and rewound it for me to start over. After a few pages I got into the rhythm and, as difficult as it was, I had to resist the temptation to change or edit the words.

After reading for a while, I came to the beginning of a new page, looked up, but did not see the woman make any motions. I coughed to get her attention while watching her eyes following the lines on her copy of  my book. She stopped the recording and said, “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, your voice was so hypnotic.”

There are not many times in a writer’s life when one gets that mushy feeling in the heart and I can safely say this was one of those times. I was delighted that my reading was seemingly as effective on this woman as Frank McCourt’s was on me. It made me want to donate more of my time to the worthy cause.

That night I came home to find a recent issue of Publisher’s Weekly which was highlighting, “Everything Audio.” One article of great interest to me was called, “Storytelling: Authors Reading Their Own Work,” by Adam Boretz. He made a few comments which really resonated with me. “The greatest challenge,” [of recording an audio book] said novelist Sam Lipsyte, “was being shut up in a booth with no sense of how things are really going. With an audience, you can tell if you are losing them, if they are falling asleep, laughing in the wrong places. But this was more of a floating-in-space deal.”

One author compared audio books to the southern tradition of oral storytelling. Other authors feel that reading their book out loud changes there perception of it and offers them new insights. Deepak Chopra who has  done many audio books says that reading his books out loud sometimes leads to new insights and ideas. It can also give the author ideas about where to edit in the book’s next revision.

Some writers claimed that it was important to get a good night’s sleep before the reading and make sure to also drink enough fluids. The funniest statement about doing audio recordings, however, was made by novelist Joshua Ferris who said, “I think the biggest lesson I learned is don’t drink sparkling water because it makes your stomach gurgle.” Now that’s something to remember!

Writing About Family

Published on May 17, 2010 in Author Blog, Creative Nonfiction, General Information, inspiration, Memoir, Musings, writer blog and writing. Tags: , , , , .

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As it turns out, May 16th is National Biographer’s Day and May 18th is National Relatives Day. I thought combining these two holidays would make a good subject for today’s blog.Ironically, tomorrow I will be visiting my family in New York to celebrate my son’s 21st birthday – so I’m doing exactly what Wikipedia says I should do—visiting relatives!

As a memoirist, the challenges of writing about family are constantly present. Many of my students who write memoir often express their fear of being sued. According to Judith Barrington in her book, Writing the Memoir, the chances of being sued are extremely low. For the most part, suing someone is extremely expensive.  Plus most people w considering the process might not want to bring any further attention to a potentially-embarrassing situation.

The dilemma for the writer is having the desire to do justice to their families, but also wanting to write a compelling story. The fact is, drama sells. A humor columnist friend of mine who frequently writes anecdotes about his wife or married life, clears his short pieces with her first. He is both wise and sensible to do this. It’s good to allow family members to review your writing prior to publication. Not only does it allow you to face your family with peace of mind, but it can also solicit an additional perspective which might also even strengthen your story.

No doubt, the most interesting characters are those who are spirited and who are willing and able to create conflict, the essential element that keeps a story compelling.  There are three types of conflict—conflict within the individual, conflict between individuals and conflict between an individual and society. The odds are that if your story doesn’t contain some type of conflict, either you don’t yet have a story or it will be a boring one.

If you are driven to write about family and fiction is not an option for you, then you must know your limits and boundaries within the world of nonfiction. There are three important things to remember: be as honest as you can, fact check, and preserve other people’s privacy. In any event, here are some terms you should be familiar with:

Defamation: This is damage to someone’s reputation, which includes damaging statements that are either slander (spoken) or libel (written).

Libel: This is being accused that a published statement is untrue. This can only be done by a living person. One way to avoid this charge is to alter character name, especially if you are saying something which can embarrass or invade a person’s sense of privacy.

Invasion of privacy: This is writing something about someone which they don’t want published and then sharing it publicly. This can include embarrassing, personal or misleading facts about a person which you might be obtained from a third party.

Copyright: Most writers are familiar with this infringement, but one thing I recently learned was that letters are copyrighted the second they are written, and that you cannot publish a letter without their permission.

Indeed, there are rewards when writing about family. You might have access to fascinating stories and details which could really sell and might not otherwise make their way out into the world. But, it’s important to be cautious and keep the following in mind:

Set boundaries for yourself; allow anyone mentioned in your writing to review the material and honor the fact that people are entitled to their privacy.

Boosting Your Creativity

Published on May 10, 2010 in Author Blog, cathartic writing, Creativity, General Information, inspiration, Journaling, Journals, Musings, Notebooks, Passions, writer blog, writing and Writing, journaling. Tags: , , , .

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Whether you’re  a writer, artist or businessperson, chances are creativity is vital to some part of your profession. Some of you may already have tricks on how to tap into your creativity, but what I suggest is to start with keeping a notebook or journal or daybook, whatever you choose to call it. These days many people, especially those in my son’s Generation X, take notes on a computer or iPhone—but what I’m suggesting is to use the old-fashioned method of a notebook.

There are many books with directive learning modalities and tools to hold your hand through the process, such as Julia Cameron’s, The Artist’s Way and Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones, which provide a more in depth immersion into the process—both excellent resources.

However, here’s,  a free crash-course:

Buy a notebook or journal from a book store, pharmacy or grocery store. Choose your favorite pen. Put the date on top of the page. Do some longhand writing. Do some doodling or drawing. Whatever tickles your fancy. Stay in the moment. Write what is on your mind. You can start by writing, “Right now I am thinking about …” Let your words flow and if one thought leads to another or takes you in another direction, that’s fine too. There are no rules and spelling and grammar don’t matter.

It’s a good idea to make this a daily practice. You will see that your ritual will tap into your creativity. Writing is a great way to cultivate a constant flow of ideas. Feel free to include other people’s ideas in your writing. What you are doing is brainstorming on the page instead of in a conference room or sitting area.

Sometimes I journal in this way before beginning a new project thinking it might result in a new opening—but it often becomes what I call my ‘throat-clearing’ section which is typically discarded. It’s akin to piano scales, stretching before exercising or dashes before sports.

This free-writing gets rid of all the junk in your head—the neurosis, the deflating comments, the negativity. It’s difficult to be creative if this junk is kicking around your head creating all this unwanted noise. How can you create with noise, anyway?

Another bonus to writing is that it gives you some down time and quiets your mind—it can be meditative.

The page can also help you try out new ideas. It’s a place to write down the pros and cons. You can write, “What if …” to describe the various possible scenarios.  If you are not happy, write about what would bring a smile to your face and see if you can make that happen.

Most successful writers have ritual/s before they start their creative work, whether it’s getting rid of all the junk, getting a cup of coffee or answering emails. It’s your prep time. It’s a time for your muse to be invited into the wide open green pasture which has been cleared of its weeds.

The other great thing about having a notebook is convenience. How many times have you had ideas at the most unexpected times—walking the dog, working out, driving or at a dinner party. That’s the muse visiting you and even if you think you will remember the message, chances are you won’t. If you don’t have a notebook available, that thought will be a fleeting one.

Some other creative exercises:

1) Write about your most creative challenge. 2) Write about where you want to be in five years.

3) If you could be doing one thing now, what would it be? 4) Write a letter to someone who passed away.

The most important tip is to do is to write for at least 20 minutes. After you invite this routine into your life, you will see that it becomes sort of like an addiction – a healthy one. Imagine that!

Happy National Nurses Week !

Published on May 3, 2010 in Author Blog, General Information, Health and Wellness, writer blog, writing, Writing for healing and Writing, journaling. Tags: , , , , , .

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It’s been over 30 years since I practiced nursing, but it has been said that once you’re a nurse, you’re always a nurse. Occasionally, I still receive phone calls from loved ones (especially my children) requesting medical advice for themselves or their friends. Plus, along with Errol Norwitz, M.D. from Yale University, I also recently updated my book, Your High Risk Pregnancy: A Practical and Supportive Guide which was initially published in the 1980s.

In many ways I feel quite removed from the profession, well, at least until the month of May between May 6th and 12th, when nurses are honored nation-wide. May 12th is Florence Nightingale’s birthday and May 7th is mine, so I had a couple of things in common with the mother of nursing. I was really born on Mother’s Day; can you imagine me as a Mother’s Day gift? Never mind that was too many years ago to reminisce, but I would like to offer a few words about the important role of nurses.

Nursing is aptly described as an art and a science. The profession embraces dedicated people with varied interests who wear many hats, from staff nurse to educator to nurse practitioner to nurse researcher. Regardless of their specialty, I can promise you that nurses have a passion for their profession.

As a journaling advocate I have a ‘Google Alert’ set for the word “journaling.” I was delighted that it showed up on a nursing site. The writer, Gail Guteri, discussed a book called Inspired Nurse, by Rich Bluni, RN that explores what nurses can do to maintain the needed passion and interest in their profession. As a former director of nursing in a chronic care hospital, I know this to be an ongoing problem—unfortunately burnout at some point of their career is inevitable. I think all helping professions experience some degree of burnout and now with economical changes, nurses have been hit hard. Bluni makes a number of suggestions on reducing stress and reconnecting with one’s passion for nursing. One which resonated with me was therapeutic journaling. I bow to Bluni’s suggestion.

This year, the American Nurses Association, the largest nursing association in the United States salutes nurses with the theme: “Nurses: Caring Today for a Healthy Tomorrow.” Nurses have always been at the forefront of patient education, but with healthcare reform, their role will become even more prevalent. Although there are pros and cons to the law, in many ways it will help build a healthy tomorrow in that Americans will all be blessed with health care. Nurses will have to grow and adapt to changes and preventative medicine will become an even more essential part of life.

Now more than ever, I feel compelled to inspire others to nurture their own health and nourish their bodies on both a spiritual and physical level. Some of my heart strings are pulled as I write about health issues, because nurturing health is at my core and the task can be so challenging to face. National Nurses Week symbolizes my gratitude to everyone who helps nurture and inspire wellness.

To your health, and thanks to nurses, everywhere!