This is me, Stephanie. From La Baule originally, a “fashionable seaside town in South Brittany, with the longest and prettiest beach” (oooooo, dangerous claim to make in Cornouailles! It is very long, the longest in Europe still, the prettiness has been subdued by years of famous over development, but I still like it very much, and you cannot replace childhood memories in the end), 21 years in West Sussex (that’s where our family grew, ups and downs and all manners of life in a pretty little town between Brighton and London, and lots of good good friends), in South West Cornwall since 2011. Husband, 2 handsome (of course!) sons, 2 rescue dogs who think they are also our kids. So…. golden sands and rugged cliffs… life at the tip of the land, and the winds as a near constant. I love it, I can write in the elements, they keep me alive and awake! I wish I remembered this more often. I tend to write a lot indoors at the moment though, not necessarily a good habit. A good writing day is when, after taking ages to plough through a couple hundred clumsy words, you finally find a second breath, or it finds you, and you realise that you have just spent a couple of hours typing away, usually in the middle of the night, or at least very late, and not a clue what, if anything, did happen around you during that time, with between 1000 and 2000 words added on the word count at the bottom of the document! About word counts, I did join NaNoWriMo last November for the first time, and it transformed my writing life for the better. Not finished the draft yet, almost though, more about that when I get to the posts shortly.
2022, like many people I guess, despite not being yet over the pandemic and international affairs seemingly growing more concerning, I remind myself to pick up my mat and walk again, to open the door and explore, to spread my wings and fly, unfurl my sail and let the wild winds blow and the currents carry me to most pleasant places. If desolate and sorry lands appear, we’ll get through. I refuse to let myself be hindered and stuck and I feel this is a state of mind many of us have reached now. I’ll continue to be careful (full of care) and not put myself or others at risk in what is hopefully the end stages of covid danger, but I have to relearn to do things I haven’t thought of restarting yet, even though they are available again, going back to the swimming pool, exploring places further than Penzance (although we did go to Wales)!, just to mention a couple.
I might have forgotten to say what I do… I write poetry, have quite a few boxes full of notes and story lines for at least 4 novels BUT at last an almost completed draft for one! I used to like drawing then dropped it for years and now it’s become quite difficult for me, but my son Matthew has a real gift for art and I’m hoping he will keep going. I guess I shall cover my other interests as I write various posts, most probably in random fashion, but this time at least they may make it to the site and not be over planned then forgotten! A mixture of chosen topics of my own, and of ones from situations that life demands you give attention to. In both cases there is growth, sometimes insights, mostly hindsights and experience, even though I am still quite sure we could have done without most of the latter category.
That’s me for now, waffled a lot, maybe shared a few useful details in the process, 2022 is well underway already, each day awaits for its fulfilment, and it is my belief that it includes the relearning of rest and centering not just on our inner self, our spirit, but the richness of the One who dwells in us as we dwell in Him. Whether I feel at peace, or frustrated, angry even, encouraged or despondent, brave and resilient, or fed up and not listening, we ponder together, He is as gentle and patient as fiery and wildly passionate, He is always part of me, and part of the writing process, and the worlds I explore or describe or hint at, or long for. It is just how it is, and I hope it remains an honest and true aspect of my writing, with its highs and lows, clearings and veiled places.
SC Dale 