The blog featured after, Grace Elliot- author, is the captivating http://blogaliciousblogs.blogspot.com
Do stop by and say hello plus some of us are having giveaways and contests. Enjoy!
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| Widget and friend - more of Widget later...... |
Writing to Me is…Escapism.
The theme of this week’s Blog-A-Licious Blog Tour is “Writing to me is….” Many adjectives spring to mind when I think about what writing means to me: addictive, essential, rewarding, frustrating…but the one that stands head and shoulders above the rest is ‘Escapism.’
Let me explain.
Life is hectic. I’m a working mother with two teenage sons. My job as a veterinarian is both intellectually and emotionally demanding. Veterinary medicine requires logical thinking and deduction, no flights of fancy or imagination, but cold, hard scientific facts in order to reach a diagnosis. And then I must translate those conclusions into words that a distressed client can understand without being baffled by long words.
I have worked at the same practice for twelve years and have known many of the patients since they were puppies or kittens.When they become ill, this is extra pressure because I feel I know them like my own pets. The temptation is to then ‘take work home with me’ and dwell on difficult cases once I’ve left the surgery, with exhausting results. I’ve learnt the hard way that everyone needs time to relax and switch off…and for me this is where writing comes in.
I have worked at the same practice for twelve years and have known many of the patients since they were puppies or kittens.When they become ill, this is extra pressure because I feel I know them like my own pets. The temptation is to then ‘take work home with me’ and dwell on difficult cases once I’ve left the surgery, with exhausting results. I’ve learnt the hard way that everyone needs time to relax and switch off…and for me this is where writing comes in.
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| Widget demonstrating that relaxation takes dedication and tenacity (a skill, she says, that few humans possess.) |
I started writing five years ago, after a school reunion. People I hadn’t seen for twenty years asked if I still wrote stories, (my English homework was regularly read out to the class.) In a ‘Eureka
I’ve never looked back since. Always an avid reader, to rediscover the joy of crafting my own world is escapism without price! I have a photographic memory and visualize a scene in my head and then transfer it to the page – an almost meditative process. Mentally placing myself in Regency England, mixing with the characters and feeling their peril has trained me to let go of the worries of the present day, rest and refresh. It’s amazing how much more energy I have when I don’t waste it brooding over the day and worrying about the one ahead.
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| Obviously I've disturbed Widget's 'Chi' by getting up! |
So for me writing is an escape from everyday cares….plus I get to spend more time with Widget (one of my five cats.) She thoroughly approves of my writing habit because she snuggles up to my leg. I’d like to think it was love, but I suspect it’s just that I’m warm…but hey, you can’t have everything!
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Don’t forget, the next stop on the Blog-A-Licious tour is the lovely Pandora’s blog at:
Thanks for visiting!
See you again soon, G x
Wonderful post as always Grace and love the pictures of your cat. We share a love of animals and the Regency period.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen! Widget is very special, she was a stray...but that's a whole story in itself.
ReplyDeleteMy boys joke that I have more photos of Widgey than I do of them (hmmm, suspect they may be right.)
Grace x
What a great post! Your pictures are gorgeous. Beautiful cat.
ReplyDeleteWriting is an escape from everyday cares and a journey into the unknown...loved your post Grace, am your follower now.
ReplyDeleteGood post. Enjoyed it. thks
ReplyDeleteGreat post - I appreciate your candor and wit. I'm following via Networked/Blog-a-licious :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments and follows Sonia, Sulekkha, Duane and Kat. Lovely to meet like minded people.
ReplyDeleteGrace x
What a lovely post. I like reading about the confluence of your two practices. Great to discover you on this tour! Tina
ReplyDeleteI'm gradually getting to know Widget through your posts. I have two cats, Tabby (visible reading a book on my post) and Yin, a black cat who should have had a partner called Yang (a white one) but somehow we ended up with Tabby instead. Like all cat lovers I appreciate our vet - but not sure if ours writes historical romance! I might ask him!
ReplyDeleteDeborah x
now there is a story to write " that cat in the blog writes a story. how the mouse escaped" great post. thank you for being on the tour. god bless.
ReplyDeleteLoved your post. I, too, lead a double life. I'm a writer/speech pathologist. I've written romance for Harlequein. My two cats are my best buddies. And my daughter is a vet. Thelma Z--google won't let me post on my account, so I'm posting as Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI found this a warm post and Widget looks absolutely grand. Thank you for this dose of inspiration and for joining the blog tour.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes - Dora
pandorapoikilos.com
I think we all need that balance in our lives, not just all left brain or all right brain! Interesting post! I enjoyed this stop on the blog tour.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the warm and interesting comments.
ReplyDeleteDeborah - do ask you vet if he writes romance...but be prepared for the funny look!
Ah Grace, yes, you said it for us all. I love to escape in to my writing :)
ReplyDelete