Insecure Writer's Support Group

Today was a slow but productive day. My youngest nephew woke me up early in the morning, asking to let out of his bath, where his dad had left him. I helped the boys get ready for school, tidied the flat and then checked my email.

So happy I now have email access! Our WiFi was capped nearer the end of the month and my wireless modem was acting up, so I spent the weekend without Internet access. Gah!

I'm going back to Phokeng on Sunday for my medical check up on Monday. It used to be such a big deal for me to have to go to see my doctor. Stressful. A big part of it was because of the tests they had to do to check the state of my body. The X-ray room freaked me out a little bit, because I worried about what they would discover hiding out in my body. I also have what the nurse said was thin veins, so finding a vein to draw blood was a mission for the vampire technicians. Also, having to undress and following instructions from the disembodied voice of the radiographer gave me the willies. Way too reminiscent of Gattaca for me. Ja, I know I watch too much science fiction.

But, every day I can feel the difference that the treatment is making to my body. I feel so much stronger and much more confident of my ability to move my body. When I go for long walks, I'm pleased to feel my lungs painlessly expand and contract. I know I've said it before, but never again will I take my ability to breathe for granted again.

Which brings me to the Insecure Writer's Group. As they say on the website, the purpose of the support group is "to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!" Participants post on the first Wednesday of every month.

Becoming sick hit my confidence on many levels - my ability to take care of myself, take care of my home, financially and my ability to write (it's too hard to think about writing when you are stoned out of your mind with meds). So now that I'm jumpstarting my writing all over again, I'd like to have the support of fellow-writers to learn and gain encouragement from their experiences and to share what I'm learning through this process.

So I'm signing up with the support group today and I'm hopeful that it will help me deal with my challenges as I rev up my writing. Many thanks to founder Alex J. Cavanaugh and co-hosts for the February 1 posting  Misha Gericke, LK Hill, Juneta Key, Christy and Joylene Buter!