When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?
My life has been filled with rain and storms and thunder for the last two and a bit years. You see, my brother was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND). Some of you might recognise it as ALS. There is no cure. It's probably the worst disease anyone can suffer through. It was why I moved up from Sydney to Brisbane--to be with David. Ultimately I became one of his carers. My writing took a massive hit. It's too easy to focus on the chaos, on the grief. Sometimes it's impossible to focus on anything but.
Over the two years, I learned how important it is to care for yourself especially when caring for another. A powerful and insistent part of who I am is my creative self. I needed an outlet and everything got harder if I didn't nurture that creative side. So on the days I could write, I wrote outlines and the beginnings of short stories. I wrote rubbish and mess and that was ok. I wrote hope. I created something new. On the days I struggled to dredge up something new, I edited. I pulled out my old manuscripts and read through them, discovering they weren't as bad as I first thought. As David's disease advanced, writing stopped altogether. I turned to photography because it required no brain power. I even joined Instagram! If you are interested in checking out my photos, you can find me @lyndaryoung
David passed away two weeks ago today. He is no longer suffering, but sheesh I miss him an awful lot. There is still rain in my life, but I can honor his memory by getting back to writing, by moving forward, by living a good and rich life.
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While you are checking out my photos on Instagram, also check out the IWSG on Instagram. We have an open photo prompt challenge there.
