blooming words

WordPress, the platform that I write this thang on, has this cool algorithm that leads the writer to other writers who created their blogs around the same time that you made yours. That’s how I met Bloomwords.com, or Nadine, as I’ve grown to know her. Nadine reminds me so much of my badass Momma. She even looks a bit like her when Mom was younger. Can you say fate?????

So anyways Nadine wrote a post (which you can find here if you want) about how another blogger nominated her for a Mystery Blogger Award, and answered some questions said blogger had written for her, then talked about a few blogs SHE loved (which, ahem, I was one of *hair toss*), and then asked those bloggers some questions of her own. And I think they’re interesting so I’m going to answer them. And also I’m short on time this morning and I have promised myself that I’m going to write a little bit every day and I have a feeling that if I started something unprompted I’d probably be here for hours which won’t work because, like I said, #shortontime.

(Before you think I have big plans, it’s because I need to wash my hair and then take Pippa [older of the two imperial shih tzus in residence here Shih Tzu Manor] to the groomer. I haven’t told her yet though so pls keep it on the DL.)

(Also Harry, the younger of said two imperial shih tzus, shit his pants this morning. no pun intended. He was wearing a doggy diaper, which is really just supposed to keep him from peeing everywhere, and he blew that thing up. It was bad. So there is an ample amount of time that needs to be spent comforting him and telling him, “It’s okay bro, we’ve all shit our pants at some point.”)

1.  What are some things that bring you joy in this world? And How do you think you could further incorporate those things into your creative life?

I always joke with my friends that I’m really the easiest person in the world to please. Bring me a chunk of cheese, or a lame scented candle, or put on Love Actually, and I am CHUFFED. I wasn’t always this way though. Growing up I was pretty damn high maintenance. But really now it’s all about the little / or the simple things. A sunset, a glass of wine on the couch on Friday night, a beautiful fall evening spent outside…

I try to incorporate these ideas into my creative life by writing about what I know. Or I guess in some cases, what I know I do not know. Does that make sense? I try to keep my ideas simple at first, and then grow from there. I also try to let these “simple little things” inspire my writing, and give me a place to begin. Does that make any sense? Who effing knows.

2. How do you balance “regular life” (e.g. daily “duties” and/or the need for money) with creative life/pursuits? What improvements could be made to this balance, if any, and what positive changes might they bring?

I balance my regular life with my creative life by HUH DO I BALANCE THESE THINGS? Wait, yes I do. I do. Nadine, I’m going to take a wee bit of liberty with this one, and instead of thinking about daily “duties” I’m going to think about the “duties” I owe myself emotionally.

Writing is extremely therapeutic for me, and I think it helps me make sense of some of the extreme stress I’ve been under. It also is a way for me to let off steam and laugh at myself. AND make me feel productive…worth it…even, dare I say it, funny. I think it’s definitely a positive in a big ole sea of negatives right now.

So, going back to the true question, I guess for me I don’t really have to worry about balancing my writing because it is strictly for fun. For me. Maybe one day I will actually write that book I occasionally threaten to do. When that happens, I’ll revisit this question…

3. Who are the people that have encouraged or inspired you the most, creatively? Write a paragraph about the way they’ve inspired you and/or helped you (and publish it, if you are willing/able!).  Bonus Wor(l)d-blooming exercise: send that paragraph to them personally. It’s amazing how we can light up a person’s life with just a few words!

The people that have encouraged me the most are The Beloved Therapist, my friend Morgan (aka NYCBOOKGIRL) and of course, Nadine. And also my roommate Lexi.

I’ll start with LG, my super awesome therapist. Whom I now have not seen for a full week and I’m kinda buggin. I miss her. That’s pretty cool right????? Or maybe it just speaks to how fucked up everything is up there. But LG was the first one who gave me the “homework” to start a blog. Early on in our sessions, she was continually blown away by what she referred to as my “wisdom,” and was shocked at how young I was but how much crap I had already lived through, and how I had grown from it. She encouraged me to write it down; to share it with others. Or, if I wasn’t ready to share it with others, to just write it down anyways. And that is when Pizza Party of One was born.

My friend Morgan has what they call a Bookstagram, or an instagram dedicated to books. You can find her at @nycbookgirl. She and I worked in the same office, and was my “work wife.” Morgan started her instagram & blog just for fun a little more than a year ago (is that right, Morgs?? Maybe it’s been longer…) and quickly grew quite the following. I was nervous about telling her about my blog when I started it, because I mean, Morgan was basically a ~pro blogger~ and I was just this little sad girl making fun of herself on wordpress. I was self conscious. Especially because of how much reading Morgan does (hello, nycBOOKgirl???), I was afraid that she would find my writing juvenile. I definitely find my writing a lil juvenile. But I gathered up the courage and sent the link through on Gchat one morning, and as they say the rest was history. She asked me a few weeks ago if I could be okay with her sharing my blog on HER blog as a blog that she loved to read. (wow that’s a lot of blogs) I WAS HONORED. So that’s Morgan.

My roommate Alexa is a romance novel editor at a top publishing house in NYC. And not the kind that edits for grammar/format type things. She edits for content. AKA, “How could her hand be on his ‘throbbing member’ if one of her hands is up against the wall, and the other is wound through his hair? Does she have three hands???” God it’s so entertaining. Alexa, like Morgan, reads A LOT of books. But she does it for a living. So obviously I was pretty nervous to send it to her as well. Turns out she’s the number one person who tells me I need to write a book, which is quite possibly the best compliment she’s given me in our nearly decade-long friendship.

And then of course, there is Ms. Bloomwords. Nadine followed my blog early on, in mid October. She began to like all of my posts and leave these wonderful, well written & extremely thoughtful comments on each of them. She made me feel heard, and she made my feelings feel validated.

She lives in what she refers to as “The Zone of Emptiness, France,” which I find magical and mysterious and quite beautiful — which may have something to do with the photos I see her post on her instagram. When I don’t write for a while, she’ll check in. Once even sending me an e-mail through WordPress. How freaking cool??? But she lives across the world. With her own family. With her own shit. With her own writing, which she manages to do nearly every day. And somehow, she also manages to make this 20-something 4,000 miles away feel loved and important, and like this little diary that I’m keeping is doing some good.

And it’s not just her as a human that inspires/encourages me. Her writing is kickass. Each of her posts leave me wanting more. Whether she’s reminiscing about her adolescence, recalling an adventure with her boys, sharing a small bit of fiction, or thoughts on her life at the moment, I love them. She paints such a realistic picture of what’s going on around her that you feel like you’re right there. Seriously, sometimes I feel like I’m reading a modern Hemingway. Ah shit, I hope you don’t hate Hemingway, Nadine!

Bottom line, Nadine inspires me & encourages me. Not just through her writing, which really is absolutely enthralling, but through the love she has for those in her life. I hope her children know how lucky they are.

Fuck I need to go wash my hair.

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“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

-Ernest Hemingway