Writer's Block

If you have ever experienced writer's block, you will understand my prolonged period of communication silence.

Once a writer "takes a break" from a regular routine, it is easy to give into the demands of everyday living and to put the satisfaction of writing aside "for a while." Unfortunately, this can become a longer period of time than we'd like, and then an uneasy embarrassment descends, and this only leads to more procrastination. (You will note that I am making the assumption here that I am not alone, and have stepped outside myself in this paragraph by including others. I do hope some of you reading this  can identify with my discomfort about the situation.)

There have been days in the past few months when I have mentally made a note to be sure to include an event, a delightful circumstance or an intense experience on my blog. Then - I do nothing. I let a phone call or some project grab my attention, and I am off and running in another direction.

I know how important consistency can be when it comes to blogging, and yet my behavior runs contrary to my belief about this. It is truly an awful place to be, and it is uncomfortable to move forward. Yet, here I am again with hope in my heart and mind that I have finally overcome whatever was holding me back.

All this is to apologize to those of you who have taken the time in the past to read what I have had to say.

Please celebrate with me today as I write this post, and finally take on the monster called Writer's Block.

Many things have taken place since my last post in September, 2012.

(1) We celebrated the opening of The Storyteller's Guest House.
(2) With help, we developed website for the guest house (www.the-storytellers-guesthouse.com ).
(3) The holidays arrived and my focus was on family.
(4) I wrote an article for publisher Sean Buvala on family storytelling to include in his book, "How to Be a Storyteller" howtobeastoryteller.com .
(5) I was the resident artist for a month-long storytelling project at Ash Creek School in Sunizona, AZ.
(6) In January, February and March, several guests stayed at The Storyteller's Guest House.
(7) In March, I helped organize and produce the programs on the Storytelling Stage during the Tucson Festival of Books.
(8) We developed "Squirrely Shirley Digs up a Treasure Chest of Trouble," our newest summer reading library program.
(9) I continue to provide storytelling programs in and around Tucson.

My plan now is to bring you, my readers, up to date and then (finally) get back to regularly posting again. Yes, I am an optimist. Isn't that part of the description for writers and performers? How else can we explain our behavior?

Your patience and understanding is appreciated.