Fall is my favorite time to write. Something about the gloomy skies and cooler weather makes me want to hunker down at my desk. My brain feels less foggy once the humidity drops. This morning I woke up, and all I could think about was writing. Things with “Final Girl” are humming along, and I’ve answered all the emails from Atmosphere. The house is quiet, and the rain has spoiled any other plans I might have had. While sipping my coffee, I play around with ideas and eventually give in. I give in to what has been waiting for me, my second book.
Yep, I’m writing another book. I began the second book in earnest last November. I took part in the Reedys writing challenge and was able to get about 50,000 words on the page. Since then it has mostly sat there. Partly because there has been so much to do with “Final Girl”, and partly because this next book is just more challenging. Writing about my adult self feels so much more vulnerable than writing about a childhood where what happened was out of my control. All my old fears about being judged rise to the surface, and like always, I’ve got to fight them off. Thankfully, my desire to write it all down is strong enough to overcome my fears about what others will think of me.
The working title of the next book is “A Spiritual Home.” Some of the topics covered will reference things mentioned in the first book. In other words, it will have some similar themes. “Final Girl” is about my journey from having no agency to having sovereignty over my own life. This next book is another journey, but this time it is more about deciding what I believe and finding a safe place to express my spirituality. My hope is that it will help readers to find a safe spiritual home and a way to ask questions. For so many of us, asking questions was just not something we were allowed to do while in the church. I’m also hoping it will help some survivors of religious trauma find freedom. Leaving a traumatic environment provides a certain sense of freedom, but often the ideas that traumatized you follow you wherever you go. True freedom is when you can be freed from the toxic inner voices that come along with the trauma. I’m also toying with the idea of adding some journaling ideas for those who like to write about their journey.
Well, I’ve chattered on about this long enough. Today is the 19th anniversary of my first date with my husband. We’ve both been bent over our work all day, and now we’re going out for a much deserved dinner.
Keep Writing,
Deb