I'll tell you a secret...

writing as self-care

I haven't told anyone about this other than my immediate family, and I am not sure why. But I am taking classes at Stanford’s Community Studies in Creative Writing. It’s a non-degree conferring program, but I am trying to get my feet wet. Ideally, long term, I would like to go to an MFA program.

The reason I am sharing this now is that something I wrote for class, in response to the prompt “write about an internal conflict,” went viral on Medium. Here is the link if you are interested. I’ve made almost $200 on it so far, which for a Medium article, isn’t bad. And for a throwaway prompt.

The point in telling you this isn’t to brag but that I really think taking a creative nonfiction class improved my writing. It’s also inspired me to take a memoir class. I’m hoping to get two things out of it—extending a memoir I have started writing and getting a sample together to send off to MFA program admissions next year.

I am also writing about reality television for Screen Rant. It may seem like an odd job for someone with a Ph.D. in English. But I really enjoy it. It's exercising a writing muscle to have deadlines and to pitch ideas.

If you remember, I have written about needing more intellectual stimulation as a homeschool mom to a 7-year-old. These are the steps I have taken. It is nice they are paying off a little financially, too. It gives me more of a sense that I am contributing in a way that uses my love of writing. Plus it's something I’m doing just for me.

Writing is now a form of self-care.

Thanks for continuing to read my work.

Melissa