depression

NPM 2025 (Edge)

/ Janna Hill / Leave a comment

I can hardly believe that I first shared Edge by Sylvia Plath in April 2013.

It seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago at the same time.

I honestly enjoyed revisiting the discussion and dissection of Edge and poor Sylvia Plath. You should give it a read.

Meanwhile I present to you…

Edge by Sylvia Plath 1963

The woman is perfected.
Her dead 

Body wears the smile of accomplishment,

The illusion of a Greek necessity

Flows in the scrolls of her toga,
Her bare

Feet seem to be saying:
We have come so far, it is over.

Each dead child coiled, a white serpent,
One at each little

Pitcher of milk, now empty.
She has folded

Them back into her body as petals
Of a rose close when the garden

Stiffens and odors bleed
From the sweet, deep throats of the night flower.

The moon has nothing to be sad about,
Staring from her hood of bone.

She is used to this sort of thing.
Her blacks crackle and drag.

Sylvia Plath Hughes with her second child, son Nicholas.

Food for Thought (Friday’s free for All)

/ Janna Hill / Leave a comment

I saw this sign hanging in a doctor’s office a while back and it made me think. 💬 💬 💬

Sunshine is a natural disinfectant and what about that vitamin D so many are deficient in. 🤔

Walking, running and playing relieve stress and anxiety — they are all free and what about the obesity and musculoskeletal issues that come about because of a sedimentary lifestyle.

Making better food choices…

Smiles, hugs, laughter and a few kind words … what does that cost now amid the inflation?

For me that sign was a reminder that we basically need to get back to the basics.

The same sentiment [sometimes] goes for writing too. It’s okay to take a breather.

Happy Friday y’all. Right on! Write on!

Thoughts on Writing (Throwback Thursday)

/ Janna Hill / Leave a comment

The following snippet was taken from Getting Me Back (The Voices Within)

Whew. I was somewhat…

Errr-umm…

Bitter? Maybe?

Giggles to self.

My opinion remains unchanged and I make no apologies. Nope, none.

However I do Thank God that my feathers are re-oiled and I can laugh at myself [and the entire human race] again. Because laughing is sometimes all we have at our disposal. 🎭

Thoughts on Writing (The Requirements of an Author)

DESIRE: A CONGENITAL need to tell the story.

Determination: It is not enough to walk a couple of blocks or run five miles on a treadmill, come prepared to hike the Himalayas and explore the abyss.

An exoskeleton: A thick skin will not suffice – no indeed. Colleagues and critics are apt in the sadistic art of shaving and burning the thickest of flesh; their tireless wheel of pumice leaving the toughest callouses raw and bleeding. They will thin your skin; get beneath it and prove your vulnerabilities. Like a flesh eating bacteria they will consume you – kill you if you let them.

A poker face: Never let them see you sweat.

Gratitude: Because no one owes you anything! 

Grace: For the rise and the inevitable fall. 

Pills and booze and smoke: Because it is a hard and hateful world and you are not a god-damned ant.

And [YaY] with Uri out of the way I’m welcoming the sunshine and trying on swimsuits.

Happy Thursday World. 🥂

Bat-Shit Crazy & Indie Update

/ Janna Hill / 8 Comments

Can you believe it has been 4 years since I posted The First Year as an Indie (Lessons Learned)?

So much has changed… yet stayed the same.

I have created new works and destroyed old ones.

I have watched literary markets as well as loved ones come and go.

I pretty much left the ‘pertinent’ social media scenes. Why? For a few reasons, just pick one or make one up – that’s always fun.

New authors have asked, “Did decreasing media presence hurt book sales?”

My answer: “Laws yes! But you know what? I still do not give a flying rat’s fanny.”

I am sorry if that’s not the ‘right’ answer but it is my answer… my truth.  That is the beauty of being an independent author.

Another truth is I was in “an unhealthy state of dealing with stress” – that is a sophisticated way of saying I was “bat-shit crazy in the midst of a nervous breakdown.”

Social media [as well as life] was becoming a struggle to keep up with; it was also getting in the way of Getting Me Back.

Getting Me Back (The Voices Within) is scheduled to release March 31st, it is available for pre-order now. Go ahead and order it so you will have it in time for NPM (National Poetry Month)

If you have never had a nervous breakdown, I would not recommend embarking on that journey.

If you want a peek at what my journey was/is like, I’d recommend reading Getting Me Back.

If you are currently bat-shit crazy in the midst of a nervous breakdown definitely get some help and read Getting Me Back. Hey, we can journey together.

 

P.S. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

saint patricks day card (1024x727)