Comments on: On Being Between Things

By: Alphalfa05

Alphalfa05 — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:33:25 +0000

Benecia,

Do you remember me? I just opened up your book ...things you can save when you loose someone close to your heart...it's inscribed ...i hope you'll hever need to use this...

I just wanted to let you know what an impact you have made on my life...you are a wonderful writer/ mother/ wife/ person....

my daughter, Alexis, died 2 years ago and tonight is her candle lighting ceremony ....im feeling especially vulnerable...

unfortunately your book is very useful to me...i wear a locket with a picture of my daughter in it ....wow i never thought i would be here.

I guess your books aren't just for youg adults...i'm quite old these days....and yet i still find comfort in the honesty of your words...

I miss my daughter every day....i want you to know that I think of you ofen and am so grateful for your kindness and everything you brought to my life.

I have such fond memories of you ....your mother taught me how to make pesto from scratch ...i remember following her directions trying to make it perfect.

I always loved taking care of Jake and Sam... I would have given my life them. They must be in highschool by now and i'm sure i'm barely memorable.

Just wanted to let you know that you are thought of and have made a huge impact on my life. You area a great writer and I think of you often.

Love Always

Allyson

By: Alphalfa05

Alphalfa05 — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 02:33:25 +0000

By: Hope Edelman

Hope Edelman — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:08:10 +0000

Love this post, Dani. So wise and true. Over at huffingtonpost.com a few weeks ago, Wednesday Martin wrote a short piece about "Writer's Drift" (as opposed to Writer's Block) which she explained as the period between books, when writers float around trying to decide or discover or commit to whatever they'll work on next. It's an unnerving place for those of us accustomed to active engagement with a project but often a space in which ideas and creativity are free to flow.
Like everyone here, I eagerly await discovering what you'll choose next!
Yours between books,
Hope

By: Benecia Aronwald

Benecia Aronwald — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:21:05 +0000

Lately, when I need a little inspiration in the early a.m., I log into your blog and there is always something there that speaks to and feeds my writer's soul. Your words never fail to validate and inspire me. Thank you for that! Also, I loved your snow globe image. I feel all shaken up like a snow globe quite a lot these days. I wonder if that is a writer's disposition b/c we are always taking so much in and the world seems to be throwing so much more at us these days. It's taken me years to recognize and honor the need in me for the quiet time to reflect and process and I am constantly struggling to find the balance between the two. It is especially challenging when you are surrounded by people who don't get it, who don't think deeply about things and are just gobbling everything up, swallowing things whole and greedy for more. Do you know what I mean? I will carry that image with me and use it to remind myself to take care of myself - to give myself permission and time to allow the snow to settle, to "take baths."

By: Dani Shapiro

Dani Shapiro — Tue, 04 May 2010 02:32:38 +0000

Thank you for reminding me of that beautiful word, fallow.

By: Dani

Dani — Mon, 03 May 2010 12:34:15 +0000

Karen, thanks. The different muscles it takes to promote and to write really can't be flexed at the same time... I find it hard to switch gears but eventually, it happens... Good luck!

By: Dani

Dani — Mon, 03 May 2010 12:33:17 +0000

I love that word, fallow. Surprising that it isn't in the dictionary! Thanks for writing to remind me of it. Yes, the quiet state is so essential.

By: barbaramathewsblanton

barbaramathewsblanton — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:25:37 +0000

Your thoughts stimulated me to try to figure out where I am right now. Within seconds a word popped into my head: fallow. That sent me scurrying to the dictionary because I couldn't remember exactly what it meant. In general it means a field that has been plowed and even tilled but not planted for a given amount of time. It is a positive thing for the soil to "rest" for a while and apparently does kill weeds. It's not in the dictionary but I seem to remember letting fields lie fallow for a while so that the nutrients are not drawn out to grow things helps enrich it for the crops to follow.

I see it as a positive quiet state. Maybe that is where you are too, but at a different life and productivity stage. I am content to have the volume turned down a bit for a while but then I am 70, facing some unexpected health issues and need to rest in that for a bit. You seem to be using the quiet to nurture ideas, self and family besides your book tours. It's all good.

By: kandgwalker

kandgwalker — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:28:31 +0000

This post so speaks to my heart. My memoir came out one year ago and I spent most of that year promoting it. Now that I have the time and energy to devote to new projects, I feel like the snow globe you so accurately used to describe the feeling. Thank you.
Karen

By: erikarobuck

erikarobuck — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:06:56 +0000

Ernest Hemingway never spoke about what he wrote before it was complete. It took away some of the magic. I would like to abide by the same principle, but I've never been good at keeping secrets.