Merry Dissonance Press

In my latest blog, I reflect on summertime ... past and present. Taking the final weeks of summer day by day can make it feel endless. What childhood memories and present-day experiences are you reminded of?

Read the blog here: https://buff.ly/4dvscV9

We Are All Perfectly Imperfect - https://mailchi.mp/ac7fa50c07cb/celebrations-big-and-small-17390040

Being human, we are all perfectly imperfect, and that won't change no matter how hard we try. In my latest blog, I share my most recent experiences with the illusion of perfection.

Read the blog here: https://buff.ly/4f2eiep

On the eve of our daughter's wedding day, I've not only reflected on my life and marriage but on the essential ingredients to a good life. Read the blog here: https://buff.ly/3z884ZU

The Main Ingredients for a Good Life - https://mailchi.mp/327faf6f9f9c/celebrations-big-and-small-17387356

Just announced! "Cracks of Destruction: A Daughter's Search for Home" was awarded finalist in Autobiography and in Non-Fiction by NIEA (National Indie Excellence Awards). What an honor for Merry Dissonance Press and author Sherrie Lancaster!

Sherrie's inspirational story shows us what is what like to endure and live beyond childhood trauma and the hardships associated with childhood abandonment.

Grab a copy at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C88S8TPS

Our writing environment is as essential to our writing as is the time we make for it. So why do we oftentimes have such difficulty creating that environment? My latest blog explores my own experience as well as what I have learned from others: https://buff.ly/3WIJ8lc

So excited to share Merry Dissonance Press's latest release: "The Well Within" by Kalia Garrido. It's available on Amazon (link below), bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and your local independent bookstore.

https://amzn.to/3UepOtz

Have you ever found yourself intrigued by a word? Lately, I've found myself contemplating the word "unfurling." My latest blog focuses on its meaning and significance as it relates to this time of year.

Read my latest blog here: https://buff.ly/4aqGvIR

April's Unfurling -

April's Unfurling

March's Invitation Toward Movement -

March's Invitation Toward Movement

Writing our stories—whether they are meant solely for us or one day will be published for others—is an inner journey. It’s primarily a solo journey, yet having the opportunity to be seen and heard by others offers us the chance to discover what’s most significant for us to share in our writing. Having our writing witnessed by others also allows for our deeper personal healing—an aspect we may not have expected.

Join us at the upcoming Spring Wisdom of Women Writing Retreat and immerse yourself in the safety and loving presence of a beautiful circle of women. Learn more and reserve your spot here: https://buff.ly/3SwWZaN

Join me tomorrow night as we celebrate Being Self-Lovingly Alive! We don’t often take time out to celebrate ourselves and consider the ways we are or aren’t being self-loving. Give yourself the gift of this hour tomorrow night to celebrate YOU. You are a light in the world and we need you. This is a free online event. Get your ticket here: https://buff.ly/3HVblNa

Less than one week until our online celebration, Being Self-Lovingly Alive! This is a free event. In honor of Mosaic Heart’s second birthday and the significant anniversaries connected to Valentine’s Day, join me as WE celebrate together and consider what it means to be self-loving. It will be an hour of sharing and honoring each of our beautiful lives. Get your virtual ticket here: https://buff.ly/3HVblNa

How often do we take time out to celebrate ourselves, even the small daily moments? And how often do we shower ourselves with self-love? I contemplate these thoughts in my latest blog. https://buff.ly/3ONqC6u

Our January virtual Writing Circle brought together an amazing circle of courageous individuals. During our sharing time, the group talked about the critical voices that can try to infiltrate their writing experience. It was a beautifully honest discussion. One person commented later: “I really appreciated the openness and kindness of everyone in the circle—something you definitely succeeded at fostering.”

Join us on Friday, February 23, for our next virtual session! Be sure to register in advance and receive the event Zoom link. Grab your seat here: https://buff.ly/49svDcL

January’s in-person Writing Circle was a wonderful success. One participant shared: “This is brilliant! I didn’t know if I’d like the writing prompt and timed writing segments, but it was the perfect way to tap into my writing.”

Join us on Wednesday, February 21, for our next in-person session! There is no need to sign up in advance. This is a drop-in event!

Tears of gratitude have been flowing as I acknowledge the gifts of this anniversary date, most especially reminding me of the importance to be self-loving. Today marks 17 years since my first cancer diagnosis, 10 years since my second, and 2 years since I published “Mosaic Heart”! Being self-loving is a daily choice, and on many days, I forget. Today is a big reminder!

We often have celebrations of life for those beautiful individuals who have transitioned. Yet, how often do we celebrate being alive? How often do we shower ourselves with glorious self-love? In this personally significant year of 2024, I’ve contemplated these questions and decided to do it: to celebrate being alive.

On February 28, 2024, in honor of the anniversaries I’m celebrating this month, including the two-year anniversary of Mosaic Heart, join me virtually to celebrate “Being Self-Lovingly Alive” together. Get ready to consider your own life and explore what it means for you to be self-loving. This is a free online event. Get your virtual ticket here: https://buff.ly/3uvN6lI

Each year, the coming of Winter Solstice invites me to consider its current meaning in my life. In this blog I share a poem titled, "Winter Solstice's Invitation."

Have you ever experienced times in your life when you realize you're feeling multiple emotions simultaneously? I've found myself in this space recently. Although grief and gratitude are uniquely different emotions, I've been experiencing both. As memoir writers, when we consider what we've lived and how it has affected us, we can't help but discover this awareness for ourselves. In my latest blog, I share about my recent awareness: https://www.writingwithdonna.com/2023/11/grief-and-gratitude/

I’m basking in the afterglow of our Wisdom of Women Fall Writing Retreat. Once more, I was graced with each woman’s authenticity and vulnerability as well as their willingness and desire to be present for each other. The books they are writing will be exquisite gifts to our world. I am honored to have witnessed their sacred unfolding process.

To learn more about my next retreat in April 2024, go to: https://buff.ly/46LpwiA

Nature shows us that October is a time of release. My latest blog “Autumn’s Release” is a deeply personal reflection on the recent loss in my family and the significance of release. Rather than showing up as the writing coach, this latest blog is ME—raw and real.

Read the blog here: https://www.writingwithdonna.com/2023/10/autumns-release

“[R]ather than Breast Cancer Awareness month, what might it look like for us to refer to October as Breast Health Awareness month? The words we choose are extremely important. They conjure images. They create stories. They elicit fear or offer support and encouragement. It starts with the words. Will our words encourage understanding and truth? Or will they foster illusion, mistrust, and self-doubt? Today, I vow to choose my words wisely.” Mosaic Heart: Pieces of an Unfinished Life, pp. 258-259.

What words do you choose to use? What words and phrases do you repeat without considering their deeper meaning? What words do you tell yourself? Are they “your words” or someone else’s?

The deadline to register for our Wisdom of Women Fall Focus 3-Day Retreat in Evergreen, CO, has been extended to October 10! We have two reservations available thanks to Highland Haven’s hospitality!

Writing our stories—even self-help/personal growth—is an inner journey. It’s primarily a solo journey, yet having the opportunity to be seen and heard by others offers us the chance to discover what’s most significant for us to share in our writing. Having our writing witnessed by others also allows for our deeper personal healing—an aspect we may not have expected.

Join us at this upcoming retreat and immerse yourself in the safety and loving presence of a beautiful circle of women. Click on the link to learn more and reserve your spot!

https://buff.ly/3KN7L9A