Featured Writer on Wellness: Cynthia Harrison

My biggest emotional challenge as a writer
occurred well into my novel-writing career.

Writing has always been therapeutic for me, but one very dark novel took me by surprise.

My tenth published book did not come easy. I was going through a tough time in my marriage and dealing with depression, something that has not very often affected me. I’m more the anxious type.

But there I was, feeling very low, and writing a very dark crime novel. It got to be too much. I’m a fan of psychological thrillers, but reading a novel in a few days does not impact my life the way spending two years writing one did.

I often have elements of suspense in my books, but pushing myself into that dark story on a daily basis was not doing my real life any favors.

Writing a Lighter Christmas Novel Helped Me Beat My Depression

The way I coped with it was to go to therapy for real life problems and for the writing part I stopped working on that dark crime novel and began work on a lighter Christmas novel featuring an amateur sleuth.

It was far more fun for me and lifted my spirits. It was the right thing to do.

By the time that lighter book was published about a year later, my marriage was solid again and the depression had passed. I was ready to go back to the darker crime novel and give it the finish it deserved.

I’m lucky to have supportive writing friends, a great husband and an excellent therapist. Not to mention an understanding editor.

“Butt in the Chair” Gets More Difficult with Age

The physical challenge of “butt in the chair” gets more difficult with age.

I’m 64 and my body feels every year of that. I drink a lot of water as I write and every time I get up to refill my glass, I do yoga stretches. At the end of the writing day, I try to do some floor yoga.

Writing can be just as exhausting as doing physical stuff, like gardening or spring cleaning. Writing is mental exercise, but it’s still the same exhaustion. So on days I just don’t have the energy left to move, I chill out with a book or television for an hour or so. Then it’s time to make dinner!

Because I spend so much time writing, I used to eat whatever was fast and easy. Processed everything. I also like my wine. I have anxiety, with specific triggers, and wine was excellent for self-medication.

Eventually, though, I realized I could not drink wine for an 8 a.m. flight or pull out a flask of emergency vodka in a crowded elevator. So I got meds for that.

When I Quit Sugar, My Energy Skyrocketed

When I turned sixty, I began to lose energy. Often, I was too tired to write.

I’d been pre-diabetic for years and my doctor said it was time to go on medication. I did not want to become diabetic. Diabetes can cause blindness. As a reader and writer, my eyesight is precious. I am determined to do everything I can to make sure my vision is protected.

I knew people managed blood sugar through diet, so I did my research and read some books. I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson helped me ease off sugar, wheat and all processed foods.

My energy skyrocketed. Which was helpful because I needed to clean out my pantry, cook everything from scratch, and write the current work-in-progress.

Creativity Breeds More Creativity—As Long as It’s Fun

I think creativity breeds more creativity. And it has to be fun.

Writing has always been soothing, even therapeutic, for me. In addition to spending hours a day writing novels, I keep a daily journal. I begin my days writing in longhand with a top spiral bound notebook and a pink Dr. Grip gel pen.

I also (since 2002) write a weekly blog post. A few weeks ago I painted my first watercolor, a scene from my work-in-progress that helped me clarify what I wanted to include in a pivotol descriptive passage.

I assemble collages of my current work on Pinterest. I take a dance class with a great group of women once a week when I’m in Florida. I love to dance. I read three or four books a week. I’ve always got two going: a fiction and a non-fiction.

I’m trying to think of this new cooking-from-scratch thing  of mine as a chance to be creative, too.

I’ve Healed Every Wound of My Life with Writing

I’ve been writing for a long time. Fifty years, if you count my stint as a journalist in junior high.

So many bright highlights, but the best was when I signed my first publishing contract. It was a dream for a very long time before it became reality.

What has kept me true to my writing roots, and why I persist, is the belief that I’ve healed every wound of my life with writing. Writing is my map. It’s the best remedy I know for making sense of this baffling, mysterious world. It’s how I connect.

Advice to a Young Writer: Read, Read, Read

My best piece of advice to young writers, other than establishing a regular writing habit, is to read, read, read. And then go find other readers and writers to bond with, learn from and emulate.

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Cynthia Harrison has published poetry, short stories, book reviews, blogs and novels. She started her blog, www.cynthiaharrison.com, in 2002. Cindy was a staff reviewer for “Romantic Times” and “Publishers Weekly.” Her first book, published in 2007, is a writing manual she used to teach her college students creative writing.

Her most recent novel, Lily White in Detroit, was published in 2018 by The Wild Rose Press. Her next novel, a mystery set in St. Pete, Florida, will be published in 2020. Cindy lives in Michigan and Florida with her husband. They have two adult sons and three grandchildren.

For more information on Cynthia and her work, please see her website and Amazon Author Page, or connect with her on Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

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Lily White in Detroit: Private Investigator Lily White’s client has a faulty moral compass, but he’s not a murderer.

When the client is arrested for killing his wife, Lily agrees to help find the real murderer. Detroit police detective Derrick Paxton knows Lily from another case and fears her judgement is impaired. He goes after her client and the evidence he needs to convict him of murder.

Despite their differences, Lily and Paxton eventually share information about the case. It’s a sizzling summer in a racially divided city, but this black cop and a white PI work together to find the truth. What they discover leads them to each other, but will they be able to bring the criminals to justice?

Available at Amazon.