Featured Writer on Wellness: Diana Stevan

Being in any of the arts—writing, theatre, painting, dance—is not for the timid.

Because of the nature of the work, these pursuits are among the lowest paid unless you become a star in the field. So, emotionally, I didn’t consider making writing an occupation until I retired early from my family therapy practice.

I suffered from self-doubt initially but after getting an agent for my screenplays and becoming a finalist for the 2019 Whistler Writers Award and a semi-finalist for the 2019 Kindle Book Awards, my self-doubts have disappeared. Instead, my problem now is balancing the need and desire to write with a need to market so that my books remain visible to potential readers.

I’m currently looking for a publisher and or agent for my fourth novel and have begun to get some rejections (again). Though I feel every one, I think what helps me deal with it is the fact I had success in other careers prior to my taking up writing.

Living Life Helps Keep Writing in Perspective

I’m fortunate that I have the support of family, friends, and fellow writers. We talk about the challenges and that helps me weather those days when I’ve received yet another rejection.

I also believe in balance in life, lessons I’ve learned from working in my garden and from my twenty-five years as a psychotherapist. So, I try to exercise regularly, eat a good diet, and make time for friends and family. I’ve traveled well and I love to read.

By doing other things—living life—it keeps the writing in perspective. If I do or don’t progress any further, it’s neither here nor there. The joy is in the doing, wherever it takes me.

Despite My Years, I’m Still a Work in Progress

The biggest physical challenge of being a writer is sitting in one spot for too long. I get so immersed in my writing that I forget to get up. 😊

But I believe in exercise and have been faithfully doing something since my teens. Because of shoulder injuries and a weak knee, I had to give up racquet sports and skiing. Now, I garden, ride my bike, go for long walks and short hikes, and my husband I play golf once a week with good friends. Hopefully, when our pool opens, and it’s safe to go there (because of Covid19) I plan to go swimming once a week too.

I also do yoga and Pilates, but not as often as I like. I plan to add weight training to my schedule, but I’m guilty of choosing writing over that. So, you can see, despite my years, I’m still a work in progress.

I Make Sure I Don’t Let My Weight Get Away On Me

Because of the stresses associated with writing and marketing, which I’m not crazy about, it would be easy to soothe myself with a bag of potato chips. I indulge occasionally but knowing my poor impulses in this area, I walk past the junk food aisles in the grocery store.

I was heavy in my teens (not obese, but unpleasantly heavy) and was mocked once for it. That had an impact. Now, I make sure I don’t let my weight get away on me. My undergraduate degree was in Home Economics. I studied nutrition and work on keeping a balanced diet. I’ve been following the Canada Food Guide since then and go easy on the meats and sugars.

I also suffered from back problems back in the early 1980s. It was so bad I had to crawl to the bathroom for days on end. But I lucked out with a great physiotherapist and with the back exercises he gave me, and lots of swimming and walking, my back recovered. I also bought myself an ergonomic desk chair for writing and I use a foot rest. I also have a good mattress, which I’m beginning to think is reaching its end of life. So, getting a new one is on my to-do-list.

Tips for Writers Who Are Feeling Stressed and Overwhelmed

We all experience stress. Some of it is good. It charges us, pushes us to do things we otherwise wouldn’t do in life.

But there are times when too much stress can tip that balance unless we counter it with healthy living. Three main pieces of advice I’d give are:

• Eat well. Go easy on the junk food and avoid pop altogether. Your body will thank you for it.
• Get a good night’s sleep. It’s pretty common for senior women to have a hard time sleeping. It’s true for me, as I’m too much of a thinker and a worrier. I worried about my children and now, with Covid19, I worry about my grandchildren’s future. To deal with it, I read fiction before bedtime. And I try to get some physical exercise in during the day so that I’ll sleep better. I also avoid using the computer after 6 pm (too stimulating), drink one cup of coffee only in the morning, and keep that wine down to one glass with my meal. If all else fails, I turn the light on and read for a short time. Getting my mind going in another direction helps me get back to sleep.
• So much of life’s challenges can be seen in a different light when you exercise. I used to jog to get those beta endorphins going (happy hormones). Though I can’t jog anymore, the other exercises I do help clear the mind.
• I’m going to add a fourth one here. Have a good orgasm. If you don’t have a partner, masturbate. Our bodies are programmed for that, so sex is a good stress reducer.

Reading Helps Me Look Outside the Box

I do a lot of reading. I read everything. Keeps me from getting too precious about anything. And reading helps me look outside the box; I also learn from other writers. And I love art. Looking at it, even doing a little painting myself.

What ruins my creativity is staying on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram too long. I’m a curious person by nature and I’ve made friends on all the platforms. I like to keep up to what’s going on in the world and with those I care about. But again, there’s a balance.

I do best when I write first thing in the morning and don’t get sidetracked.

I Write Because I Love Expressing Myself in This Way

I write because I love expressing myself in this way. And because I’ve had such an eclectic work life, there is much I can contribute.

Given our difficult times, I do think I need to return to a non-fiction book I started, called Along Came A Gardener, which draws on my love of gardening and expresses what I’ve learned over my 25 years working as a clinical social worker.

Anyone, who signs up for Diana’s Book News on my website, gets the first chapter free.

The Marketing Tactic that Works for Me

One marketing tactic that’s worked has been Amazon Ads, which I’ve learned how to do through Bryan Cohen’s workshop.

Otherwise, it’s been through giving author readings at libraries and elsewhere, putting on workshops, and being on panels at writers’ festivals. I’ve also been interviewed on podcasts and on television. A list of articles and interviews are on my website under the media tab. It’s another way of advertising my work.

And like other authors, I’m active on social media. I also believe strongly in social justice so I end up tweeting about that more than my work.

My Husband and I Have a Mutual Respect for Our “Alone” Time

Because I’m retired, I have more time than most to write.

For many years post early retirement, I helped our daughters a fair amount with child care and looked after my mother’s care—even though she lived halfway across the country—but now that our grandchildren are grown and Mom’s passed away, I no longer have any excuses to not write.

My husband is also extremely supportive. He’s busy learning to play the guitar and carving, so there’s a mutual respect regarding our ‘alone’ time.

Advice for a Young Writer: Read, Read, Read

I’d tell them to read, read, read—the good and the bad. Study the craft. There are so many avenues now, through writers’ conferences, books, and online articles. Also, join a writers’ critique group where you can share your work and develop your craft.

And a young person needs to know there’ll be years of rejections, but they won’t be alone and not take those rejections personally. You can’t please everyone. It’s not about you, it’s about what and/or how you’ve written the piece and/or the reader’s taste.

I’d also suggest furthering your education and/or finding a job with a regular income so you can support yourself while you’re developing your writing skills. Every outside job will not only help you build security and confidence but it can also give you more to write about.

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Diana Stevan likes to joke she’s a Jill of all trades as she’s worked as a family therapist, teacher, librarian, model, actress and sports reporter for CBC television. With writing her passion, she’s published newspaper articles, poetry; a short story, and a novelette, The Blue Nightgown, a coming-of-age story set in the 1950s.

Her novels cross genres: A Cry from the Deep, a time-slip romantic mystery/adventure; The Rubber Fence, women’s fiction, inspired by her work on a psychiatric ward, and Sunflowers Under Fire, historical fiction, based on her Ukrainian grandmother’s life during WWI in Russia. This last novel was a finalist for the 2019 Whistler Independent Book Awards, and a semi-finalist for the 2019 Kindle Book Awards, Literary Fiction category.

When she isn’t writing, she loves to garden, travel, and read. With their two daughters grown, Diana lives with her husband Robert on Vancouver Island and West Vancouver, British Columbia.

For more information on Diana and her work, please see her website and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

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A Cry From The Deep: Set in Provence, Manhattan, and Ireland, A Cry From The Deep is a time-slip romantic mystery/adventure novel. The story uncovers not only two women’s  longings, but also the beauty of the deep, where buried treasures tempt salvagers to break the law.

When Catherine Fitzgerald, an underwater photographer, buys an antique Claddagh ring, she is troubled by nightmares that set her on a path to fulfill a promise of love made centuries before.

As she begins to unravel the mystery of the woman who haunts her dreams, she has to come to grips with her own struggle to find true love. Will it be her ex, a psychiatrist, who still loves her, or the handsome but unavailable marine archaeologist on the dive team? Or is she destined to be alone?

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold.

Sunflowers Under Fire is a heartbreakingly intimate novel that illuminates the strength of the human spirit. This historical fiction was a Finalist for the 2019 Whistler Independent Book Awards, sponsored by the Writers Union of Canada. It was also a Semi-Finalist for the 2019 Kindle Book Awards, in the Literary Fiction category.

In 1915, Lukia Mazurets, a Ukrainian farmwife, delivers her eighth child while her husband’s in the Tsar’s army. Soon after, she and her children are forced to flee the invading Germans.