When I was a little girl, I used to escape to my room and write in my diary. It was my safe place where I could share my thoughts, my fears and my dreams. I also drew in these books; not all were happy pictures. One looked like Edvard Munch's "The Scream."  Revisiting these diaries in recent years when I was working on my personal film, "Look At Us Now, Mother!", brought back many memories. I wrote about wishing a car would hit me and I would end up in the hospital. I thought that then my family would show concern and love for me instead of bullying. With a tumultuous childhood, my diaries were my safe place. That is until I found them opened on my bed. 

I left home by the end of my sixteenth year and found way in this world. Building a support group of friends and like-minded people, working in creative fields where I could express myself, all helped me heal. 

I was always very insecure about was writing. When I was young I was not a reader. I had trouble concentrating always living in a fight or flight mode. And when I went to college and majored in art, I took one creative writing class. My teacher was not known for his kindness. He heavily red-marked my papers and I left that class believing I had no talent as a writer.

It wasn't until a few years later, I took a writing non-fiction class at The New School in Manhattan by Hayes Jacob. This was before computers. Most of the people in the class were writers working on projects, seeking feedback. I would ride bike to Central Park and hand-write the assignments, which were always personal essays on a long yellow legal pad. Then at home I would type it up. Clearly, I was not a gifted typist as that took me longer than writing the piece. 

Jacobs, too, marked up my work and told me to read Strunk & White. However, he continued and told me I had a great imagination and to keep writing and just get a good editor. I didn't take his advice. That was the end of my writing until decades later when I was working in television in Los Angeles. I would option people's life rights to make a film but couldn't afford to hire a writer. And I ended up writing the stories and scripts. 

For years, I have written and published essays and articles. And next year my memoir about my story about the transformation of my relationship will be released.  This story is told in my film, "Look At Us Now, Mother!".  You can get a lot more in a book.

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But this year, it's all about my mother and her book, MILDRED'S MINDSET: WISDOM FROM A WOMAN CENTENARIAN as she is now over 100 years. You can learn more about by clicking the link on this page. 

You can enjoy some of writings by also clicking the links on this page. I also started a Substack. I have put many stories there and once I have break from mom's work will keep writing new ones.  

I recommend journaling. It has been proven to help not only our mental health but our physical health.
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