kitsune89's blog post - Decided to share.

So I'm participating in this 30 day writing challenge created by the author of The She Book - Tanya Markul. It's called Eat My Stardust/Writing to Revolutionize Your Pain. At first I wasn't going to share outside of the group but I remembered how much I used to share here so it here it fucking goes. I'm going to share the first three writing prompts below.

Day 1 - The first assignment was to identify 7 aspects of your personal darkness & give a heartfelt thanks to each on in a To/For format.

To my thirst for pain
For opening my eyes to the depth of emotions
I am capable of feeling

To my demons
For proving I am powerful enough
To stand up and scream "enough"

To my alcoholism
For showing that no pattern is unbreakable
No matter how long standing

To my mother
For teaching me forgiveness is a continuous act
That I must practice not for your sake but my own

To my mental illness
For sharpening my resilience
To the point I can survive anything

To my abuser
For the depth of empathy
That I gained from your disgusting acts

To my heartbreak
For nearly drowning me
So that I had to actively choose to survive

Day 2 - the assignment was a short story in 400 words or less (I didn't count but I think I was within the limit) from a third person pov of our life story. Was supposed to balance light & dark. I found that difficult & think I wound up more in the shadows...

Her life was sparked with intent by two broken souls. She came up in a broken home, led and sheltered by the maternal love of her elder sister. She lost things before she understood what they meant. Innocence, trust and safety seemed to never embrace her.

She grew hard and strong but softness was slowly brought to life through the love of kindred spirits.

She punished her Self for sins that were not hers but she sheltered those close to her with the maternal love she learned from her sister. She nearly drowned but never gave up hope. She was loved all her life though often in ways she could not recognize.

She is a warrior and a healer who is shy of how powerful she really is. She once spoke to stars and felt embraced by the universe. The scope of her belonging shocked her into denying any purpose. She was afraid of what she wrongly felt she was unworthy of.

She took impulsive turns between numbing and hurting her own body and soul. She never let those she loved feel abandoned no matter how far she sank. She gave piece after piece of her Self away without care. Some pieces were treasured, others cast away like so much garbage.

Slowly with age, she has started to awaken. She is trying to regain what she gave away along with what was taken when no consent could be given. She is still afraid of belonging, of purpose but she has never given up hope.

She has lost her tribe though she tried to drag them kicking and screaming away from the darkness that brought them together. She knows she is enough but the loss can still overwhelm and she fears there are pieces of her Self that she can never recover. The ones she gave away with all of her heart. She will never give up but she doubts so much.

Day 3 (today) - Assignment was 5 line poem, no more than 7 words per line, 2 word title, first line had to be "The pain that lives in my body"

Security Blanket

The pain that lives in my body
Is an old tattered blanket
Worn thin from too much use
A source of comfort
For the scared child within


I am so glad to be participating in this challenge (or workshop might be more accurate?). I'm confident it will help me get back in the groove of the creative writing I used to do so much of.