KELLY J MASSEY

Where do we go when the world is full of despair, when the world is full of fear, when the world is on fire? Where do you go when the loneliness won’t leave you alone, when the pressures of living threatens to crack your very soul, when the thought of failure commands you close the door to what you know? Where do I go? I go where most writers do. To the worlds where we have control. To the heroes that give us our answers. To the villains who know the depth of ego. I go not to

The most fundamental part of writing is the ability of introspection. This can be a writer's best friend or worst enemy depending on their life's circumstances. I lost my introspection last year. When my father passed on May 5th, I lost all ability to look within and contemplate my thoughts and feelings. I went into a sort of survival mode where I went through all the actions of being alive and functioning as an adult, but I was numb. I guess you could say that I was in shock

I've been challenged by a fellow writer to write about why I love writing. I have no doubt that this challenge is inspired by the upcoming holiday, but it is a great time to reflect on why this lengthy, sometimes tedious process is so near and dear to me. At the young age of eight years old I convinced my mom to buy me one of those fancy little journals with the fabric print covers at Buttrey's grocery store. With my special four-color pen in hand, I began writing about four

I've been a part of several writers' support groups online. They are easy enough to leave or ignore if the environment is hostile or critical without being helpful in any way, but I do thrive in the groups that provide constructive feedback and actively participate within those groups. A few weeks ago I entered one of our bookstores with my son. He's really into the Magic Treehouse series right now and we're building our collection four books at a time. Anyway, a sign on the