Jennifer Lane Books Blog

Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts: Gwen Gardner, Doreen McGettigan, Tyrean Martinson, Chemist Ken, and Cathrina Constantine! I really enjoyed the IWSG Newsletter this month, featuring some great advice... Just Take a Walk  Tyrean Martinson, IWSG Admin "What do you do when you hit a wall with your writing? When the words just come out wonky? Or you realized you haven’t written a word in two weeks and you find the blank page daunting? You could take a walk. It’s a tried and true way to break your mind free of distractions and worries." Thanks, Tyrean! I agree that walking (and other exercise) unlocks our creativity. Instead of answering this month's question, I ask for your support. I'm going through a tough time on the day job, feeling mired in rejection and poor communication from my bosses. I pour my heart into my career, so recent work events have cut deep. As a psychologist, I know we all endure hard times, and I want t...

How have you felt since the Boston Marathon terrorist attack? I've felt horror, disgust, rage, and sadness. Right now I feel numb. And this is from miles away. I can't imagine how I would feel if I'd been on ground zero, witnessing the carnage. But I can imagine what it's like to face trauma such as rape, abuse, accidents, and crime. I hear it from my psychotherapy clients all too often. Survivors of trauma like bombings or abuse may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder , a clinical syndrome I detail HERE   in my Psycho Author  series. Quite a few of my characters have struggled to heal from PTSD. What's a simple tool to help anyone who's endured a traumatic event? BREATHE. When we get scared, our breathing changes, becoming quicker and shallower, or stopping for a moment. Such changes only serve to increase our panic and tension. Simply paying attention to our breath can help calm us when we're feeling stressed. But deep breathing , aka d...