Reclaiming My Story: The Best Prefix Ever, Part 2

 A big thank you to all who read and commented on last week's blog post. I'm glad you got something out of it and appreciate your kind words and input.

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At the end of September, I met a woman who has become a good friend and mentor. She gave me a binder about her small group. It comprised tabs and hard copies of things she'd written. The last one described something I'd never heard of before--and almost every word described this personal spiritual issue I'm getting through, one step at a time. I re-read and wrote some notes about it, circling some words and phrases.

Rediscover meaning

Reshape personal narrative

Reclaim your story

Reclaim means is to rescue or bring back from error to ways of living or thinking regarded as right; to demand the return of; try to get back. Some synonyms include reshape, refashion, regroup.

This has been the best year yet of having mentors. Let me reclaim feeling better after talking with someone. I haven't had this in several years. I've gone too long without it.

Last Monday afternoon, I met up with this friend/mentor in her office. When I first met her, she bought a copy of Strong & Steadfast . When we initially spoke on the phone and I told her about my books, she said she wanted to buy a copy of this novel. As we talked last week, she had the book with her and showed me she was more than halfway done. She said she loved it and couldn't put it down.

She only wanted to know more about my books, what inspired me to write them.

I realized she's in my target audience. She bought my book, almost sight unseen. For the past six or seven years, that target audience I'd had was gone. It's now time to reclaim that--as well as other things about being an author.

Let me reclaim my role as an author after so many years of others teasing me, blowing me off, or letting me know in no uncertain terms they were not going to support me. I forgive all of them of their outright unkind words and actions (or lack of them).

As an author, I've faced lots of rejections. But getting so many of them to the detriment of my health and well-being. Let me finally experience joy, support, acceptance.

The conversation with this friend/mentor lasted much longer than expected. As we slowly wrapped up our time together, I thought of these questions: 

What if your story was different from everyone else's in some group? 

What if you experienced something outside the confines and norms of social media?