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Will try to keep this short, as I have wet hair that needs drying, late at night. I've had to sleep a lot the past few weeks, as I've had the flu then recovered from that, then had surgery. Still recovering from that. I'm still on track though to self-publish my memoir by mid-September, even though I had a break from it.  'Cosmos' - improvised dots over template
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Doing a mockup from ideas in my head for the back cover my memoir, Bipolar Courage: Are You Sure You're Not Autistic? The colours blend well. Of course, I will fluff around to optimise the images when I do the final files. These were the two paintings most inspired by 'Maxwell' (the 'anti-hero' in my story). They're mentioned in the story. They're cut up now but I can always ressurect them. (Tip: take pics of your paintings).  Just Like Fire (Devine Fire Goddess + Synchronicity) The final stages of a book are pretty exhausting. I had a two hour sleep crash yesterday afternoon, and again, this afternoon. I finally wrote the introduction for my memoir (I do this at the end, from some notes I'd jotted down along the way). I self-publish as an indie author. There are no hard and fast rules about introductions. Generally, I've seen it recommended, to write an introduction in the third person. I've included one, to help the reader know a little of what to expect, without giving the story away. Plus it's a bit unusual in that I haven't stated what people look like, what their jobs are, their location etc. You know, the usual stuff that people spend a lot of time fluffing out a story with. I've included my introduction, below. Expect to publish the memoir, Bipolar Courage: Are You Sure You're Not Autistic? initially to Amazon, within 4 weeks.  Outer Space High, by Xanthe Wyse A very talented artist friend asked me if I'd intended for my fire goddess painting to be named 'Devine' rather than 'Divine.' I actually checked back and her name is definitely 'Devine.' She's mentioned in my memoir, now in the polishing stages. I don't want to drastically alter the manuscript, so I've been writing some blog posts with additional linked information, for those interested in my creative process. The memoir I'm currently finalising, is probably way more accurate than a typical memoir, as I've spent a lot of time cross-checking my journals, vlog etc. I decided to cross-check about the origins of why I chose 'Devine.'  Divine Divided, temporary collage from cut-up paintings by X. Wyse I was editing a bit of my memoir, Bipolar Courage: Are you sure you're not autistic? The story is written and I'm two-thirds of the way through, polishing it, best I can. I was quite amused at my own writing, which I cross-checked with a video, as I wasn't sure if I'd lip-synched or sang along to a song. I laughed when I watched some of it back.  Devine Fire Goddess, acrylics on canvas by Xanthe Wyse Listening to music while I'm doing the final editing of my manuscript. Music helps me to stay focused, to process and helps buffer the difficult themes. I have just edited a very triggering chapter halfway through my memoir, Bipolar Courage: are you sure you're not autistic? Triggering as it has themes like suicide (which I haven't detailed here). A song came on that I don't recall hearing before, 'Private Emotion,' by Ricky Martin featuring Meja. I listened to it several times while working on this chapter plus this little snippet in a blog post. This book is my most emotionally vulnerable yet, about an intense connection and occasional clashes with an autistic man, Maxwell. Then, I listened to 'Fly Away' by Lenny Kravitz.  Synchronicity, acrylics on canvas by Xanthe Wyse I want to say upfront that I believe in ethics with writing, which includes disguising people, so they aren't easily recognisable to the general public. The challenge I have with the memoir I am currently finalising, is that some might have a guess at who the characters are, as it involved social media. Hence, I have filtered certain stuff out, including obvious identifying features. This is so I can tell my story, while also respecting others privacy. I usually only write about people, if they had an impact on me in some way. Either I really liked them or they were highly irritating (some people are in both categories).  It's a trap! Just another draft extract from my memoir, that I've just written, going off on a little tangent. Tangents are my thing, so I can't avoid them completely. I decided to share it here, just in case it doesn't make the final cull (for practicalities of book length). It's an unconventional love story.  Summer Romance, acrylics on canvas by Xanthe Wyse I've been working on the manuscript for my second memoir, Bipolar Courage: are you sure you're not autistic? The book is mainly about an intense online connection with an autistic man, whom I have called Maxwell. Xavier is my son who shares a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome with Maxwell. Leo is Xavier's father. Patricia is a psychologist (she said she's honoured to be in the book, by the way). All names are changed, of course. I've just written a draft section that might be still be condensed or even have some edited out. I wanted to share the extract here, under 'Maternity Ring.'  Moody Storm, acrylics on canvas by Xanthe Wyse 'Maxwell' (whom I'm writing about in my memoir) said that I'm 'compelled to create.' I was thinking today about what being creative means to me. Of course, this is also a complex interaction with other traits, such as my introversion and mental health struggles (both of which Maxwell also has). I think Maxwell is also a creative, yet hasn't fully untapped his creative potential yet. Some of our shared traits is why we connected, I think. Other than mutual attraction. Whereas, a creative who is extroverted and who doesn't have mental health struggles may have quite different characteristics. I recall some years back, someone mentored me and said I was yet to fulful my creative potential. This person was right. Now my creative expression is my entire meaning of life. I'll make a list of creative traits that apply to me. The painting below, Soar Purpose, was inspired by my connection with Maxwell. Which also inspired the title of a novel I am still writing called Soar Purpose and this blog.  Soar Purpose, acrylics on canvas by Xanthe Wyse |
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