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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANuARY 18, 2019
Stuck in a writing rut
Dear Annie: I used to write
Deadlines are your friend. If
every day — mostly poems but columns weren’t due weekly, I
also essays. I really want to get would never finish them. I know
back into it, but my motiva- it can be hard to meet self-im-
tion has waned. When I used posed deadlines. One way to
get external ones is to
to write every day, I
DEAR
join a writing group or
was deeply depressed,
ANNIE
to take a writing class
and writing was an out-
online or through a
let, a stress reliever. I
local college.
still want to write, but I
Perfectionism
never seem able to get
equals paralysis. For-
myself to actually put
tunately, the deadlines
pen to paper. I don’t
should help with this,
want to believe that I
have to be depressed in ANNIE LANE too. When something
Creators
is due, you have to
order to write. I know
Syndicate Inc.
make peace with the
I’m also a good writer
fact that it’s not per-
when I’m not depressed.
I think that part of the problem is fect. Done is better than perfect.
Confront the fear of fail-
I’m scared of writing something
bad, thinking that if I can’t write ure by writing a deliberately
a beautiful first draft, there’s no crummy story. Read it back
point in writing at all. (Obvi- to yourself. See that the world
ously, that’s a rather toxic mind- did not end because you wrote
set.) Do you have any tips for something lackluster. This
how I could discipline myself might also help to infuse some
to actually write something levity into your practice, which
while not worrying about the can be wind beneath the creative
outcome? — Wrestling a Writ- wings.
“Gamify” the process. Look
ing Rut
Dear Wrestling a Writing for writing prompts online. Set a
Rut: Every writer intimately kitchen timer, and don’t pick up
knows the feelings you describe, your pen until it dings, no matter
including yours truly. Here are a what you’re writing.
Lastly, remember that the
few points to keep in mind.
only way to really fail is to not
try. So get writing.
Dear Annie: I’m a teenage
boy. My mom hates that I’m
gay. She says that the whole
family is disappointed in me.
But it’s only my dad’s side of the
family who hates me for it. My
mom can’t accept me for me.
I try to ignore her, but it will
always be there. I’ve started
drinking to block out the mem-
ories, but that only works for a
little while. I have feelings of
hatred toward her, but I care
about her, too. I don’t know
what to do. I believe that God
made me this way. I feel so
depressed and full of rage. —
Black Sheep
Dear Black Sheep: You are
not alone. Please reach out to
The Trevor Project, a wonder-
ful organization dedicated to
supporting and saving the lives
of LGBTQ youth. You can call
its hotline anytime at 866-488-
7386. If you’d prefer to text, you
can text “START” to 678678
between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Eastern time, or during those
same hours, you can instant
message with a counselor on the
group’s website, https://www.
thetrevorproject.org.
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You want to change a
bad habit. Certain cues trigger a chain of behaviors.
If you can alter your environment to avoid that cue,
this will be much easier than trying to change the
avalanche of actions that follows the cue.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your day will be filled
with opportunities for a happy flow of feelings,
but it will be up to you to make pleasure out of the
circumstance. “To make pleasures pleasant, shorten
them.” — Charles Buxton
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Soon you’ll be on the
other side of this lesson. How will you know you’re
there? You’ll no longer think about it. Just before the
“over” phase of the healing comes is the “checking”
phase when you think a lot about not thinking
about it.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). The world defines you
by what you do, but what you’re seeing right now
is all you haven’t done. In today’s case, you’ll let that
motivate you to step boldly forward.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You can be tougher than
you think you’re being. It’s something to be aware of
today as certain people around you are easily shak-
en and much more concerned with your approval
than you’d think.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The higher pursuits
of the mind and spirit call to you today including
philanthropy and education. It should be noted that
these pursuits are possible to access through the
smallest moments and most mundane activities.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’re in the process of
figuring out how to get along with someone who
is very different from you. It’s not about ignoring
the differences, rather finding the common ground,
which is a vaster territory than it first seems.
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). It’s a day for replenish-
ing your emotional fuel tank which you’ll do with
quality relaxation that may include getting together
with people you care about for a truly fun evening.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’re smart, so-
phisticated and because of these attributes, self-crit-
ical. One way to mute the voice of that inner critic is
to throw yourself into the action. When you’re busy
handling things, the mental chatter goes quiet.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Love is supportive.
People who don’t understand one another’s trajec-
tory can nonetheless respect and make room for it.
Side note: Fire signs have what you need and will
offer it up once they know you need it. Just ask!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). In the Chinese
legend of the red thread, the gods tie a cord around
the ankle of those destined to meet one another
and eventually the tie, invisible the human eye,
brings souls together. Today’s meeting has the feel
of fate.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Try thinking of things
in terms of, “for me” or “not for me.” It’s simple, but
the shift can be just the personal revolution that
frees you from having to pass moral and value
judgements all the livelong day, which is exhaust-
ing.
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 19). Your rational
mind will become a servant to the amazing intuition
that is your cosmic gift at the top of this solar return.
Your understanding of what you need in relation-
ships will deepen as will your ability to communi-
cate it. You’ll heal a bit of broken self-esteem, which
leads to you making more money. Aquarius and
Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 40,
2, 10 and 28.