In the News

It’s pretty exciting to see your name on the cover of a book, so imagine the excitement that Trish Clayton is feeling these days. Raised by God: The Autobiography of Patricia Clayton was published this month.

Trish and I met through the Write for You program at the Latah Recovery Center. In 2020 she started each day by writing down a story from her life, not a really long story, maybe a couple of pages at most. Two years and a lot of hard work later, Trish’s life story, Raised by God, is a book that anyone can buy on Amazon.

It begins with her birth and tells a story of intergenerational trauma, multiple addictions, suicide attempts, repeated relapses, and two decades (and counting!) of recovery and sobriety.

The back of the book says, “This is an account of her ride to the bottom and the decades-long process of recovering her life, her sanity, and her relationship with God.”

This is an interesting–and perhaps triggering–read for anyone who has been affected by family trauma and addiction.

For people who want to be more informed about addiction and recovery, Trish’s up-close and personal account shows how nobody decides to become an addict because they think it’s a good idea. She takes us through the thought processes that caused her to relapse over and over. Her story explains how and why it took her so long to “learn what she needed to learn.”

Congratulations, Trish, for the book, but also for your recovery, your life, and your inspiration.

Trish appeared on Recovery Radio in June of 2020. You can listen to that interview here.

In January, Trish and I will be organizing events like book signings and other presentations, so stay tuned for that.

Write for You will be offline for the month of December. Look for a return of weekly writing prompts in January.

Wishing everyone a happy and interesting holiday season.

If you are casting about for a New Year’s resolution, remember this: Writing 30 pages on a Saturday will change your weekend, but writing one page a day will change your life.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. If you would like some help or encouragement with any kind of writing project, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.

by Nancy Casey

How many different pairs of shoes do you suppose you have worn in your life? Of those, how many have you forgotten about, until now? Today, write about shoes you once wore but do not wear or think about very much anymore.

Open your mind to memories of shoes as you set up to write. Get your stuff out and arrange it in a way that looks pleasing to you. Take a breath or two. Wiggle around a little to loosen yourself up.

Think about shoes you loved, shoes you hated, shoes you lost and shoes you outgrew.

Draw a line at the top of the page where your title will go. Set aside some space for illustration if you like. Start drawing or doodling in it if it helps your mind focus. Draw a shoe, or just scribble.

As soon as the memory of a pair of shoes (or flip-flops, or boots) you don’t wear anymore pops into your mind, begin writing. Describe them. Maybe tell a little bit about your history together. Where did you go with them on your feet? Were they comfortable? Did you choose them? Did you like them? What did you call them?

Footwear leaves our lives for many reasons. It gets worn out. One of the pair gets chewed up by a dog. We decide it’s ugly. It hurts our feet. A better pair comes along…

Perhaps you will remember so many things about a pair of shoes or boots you thought you had forgotten that you will fill the whole page with remarks about that one pair.

Or maybe you only have a little bit to say about the first pair of footwear that came to mind. If that happens, doodle while you wait for another shoe-memory to bubble up to the surface of your mind. Maybe you will draw more footwear than you write about.

When you have filled up the page, look back over your work. Add illustration or decoration if you like.

Do your ideas form any kind of a pattern? Do they seem to be about a bigger idea that you hadn’t really planned on writing about? If they do, maybe you can use that insight to think up a title. If they don’t, make up some kind of a title anyway and write it at the top of the page.

Put your initials or a signature on the page, too. And write the date on it. Here is an example of what someone could write.

You can share your work by posting it as a comment below. You can type it in, or take a photo of it and upload the image.

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Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. If you would like some help or encouragement with any kind of writing project, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.

by Nancy Casey

Here on the Palouse, we’ve arrived in the season that slides into winter. The precipitation is drizzly and cold. We’re getting some previews of snow. The daylight time is short and getting shorter. We turn our clocks back next weekend. Are you ready for what’s coming?

Today, write about how you get ready for the changes that winter brings. Have you done some things already? Will you be doing some more things soon?

Think about what it takes to keep you comfortable and happy in the winter. At the same time, get our your writing stuff and set up your page.

Draw a line across the top of the page where your title will go. Set aside some space for illustration if you like. Start out by drawing or doodling if it helps your mind focus.

When an idea about getting ready for winter pops into your mind, write it down. One idea will lead to another. If it doesn’t right away, draw or doodle to keep yourself focused on the page.

Maybe you will write about how you adapt to the weather—how you change your routine to stay warm and dry, the clothes you start wearing and where you keep them.

Do your eating habits change in winter? What about your social life, work responsibilities or favorite amusements? Do you look forward to these changes? How do you get ready for them?

Perhaps you have hobbies, activities, or projects that you like to do in winter. How do you set yourself up for them so that everything goes smoothly?

When you have filled up the page with thoughts about preparing for winter, look back over your work. Add illustration or decoration if you like. Take a moment to notice what you have done.

Do your ideas form any kind of a pattern? Do they seem to be about a bigger idea that you hadn’t really planned on writing about? If they do, maybe you can use that insight to think up a title. If they don’t, make up some kind of a title anyway and write it at the top of the page.

Put your initials or a signature on the page, too. And write the date on it. Here is an example of what someone could write.

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You can share your work by posting it as a comment below. You can type it in, or take a photo of it and upload the image.

Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. If you would like some help or encouragement with any kind of writing project, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.