Where do I start? ISWG post for April

This week's post is about getting back in the game. I thought I would start by first of all writing again, which is always a good place to start when you want to be a writer. Then I've been tossing around ideas such as children's books, a memoir (but our story is not finished yet), short stories to get established, and so on.

I had started to try a build a platform about my subject on facebook, twitter, and a blog but that was slow to get off the ground. An interesting thing started to happen too. I began to realize that although my topic, bullying, has been a top story in the news lately, most internet sites against bullying aren't very popular. I found a book in my local library by an author called Odd Girl Out, and looked up her website. The book hit the New York Times bestseller list but on facebook she only had 12K followers.

With my story and others that I began hearing through social media, I realized that society was prone to re-victimize the victims by placing blame on them vs. the bully. It was disheartening to say the least. I found even friends assuming when they heard our story sound sympathetic towards the bully, having come to the conclusion that she must be from an abusive home to act the way she did. The truth is- she came from an upper middle class, educated family that refused to believe her capable of such things, let alone take responsibility.

I've decided I do need to tell my story. Most people feel shame when their child is the target of bullying, but I am proud of my daughter. I taught her to be a kind, compassionate person. She's beautiful inside and out, and she's intelligent. She did nothing to provoke the bully, who had begun as a friend and turned into her worst nightmare. It's a story that parents and educators need to hear, and a story of hope as I will never give up on my girl. She will survive and succeed in recovery.

My daughter found a song on the internet called a Wanderer's Lullaby, which reduced me to a pile of tears. In part the lyrics say you are a "masterpiece in the making" and that is how I see her. I will do anything it takes to heal her and help her reach her potential.

New beginnings

I am beginning again with writing, building a platform, and starting over in my life in many ways. We, as a family, are coming out of one of the darkest times any of us has ever been through. My daughter was diagnosed with PTSD from being severely bullied while in elementary school, and I feel compelled to share our experiences with this deeply personal journey.

I've been tossing around ideas- like a memoir, children's books, YA books or novels. Just the ideas themselves are overwhelming.

Plus I am still dealing with a crisis at home, even though it is calming down now. Between work and home life the important thing is to WRITE. Especially while everything we are going through is fresh in my mind.

I will start to journal, and then figure out the next step from there.

In the meantime I've been reading- I have so many books going I lost track of how many. At least 3 are non-fiction on PTSD, and the rest are for entertainment. I have a pile more lying around that I haven't even started yet.

Happily, my life is getting back into a routine and feeling more stable, and that in itself is comforting. If only we could go through life like a cat, and just sleep 16 hours a day, groom ourselves, and eat.

Finding a platform

Hello fellow writers from the IWSG,

I'm back with a vengeance after a looong hiatus. This time I have a platform and a mission. While I've been gone my family has had a major crisis as a direct result of bullying.

I'll be honest- I almost lost my daughter.

I'm turning my rage, sadness, and grief into a channel for good. I'm on a journey and writing is the only outlet I have for everything I'm feeling and going through right now. I'm starting a new blog that you can find listed under my profile called Bully Intervention Central and I would love your support. My goal is to write a series of children's books to help reach those like my daughter who are too afraid to speak up and end the bullying.

Back to writing I go-