Being a Writer

I have not made the conscious decision that I am a writer.  I write…that’s easy to say.  However, I have found that I don’t feel confident enough to say, “I’m a writer.”  Because then I will have to prove myself, and I don’t know how to prove that I’m a writer.  I guess it’s difficult because writing is subjective; some may love it, some may hate it.  I guess I’m afraid of those who may hate it.  I suppose no matter what profession you are in you’re going to make mistakes, but I think it’s harder to deal with when that mistake is in hard copy.  If only I were a chef…I could eat my mistakes.

Botox as a Preventive Measure

Botox is getting increasingly popular, and the women seeking this treatment are getting younger.  The most popular cosmetic procedures are liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, and rhinoplasty; however, non-invasive procedures are on the rise. Botox injections is a non-invasive procedure that fills in lines and wrinkles on the face by paralyzing the surrounding muscle without the use of a scalpel.  Although it is a medical procedure, women have compared it to getting highlights or getting their teeth whitened; it’s not considered a drastic measure.

Now girls as young as 18 years old are getting the procedure done in order to prevent wrinkles, and doctors support this early intervention.  They explain that wrinkles occur due to frequent muscle movement.  Therefore, when the girls paralyze their muscles with Botox when they’re young they won’t as easily get wrinkles when they’re older.  To support this argument, doctors point out that people with facial nerve palsy do not get dynamic wrinkles where their face is paralyzed.

Article: Young and using Botox to stay that way

http://www.antell-md.com/msnbc05.html

Plastic Surgery and Psychology

Over the years plastic surgery has become more acceptable, and the psychological explanations mirror this change.  In the past, someone’s desire to have plastic surgery was described as neurotic or narcissistic behavior.  However, these perspectives began to change in the 1970s when psychologists found that most people who sought plastic surgery were relatively normal.

 Although the desire to have plastic surgery no longer indicates psychological problems, there are still psychological aspects attached to plastic surgery since the ultimate success of the surgery depends on the the patient’s perception.  The doctors must differentiate the good candidates from the bad candidates.  Someone who is a good candidate for plastic surgery has realistic goals; a bad candidate comes in and says, “Make me look like Brad Pitt.”  Also, a bad candidate would be someone who is hoping for a major life change.  For example, as described in the article, a man consulted with a doctor for a nose job and proceeded to explain that his goal was to become more sociable and attract more women.

Doctors must ask their patients specific questions such as, “Why do you want this done?” and “Why do you want this surgery at this time?”  It is a doctor’s responsibility to figure out his patients’ motives.  The patient’s answers to these questions along with the doctor’s intuition will help differentiate good candidates from bad ones.  A good doctor is one who is willing and believes it is necessary to turn some patients down.

Article:  Beauty quest- psychological aspects of cosmetic surgery  http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_n5_v22/ai_6622823/pg_1

Writing as a Routine

While reading Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird, I found myself completely relating to her process of writing.  She describes sitting in front of the computer staring at the blank word processor, thinking about what else needs to be done…perhaps about what would be good to watch on tv, getting up and wandering around aimlessly, sitting back down and staring at the blank page again, getting back up to get something to eat etc.  All this time I’ve thought to myself, how could I truly be a writer if this is what I always end up doing; or I thought I might need a prescription for adderall because I must be suffering from ADD.  I thought all good writers could sit down and just write for hours.  Yes I’ve heard of a thing called writer’s block, but I thought that happened once in a blue moon.  It was very comforting to hear a published writer explain the same scenario I experience every time I sit down to write.  She also offered somewhat of a solution; develop a daily routine.  She suggested to have a set time when you write every day.  Whether it’s 9 in the morning or 10 at night it is helpful to make a routine out of it.  I think it is a good way to kind of prep your brain.

Poetry

I love poetry.  Some of the pieces that move me the most are poems; I love how they can be so profound in such few words.  I think that, for most writers, when we are overwhelmed with a certain emotion we quickly turn to poetry.  They always have meaning and a purpose.  As much as I love poetry, I rarely write it.  For me, the act of writing poetry is a strange one.  I cannot just sit down and set out to write a poem.  When I do write a poem I feel that it is hardly my choice, that the words aren’t even mine.  A feeling comes over me and I am just compelled to write; I feel like a vehicle for some outside force.  The emotion is inescapable and the words just flow.