Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power,

a sense of spiritual deadness.
~Shakti Gawain

Why “Don’t Fence Me In”

I have adopted the motto, “Don’t Fence Me In,” to remind myself to take risks, to do what is in my heart, and to expand my world when old habits take over.  It is also to remind myself NOT to build fences in my own life that constrict creativity and growth.  Finally, I want to be aware of the fences other people build that influence my life.

I have written a special blog post about the name of my site, Why “Don’t Fence Me In.” Take a look and enjoy the music and video links I included for your enjoyment.

What I Post on my Blog

This is my blog of fiction, poetry, memoir, creative inspiration, and whatever I decide to write. I want to write articles that will inspire other writers to stay true to their dreams.  I love to write fictional stories about the private lives of unusual characters!  And, I often delve deeply into the recesses of the soul or write strange other-worldly tales.

Found here are fictional stories and poems about…

Personal angst, disintegration, evolution & creativity

Family drama, trauma,  joy & connection

Cultural clash, communion, expose’

Spirituality, awakening, inner experiencing

And, sometimes just the fun of life – cats, kids and the chaos of daily living

What Else Do I Blog?

The Writer’s Life is my regular series that looks at the life of writers from a personal angle; our challenges, our quests, and what drives us to create.

I draw from my psychotherapy background, and my own writing life, to write post to inspire writers to unleash their creativity. I will wave my magic wand to…

~Amaze you with explorations into the mysteries of the creative process,

~Inspire you with ways to animate your inner muses, or at least throw a lasso around ‘em when they try to run away, and,

~Excite you to embrace the wild, wacky, scary, bizarre, frustrating, blissful, ecstatic experience of being a writer, as I try to do the same.

I created a hashtag group on Twitter, #writerlbsOff, which is a community of writers connecting for the first four months of the year. This is a wonderfully supportive group of writers who are committed to meeting their New Year’s Resolutions for improved health and higher creativity. I post every Friday as a place for the community to meet.

My Current Projects

R-Evolutionary Nights is a novel of romance and suspense staged in Prague, Budapest and Wisconsin.  Alex and Jack are in love, but must escape the influence of the Russian mafia that has infiltrated Jack’s family. I began this novel during the 2009 NaNoWriMo. And, I won.

RedFlame DeepWater is a collection of spiritual poems about the agony and ecstasy of the spiritual journey. RedFlame describes the experience of the Dark Night of the Soul.  I will continue the collection in 2010 with DeepWater, illuminating ecstatic spiritual experiences.

Frostbite: A Mafia Family Christmas is my first FridayFlash fiction series. It is followed by a sequel series called Twisted Family Bonds. It is a dark humor soap opera about the Kaszinovs, a Russian Mafia  Family.

War in Resolution Galaxy is a humorous science fiction series about the war between the homeostasis (STASIS) Republic and Evolution (EVOLVE) Empire designed to entertain the #writerlbsOff group I created on Twitter as we work on our New Year Resolutions during the first four months of 2010.

About Anne Tyler Lord

I am a forty-something living in Minnesota, a wife of 23 years, a mother of nine-year-old boy/girl twins.  I go to soccer games and own a mini-van, but fit no cliche.  Inside lives an Integral, Bohemian, Poetic soul.  One of those sensitive, self-revealing, introspective, life-embracing, rebellious Type 4 – Individualist, for all the Enneagram fans.  In other words, I have a rebellious, albeit sensitive & spiritual inner child wrapped in a Midwestern Mama package.

I write under the pseudonym, Anne Tyler Lord.  I was compelled (obsessed by inner voices, actually) to use the pseudonym when my writing life began over a decade ago.  Tyler is my mother’s maiden name (from England) and Lord is a surname originating from my father’s family living on the Isle of Man in the 1700’s.  My family moved to the United States a few generations ago and became Iowa farmers.  Changing my names signifies a time of radical departure in my life both spiritually and creatively.

I am compelled to write to express myself, to describe life experiences, and to take me to new places of growth.  I have recently committed to writing fiction and poetry, but will continue to write non-fiction as inspiration strikes.  I find great pleasure and joy in the creation of new places and characters.  Actually, when writing fiction, I am just discovering my characters and listening to their stories.

I have spent the last several years at home with my twins. We have had a wonderful time with homeschool, but now they are entering school for the first time, in third grade.  I am on a break from my professional career as a family therapist, but may continue if the right work situation arises.  I suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and Fibromyalgia, so many work environments do not work for me. I dream to be able to do all my work at home.

It will come as no surprise to know my favorite mode of therapy is using Narrative Therapy.  I listen to the stories of people’s lives and together we re-author the ones that aren’t working for them.  I also love to do Play Therapy with children.  It is such a joy to listen and watch them communicate their stories in their own language.  I also specialize in helping gifted children and adults. My WIP in my non-fiction life is a couple books about parenting and educating gifted children.

For over 12 years, I have embraced the journey of developing my states, stages, levels and lines of development, and have followed the Integral Movement as expressed by Ken Wilber.  I’m a real geek when it comes to in-depth philosophy, theory, and science of meditation.  I swim in both Zen and Tibetan Buddhist contemplative practices.  I love crazy-ass Buddhists like Stuart Davis, an amazing musician, singer and actor.  Listening to one of his songs, you can go from shock, to awe, to inspiration in under four minutes.  Check out his TV show called Sex, God & Rock and Roll (illicit warning!).

Want to follow me?

Follow me on Twitter I love Twitter and it keeps me connected to an amazing group of writers, Buddhists and artists!

View my YouTube channel You can see my first video poetry called, Suspended in Thin Air. I hope to do more in the future.

View my photos on Flickr I don’t have many photos on yet, more to come.

One Last Thing