Author: Justin Lauderdale
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Inevitable Imposter Syndrome
I would say my favorite moment so far in my writing journey was completing my first novel. There was a satisfying moment where I sat back, took a deep breath, and sighed. I had done it. I had written a complete novel. That feeling was immediately followed by an overwhelming wave of doubt. Had I…
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I Finished a Book… Now What?
So this week, I completed writing one of my novel projects! 116,235 word written over quite a few months finally led to the book being written in a way that satisfied my vision for it. But… now what do I do? I asked myself this question both after finishing this and my other novel project,…
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Distractions
Let’s face it, life has a knack for getting in the way of what we want to do sometimes… Okay, most of the time. For me, that is my family and my job primarily, but there’s also just those small little things that tend to get in the way of my writing time (like notifications,…
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Pivoting: The Future of JTLWrites
If there was one word I could use to describe the current state of the site, it would be scattered. There’s a lot here. Different creative works, blog posts across a wide range of topics… and while that’s been fun, it’s also made it harder to write for. It feels like there’s no real through-line holding…
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Den
The den of introspection Where my voice can lie bare Here is where my thoughts Are judged and shared Feelings of joy Of tragedy Of hope Of dread Of light Of dark Of wants And of regrets The den of introspection Is a paradox of chilling comfort Where the debate plays Between me and…
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4/13 update
Hello everyone! As you may have noticed, there were no new creative works posted Just taking a quick break from updates the ninth or today. Just taking a small break for my birthday. I’ll be back to my regular schedule Thursday the 16th. See you soon! -JT
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The World in Your Arms
Have you ever held the world in your arms? I have, and it is a powerful feeling The world arrived small, fragile and scared I could feel the warmth of it It stuck to my arms And left its mark on my heart The world seemed light, but the weight began to set It…
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Stones
I pick up stones Through my life every day Some stick on my back While others fall away The stones that stay Add weight to my back Over time I notice them more And feel my bones start to crack More and more The stone pile grows The pressure on my back Begins to show…
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The Room in my Heart
There’s a room in my heart That I kept to myself Secrets inside All sat on a shelf As I grew older, I shared this space For some, they treated it with care They saw the contents They understood what laid bare Others, however, peeked into the zone They did not understand the meaning They laughed,…
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Clown Logic
Clown logic is the rule of the dayThings like reason and nuanceSlowly but surelyVanish and Fade away In its place, something concerningInstead of reason, we have dogmainstead of thought, zealotryDread from the people, all consuming Left, right, and centerIt doesn’t matter what sideNo longer do we reach for compromiseNow, instead, the neighbor is the enemy Wider and WiderThe…
JTL Writes 