It's been an Extreme Writing Day.

I'm working on a humorous essay--about a disastrous dental appointment, no less. Having a few chuckles as I polish it before submitting it to a contest.

Then I turn my editor's eye to an personal essay and find myself stopping to put my head down on my keyboard and cry.

Ah. The wonderful writing life.

There's a saying that I'll paraphrase (because I don't want to take the time to look up): If there are no tears in the writer, there are no tears in the reader.

I think that's true. If, as a writer, I am not willing to be honest about my struggles, my fears, my heartaches--then my readers will not connect with what I write on a heart-level. And then they will probably think, "Why am I bothering to read what she's writing?"

So that's what today has been like for me. Laughter and tears.