Author: Miriam Drori

Author, editor, attempter of this thing called life. Social anxiety warrior. Re-Connections, a collection of short stories, published with Ocelot Press, 15/10/2025.

Categories
Social anxiety

The S-Word

I’ve just realised why I have a problem telling people about social anxiety – well, one of the problems.

I say, “I suffer from social anxiety.” It’s true – it causes suffering. But I say it because that’s the only way I can think of saying it. It’s not what I really want to say.

When someone says, “I suffer,” it sounds as if they’re asking for sympathy. “Oh you poor thing – I do hope you get better soon.” That kind of thing. But I don’t want sympathy. I’m not some poor, pathetic character who spends her life feeling sorry for herself.

I tell people in the hope that they’ll understand why I am as I am. I tell them so that they’ll know this thing not only exists but is very common, even though it’s seldom mentioned. I want understanding, not sympathy.

And as far as getting rid of it is concerned, I’ve come to the conclusion that no one does that. You can learn to live with it, to do things despite it, to stop letting it restrict you. But it doesn’t go away. It’s always there, somewhere.

Anyway, coming back to the problem – the “suffering” one, how can I explain it without the S-word? Any ideas?

Categories
Israel

Fun with English

A few fun bloomers were mentioned when I donned my technical writing hat this week.

  • “Finally, check for maladjusted screws.”
    .
  • Machines that use “micro witches.”
    .
  • Machines that “present you with a massage when you open the door.”
    .
  • On Twitter: “When the button is clicked, all the twits are removed, and new twits are displayed in their place.”
Categories
100-word stories Books

100 Word Challenge – Week #46

This is not good enough. I need to write other blog posts besides those for 100WCGU. Not that I have anything against 100WCGU, but that’s not all this blog is about. So I will be writing other posts – as soon as I’ve thought of something to say!

In the meantime, here’s another post for

Click the image if you want to join in

This time we have to include the prompt:

… in the dark recess of my mind …

The Listener

So she’s telling me the story in all its detail. Her memory is amazing. She remembers every word they said to each other, every movement, every facial expression. She can describe not only the whole scene but also the people who walked past them. Anonymous souls who have no connection to the story. How does she do it?

I’m staring at her, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. After each sentence, I’m going “Really?” and “Wow!” and “No!” and “Oh my God!”

Somewhere, in the dark recess of my mind, in that secret place to which she has no access, I’m thinking: Don’t succumb to the temptation to yawn.

Categories
100-word stories Books

100 Word Challenge – Week#45

This week’s challenge: There’s a real buzz about this place.

Julia says we do not have to include the text, but I did.

“Okay, I’m in the garden, about to pick the lock of the back door.”
“Remember, do exactly what I told you. Nothing else.”
“Sure, boss. You can trust me – you know that. There’s a real buzz about this place.”
“Can’t be. They’re on holiday. There shouldn’t be anyone there.”
“No, I mean a real buzz. A buzzing noise.”
“A motorcycle?”
“No.”
“A neighbour trimming the hedge?”
“No. I think it’s coming from this box. I’ll just lift up the lid….”
“That might not be such a good idea. Sounds as if it might be…”
“Arghhh!”
“…bees.”

Categories
Books

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect is a beautiful book.

Take a look.

 

Categories
100-word stories Rhymes

100 Word Challenge – Week#44

The challenge this week: A poem that captures the passing of sixty years in 100 words – ish.

.
Nineteen fifty-two.
There was a great to-do.
George cashed in his chips.
Elizabeth gathered the bits.
Rationing was still around,
But much could be bought for a pound
Churchill was PM again,
His deputy Tony Eden.

Sixty years ago
I began to grow,
In a sort of room,
That they call a womb.
That’s all you’ll want to hear
About this certain year.
I’m done with this silly rhyme
Of the queen’s accession time.

Categories
Uncategorized

A letter to an old house

I got this idea from Mimi’s blog. (And by the way Mimi is a very talented artist.)

Dear 75 Hall Lane,

For 23 years I knew no other home. For 21 and a half years I lived in you, leaving only for nine short terms at university. Always, I returned to your cold, stone embrace – comforting but lonely.

For ten years, I had the little room, squeezing my games into the floorspace between the bed and the wardrobe, opening out the bureau desk to do my homework. After my brother married, I moved into the big room. I wallowed in the space but felt lonelier.

75 Hall Lane
Mum and Dad in front of your back door

You changed over the years. A knocked-out wall, fitted furniture, central heating. Outside, you metamorphosed from an almost country dwelling, your tranquility broken only by the occasional passing train, to a noisy, suburban house, bordered by main roads and topped by a motorway.

We’ve met twice since my parents left, but I haven’t seen inside or behind you. Your walls have been painted white. Your front garden has been concreted over, the pink hydrangeas gone. One time I saw a Christmas tree behind your front window, where my parents would have been embarrassed to light our Chanuka candles.

I can’t say I miss you. The house I live in now is bigger, has a larger and more beautiful garden and is quieter. Besides, the life I lead now is much, much better than the one I lived in and out of your confines.

I hope your current occupants are happier than I was then, and that you share their happiness. I’m far away from you now, but I haven’t forgotten you.

Categories
100-word stories Books

100 Word Challenge – Week#43

I just spent a few days in Berlin, which is probably what triggered my entry for the 100 word challenge. I’ll try and make next week’s lighter.

This week’s challenge is to add 100 words to:

….The flame flickered before….

The Last Candle

She opened the door of a kitchen cupboard, bare apart from one solitary candle. Only one by which to remember all those they’d taken. Her father, her mother and her two brothers. Her whole family. What would she do when this one burned out? She struck a match and lit it, fastidiously blowing out the match and throwing it in the bin. Then she sat and watched, seeing the images of those she loved inside the flame. She knew it was only a matter of time.

The single remaining candle turned out to be enough. The flame flickered before they broke down the door.

Categories
Books

Creative Writing Conference

There aren’t many writers’ conferences in Israel, but there was one this week and there will be another next week. This week’s, in Bar Ilan University, was free and I decided to go along yesterday.

I attended all five sessions and they were excellent. The first, with Joseph Skibell and E. Ethelbert Miller discussed memoir writing. I loved the way their advice was interspersed with humorous asides. I think it was E. Ethelbert Miller who talked about being the baby of the family. He said, “Growing up, I thought my name was Shh.”

They gave us an exercise to sketch a floor plan of our first house and list five sensory details from it, and then discuss it with a partner. In a second exercise, we recalled a gift we’d received, reflecting on why it was valuable, what was symbolic about it and the stories behind it.

In the poetry session with Linda Zisquit and Joy Katz, they invited people to relate a memory. Then they told us to “write a poem about something that scares you.” Writing the poem was pretty scary in itself, as I don’t write poetry. Not only did I write it, but I read it out loud.

“We need a volunteer.
You.”
The finger is pointing at me.
Me!
“Stand up.
Turn round.
Tell us about a memory.”
“But….”
“Just do it.”
I want to say, “You don’t understand.”
I want to say, “I can’t do this.”
I want to say, “I suffer from social anxiety.”
Ten thousand eyes are looking at me.
Ten thousand ears are waiting for me to talk.
“No – sorry.”
I sit down and rest my head on my knees.

In the fiction session with Evan Fallenberg and Joan Legant, we analysed a whole (three-paragraph) story by Etgar Keret and then wrote two paragraphs of our own story, starting with one of four prompts. The main advice from the session was: resist. Resist the obvious plot and resist obvious words.

In a fascinating concluding session, Etgar Keret himself was interviewed by Evan Fallenberg. I wrote down just two of the many interesting things he said.

  • In couple therapy, there’s an exercise in which one partner falls backwards and lets the other partner catch them. So, when you’re writing close your eyes, fall backwards and wait for the story to catch you. Sometimes it does. Other times you find yourself on the floor with a bump on your head.
  • Only when you’re writing can you do anything you want. You can be rude to your mother, make a lot of noise, anything. Etgar doesn’t want to compromise this freedom for any audience by making his stories more universal.

At the very end I took an awful picture with my phone.

Creative Writing Conference, 08 May, 2012

Keret is on the right and the screen shows his picture as it appears on the cover of his latest book: Suddenly, a Knock on the Door.

Categories
Blogging Uncategorized

A-Z Challenge Reflections Post

The people at A to Z Challenge posted some questions to help reflect. I’m using them as my brain has gone into hibernation following the long month of April.

How did your journey through the alphabet go? Did you meet new bloggers with similar interests? Are there any you would like to feature and share with others?

Some bloggers expressed an interest in reading about Jerusalem. Of those, J.C. Martin was the most vocal.

What were the highlights for you? (lowlights too…we want to hear it all)

The highlights were the comments. Lots of lovely comments from friendly bloggers. Lowlights? I don’t think so….

Did you enjoy posting daily? What was your biggest hurdle? What was your easiest task?

I tried to photograph every place I mentioned. Sometimes time got in the way, but mostly I succeeded. Describing the places was quite easy, as there is no lack of information out there.

Was time management an issue? (I know, silly question, when isn’t time management an issue – but, it is worth reflecting on)

Er… yes.

And what about your content – did you have a theme or did you wing it? Was it easy to come up with ideas for each letter, or were some harder?

I had a theme and plenty of choice for most of the letters. The only hard one was X. I cheated a bit there. There was one place I wrote about and scrapped at the last minute. I was afraid the stories surrounding the place would turn out to be too controversial.

How about commenting – did you stumble upon lots of sites still using word verification? Did this prevent you from leaving a comment? What worked for your blog?

Most sites were easy to comment on. My problem was finding something to say. I read a lot more posts than I commented on. I didn’t visit enough blogs – it was hard to find the time.

What will you do different next year? (Yes, you are doing this next year, you know you are, even if your brain is telling you to run for the hills – it appreciates the exercise)

I’d like to say I’ll schedule all my posts in advance so that I have more time to visit other blogs, but I doubt that will happen.

What pearls of wisdom do you want to share with the Co-Hosts of this event? (We would love to hear from you and know what you think would make this awesome event even better)

Thank you for organising it. It was fun.