Body Stories

The Negotiation Never Ended

I’m celebrating some wonderful writing news today.

I recently learned that my essay, “The Negotiation Never Ended,” has been accepted for publication in Body Stories, Story Circle Network’s upcoming anthology.

Just the title makes me smile a little, because if you’ve been here for any length of time, you already know that my relationship with my body has never been simple.

It has been a body raised in fundamentalism. A body taught to shrink itself. A body that carried babies, ran half marathons, lifted weights, learned to love another woman openly, aged, changed, healed, and still occasionally argues with the woman looking back from the mirror.

The negotiation never really ended.

One of the greatest gifts of writing is discovering that what feels intensely personal is often deeply shared. That’s what excites me most about this anthology—a collection of women telling the truth about living inside their own skin.

Every acceptance letter feels like a small reminder to keep writing the stories that scare me a little. The ones I wonder if I should send. The ones that whisper, maybe this is too much.

Those are usually the ones that find a home.

Thank you to everyone here who reads, comments, encourages, and walks beside me as these essays find their way into the world. Your support makes it a little easier to keep hitting “Submit.”

I’m looking forward to sharing more about Body Stories as publication gets closer.

❤️
Lorinda