Chapter 4 is my favorite so far...Whoa, we're already on chapter 4?

Monday 

I'm glad Boice explained the purpose of the Woodsworth quote. I've never been much of a poetry kind of gal, so I was worried this chapter wouldn't be as helpful when I saw that sitting at the top.

Did anyone else feel a little...too, in sync with this chapter? I probably shouldn't be thrilled that I drifted through these words thinking "OH MAN I totally get this!". But I am, because even if you don't suffer from depression (which I don't at the moment, but have in the past), you probably know someone who has.

I can always count on Boice to be practical; he draws convincing conclusions from well depicted experiences and avoids giving any extreme advice to better the writing process. I appreciate anyone who can articulate their beliefs well, even if I don't agree (which I didn't at times during chapter 4).  
At times I felt it was a little too "black and white". I think this is a difficult topic to cover, and I'm not sure I would fully embrace any author that defines and categorizes depression and related concepts in this manner. That being said, it was still my favorite reading thus far, if only for tapping into a subject matter that doesn't receive the attention it deserves.

Exploring the complexity of depression and the influence it can hold over writing complemented chapter 3 very appropriately. It served as a nice follow up. I think it carefully pealed back the layers of a common issue that sees such little daylight. It's refreshing to acknowledge its presence and gain a greater understanding of how it can affect the writing process. I think it would have made for a much easier chapter to simply write "bottle up those emotions and ignore them as best you can while you write!". Luckily, Boice opted for a more useful route, and described how finding equilibrium between managing and suppressing emotions is key.