Writing Relieves Depression for Widow and Helps Her Find New Meaning in Life

Walk with author Marlys Styne as her memories helped her discover that despite some flaws and limitations, she still did have something to offer the world.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) July 10, 2006 -- Marlys Styne is a woman with a story to tell – actually, many stories to tell. Finding herself retired, widowed, childless, old and depressed, she bravely set out in search of a new meaning for her life. A retired English Professor, she re-discovered her identity through the curative effects of writing, and has since become a leading advocate for putting pen to paper.

Marlys Styne’s downward spiral began in late 1999, when just a few months after she retired, her husband died of pancreatic cancer. The couple never had children and Styne’s introverted nature left her all alone, and unprepared. Finding it very hard to imagine life without her lifelong companion, she tried to relieve her depression by traveling. Styne hit bottom in late December, 2005, upon returning home from a pleasant holiday to an empty condo, and news that her beloved old cat had died while she was away.

Realizing she was in trouble, Styne immediately searched for local writing classes, found StoryStudio Chicago, and started writing and sharing with other writers. “For me, putting words on paper helps to clarify things,” explains Styne. “I may not realize why I feel as I do until I see an experience in words.” By writing about the happy moments of her life, she remembered that her life truly had been a meaningful one.

With a newfound confidence that inspired her creativity, Styne began compiling the essays that became her book “Reinventing Myself: Memoirs of a Retired Professor” (ISBN 0741432080) Styne writes about her family background, a long college teaching career, travels to all seven continents, a few pivotal events from her life, her cats, and the struggle to come to terms with aging, retirement, widowhood, and depression. In addition to being a personal memoir, “Reinventing Myself” is also a self-help book promoting writing as therapy and as a source of enjoyment.

Styne has found new meaning in her life and hopes to encourage people of all ages, especially her fellow senior citizens, to write. “Writing is not about perfect grammar, spelling, or sentence structure,” concludes Styne. “It is an easy form of creative self-expression that requires only a notebook, a pen, and an active mind, with rewards that can be life-changing.”

Marlys Styne retired in 1999 after a forty-year career in the English Department of Wilbur Wright College in Chicago where she was department chair for seven years and Wright’s Distinguished Service Professor for 1995-96. She is a member of the Illinois Woman’s Press Association and the Story Circle Network and a volunteer at the Chicago Cultural Center. “Reinventing Myself: Memoirs of a Retired Professor” (ISBN 0741432080) can be purchased at online bookstores. For more information, visit www.authorsmarketinggroup.org/Authors/Marlys.htm

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