Scrivener: The Ultimate Writing App for Novelists, Screenwriters, and Long-Form Storytellers If you’ve ever stared at a sprawling manuscript in Microsoft Word, lost in a sea of scrolling, misplaced chapters, and scattered research notes, you’re not alone. Many writers dream of a tool that feels like a digital binder, corkboard, and word processor rolled into … Read more
Hello, and welcome to my blog. Today, I will talk about genealogy as a source of ideas. The reason it’s been a while since I added a new post to this blog is that I am writing my third novel, in which my family genealogy as a source of ideas plays a big part. My … Read more
I am a fiction writer with schizophrenia. Today, I want to discuss the advantages of daily routines for writing and schizophrenia. The renowned fiction writer Walter Mosley teaches Fiction and Storytelling in his MasterClass app course. He offers advice that suggests a daily routine is particularly beneficial for authors. I have found that a daily … Read more
Hello! If you’re new to this Blog, my name is Diana Dirkby. I live with paranoid schizophrenia, CPTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Syndrome), and PTSD (Post Traumatic Syndrome). Today, I will focus on schizophrenia and talk about fighting the stigma against schizophrenia. Many people, like me, live with schizophrenia and have experienced heartbreak due to the … Read more
Hello! Today, I want to talk about living with paranoid schizophrenia and CPTSD. Living with schizophrenia, as did my mother, inspired me to write my novel “The Overlife: A Tale Of Schizophrenia.” Trauma from my childhood has left me with CPTSD. My CPTSD helped to motivate the writing of my novel “Three Kidnapped, Three Siblings, … Read more
Trigger Warning: this Blog post features the topic of sibling abuse. For an excellent source on the topic of child abuse, especially child sexual abuse and safe parenting see the website: https://parentingsafechildren.com/. For more recommendations, see my Blog post of April 1, 2025, entitled April and Abuse Prevention. I have written a more recent book … Read more
Today, we’ll explore ageism in mental health and challenge its stigma. Specifically, ageism means age-based discrimination in mental health. For example, it includes stigma against older adults. By older adults, I refer to those over 55. As shared on my podcast “Schizophrenia As I Live It” (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2186769) and blog (https://dianadirkbywrites.com/blogs/), I live with paranoid schizophrenia. … Read more
This Blog Is In Two Parts: A chaotic poet and a wise writer. (i) I begin with a poem by the famous Australian poet Roland Robinson, 1912-1992. He is the first half of a chaotic poet and a wise writer. Roland was a friend of my parents’ and had a chaotic lifestyle. The character “Robert” … Read more
I live with paranoid schizophrenia, so you may wonder how I earned a living doing research in and teaching mathematics in universities for many years before retiring to be a fiction writer. This leads to the question: How can I coherently write, whether it’s mathematics or fiction, living with schizophrenia? Schizophrenia and mathematics were themes … Read more
When The Police Came To My Home. I live with paranoid schizophrenia. You may ask, “What Is That?” There are as many answers as people living with schizophrenia. Yet, no matter how often you explain it and reassure people you are harmless, they still may practice stigma, mainly out of fear that your possible loss … Read more