On my web site I have a collection of stories.
Today I received a new story, written at length, with care and permission to publish anywhere. Such generosity is wonderful, but of course the act of writing one's story is therapeutic in itself. It helps others, hundreds of them, but it also helps the writer.
Do you want to share your story? It can be anonymous. There is a special page for sending me stories here.
Not only that, but by telling the story about your womb twin, its like you make them real and give them a place in this world. This is clear from a blog created specifically for this purpose, called "Enjy's place". On this blog there are some details and reviews about books about single twins. Clearly, it is a subject worth writing about and reading about, even if you are not a single twin.
But there is nothing more profound, moving and real than stories written by womb twin survivors in their own words. A Silent Cry is a book of 70 stories like this, and more and more stories are being sent to me every week via the questionnaire, some of them with permission to publish. But this new story is particularly interesting....
When a twin dies before birth, the sole survivor needs help and understanding. Womb twin survivors are the sole survivors of a twin or multiple pregnancy. This group, 1 in 10 of the population, includes survivors of a stillbirth, miscarriage, abortion and a "vanishing twin" pregnancy. It is a story of a twin bond broken by death, leaving a lonely survivor.
Showing posts with label a silent cry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a silent cry. Show all posts
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Books for womb twin survivors: A Silent Cry
In early 2008 I had such a wonderful collection of stories, written for me by womb twin survivors as part of the research questionnaire, that I thought it was time for another anthology, this time of stories written by womb twin survivors and published in their own words. .
The response took my breath away! Womb twin survivors were so glad to know that at last they would be heard and taken seriously, that within a month I had seventy stories! Every contributor was given a complimentary copy of the book.
The title was taken directly from an email I received from a director of the Twinless Twins Support Group International...
The response took my breath away! Womb twin survivors were so glad to know that at last they would be heard and taken seriously, that within a month I had seventy stories! Every contributor was given a complimentary copy of the book.
The title was taken directly from an email I received from a director of the Twinless Twins Support Group International...
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Combat ignorance! Tell your story to the world!
It is quite clear to me that if 10% of the worlds population is made up of wombtwin survivors, then 90% of the words population doesn't understand what we are talking about.
One way to counteract this lack of understanding is story telling.
The book "A Silent Cry" has 70 stories, but there are many millions of other stories out there. After all, there are at least 600 million wombtwin survivors in the world, each with their own story to tell. Here is one for today:
The story of my life
If you want your story to be out there, email me and I'll put in on the Wombtwin Survivors Project website, with all the others. Lets see how many stories we can collect!
If you already sent me a story on the questionnaire form, you can just email me with permission to upload it to the site (anonymously, of course, unless you want to be named. )
Its a great story, so let's tell the world!
One way to counteract this lack of understanding is story telling.
The book "A Silent Cry" has 70 stories, but there are many millions of other stories out there. After all, there are at least 600 million wombtwin survivors in the world, each with their own story to tell. Here is one for today:
The story of my life
If you want your story to be out there, email me and I'll put in on the Wombtwin Survivors Project website, with all the others. Lets see how many stories we can collect!
If you already sent me a story on the questionnaire form, you can just email me with permission to upload it to the site (anonymously, of course, unless you want to be named. )
Its a great story, so let's tell the world!
Saturday, June 07, 2008
The new book
Well, I did get the proof copy and I HATED the cover!
Then my son came and gave me a hand with it and together we transformed it. I will send it to Lighting Source on Monday and that ought to be that. The great thing about print on demand is the proof copy. When I held it in my hand I knew that it was too dark, too gloomy. This is a difficult story for many to tell, but the whole point of the project is to bring light and healing into the picture, and this is what we have done: Linda Beth's great image of the Silent Cry is now picked out in white and that little yellow centre - the tiny embryo buried in the dark placenta - is now pulsating with light and joy.
Do you like it? I do. Amazing what happens when you move away from the darkness into the light.....!Read more here.
I have moved publication to June 30th and it will now cost £9.99. The ISBN will be 978-9557808-0-6, but it's not on Bookdata yet.
Just a couple more days to wait and this project wil be done. Then it's look out world- here come the wombtwin survivors with their amazing story!
Just one little quote I keep near my heart. This isn't in the book but I will put it here so you blog readers can see how wonderful the wombtwin work can be.....
Thank you so much for your wonderful work, and I pray for others embarking on the journey that they will have the deeply spiritual experience that was mine. I will always remember you for what you have brought to me.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Wolfgang Priklopil- wombtwin survivor?
On reading an article about Natascha Kampusch, it struck me that I may have some useful ideas about Wolfgang Priklopil. This story sounded oddly familiar.
The mystery of why Natascha Kampusch was held captive for more than eight years in a cellar owned by Wolfgang Priklopil will never be fully solved, since within hours of Natascha's dramatic escape on August 23d 2006, Priklopil threw himself under a train, was decapitated and died.
I believe the idea is worth exploring that Priklopil was a wombtwin survivor. In keeping a young girl close to him, in the cellar of his house, he may have been re-living his Dream of the Womb. Natasha could have been his lost twin, restored to him and held close in secret.
In my new anthology of wombtwin survivor stories, due to be published on 30th June 2008 under the title "A Silent Cry," survivors of an opposite-sex fraternal twin pregnancy have described how they have sought after their lost twin sibling in other opposite-sex relationships.
The "Dream of the Womb" is a jumbled and incoherent complex of vague pre-birth memories, which are re-enacted constantly until fully interpreted and understood. Wombtwin survivors can become over-dependent on their "surrogate twin" - be this a parent, friend, spouse, partner or indeed captive.
In the case of Priklopil and his captive, is there any evidence that this may be true? Is it possible that the eight-year drama, lived out in a tiny cellar, was a re-enactment of Priklopil's Dream of the Womb?
Firstly, they are remarkably alike, and despite the age difference, they could pass for fraternal twins.
Secondly, Priklopil had a difficult but highly-dependent relationship with both his mother and Natascha. This paradoxical kind of relationship - " I hate you - don't leave me" - is common among wombtwin survivors.
Thirdly, he had no other women except Natasha and his mother in his life - this is a sign that the fantasy world in which he lived was more important than any adult sexual relationship. Once Natasha got to be an adult at 18, it all changed. Natasha herself has said that it seemed as if "her master" didn't not want to "leave the womb" and be adult himself.
But Natascha did want to leave: truly born again, she is now fully in the world and taking it by storm, by all accounts. The man who was once her " Master" (was he the Alpha twin to her Beta twin in their secret, shared fantasy world?) is now revealed for who he truly was: a weak, anxious perfectionist, totally dependent on his captive little girl, whom he abused terribly and yet could not live without.
If this is a correct interpretation, then in Priklopil's Dream of the womb is his tiny Beta female twin who did not manage to survive. In the womb, he - the larger, stronger Alpha twin - dominated over his little sister, took away her space, her oxygen and her nourishment until she just faded away and died. There are strong echoes here of a dark cellar in Austria.
Tragically, there is a strange kind of redemptive justice in the end of this tragic story, for he, who was once the dominant one, is now cast aside and dead, while she, the once-submissive captive, is now triumphant and very much alive.
References
Hayton A (Ed) "A silent cry: wombtwin survivors tell their stories", Wren Publications 2008 (to be published June 30th)
Boklage CE. (1995) "Frequency and survival probability of natural twin conceptions." In Keith LG, Papiernik E, Keith DM, Luke B (Eds.). "Multiple Pregnancy: Epidemiology, Gestation & Perinatal Outcome" (Parthenon Publishers, New York) pp. 41–50.
The mystery of why Natascha Kampusch was held captive for more than eight years in a cellar owned by Wolfgang Priklopil will never be fully solved, since within hours of Natascha's dramatic escape on August 23d 2006, Priklopil threw himself under a train, was decapitated and died.
I believe the idea is worth exploring that Priklopil was a wombtwin survivor. In keeping a young girl close to him, in the cellar of his house, he may have been re-living his Dream of the Womb. Natasha could have been his lost twin, restored to him and held close in secret.
In my new anthology of wombtwin survivor stories, due to be published on 30th June 2008 under the title "A Silent Cry," survivors of an opposite-sex fraternal twin pregnancy have described how they have sought after their lost twin sibling in other opposite-sex relationships.
The "Dream of the Womb" is a jumbled and incoherent complex of vague pre-birth memories, which are re-enacted constantly until fully interpreted and understood. Wombtwin survivors can become over-dependent on their "surrogate twin" - be this a parent, friend, spouse, partner or indeed captive.
In the case of Priklopil and his captive, is there any evidence that this may be true? Is it possible that the eight-year drama, lived out in a tiny cellar, was a re-enactment of Priklopil's Dream of the Womb?
Firstly, they are remarkably alike, and despite the age difference, they could pass for fraternal twins.
Secondly, Priklopil had a difficult but highly-dependent relationship with both his mother and Natascha. This paradoxical kind of relationship - " I hate you - don't leave me" - is common among wombtwin survivors.Thirdly, he had no other women except Natasha and his mother in his life - this is a sign that the fantasy world in which he lived was more important than any adult sexual relationship. Once Natasha got to be an adult at 18, it all changed. Natasha herself has said that it seemed as if "her master" didn't not want to "leave the womb" and be adult himself.
But Natascha did want to leave: truly born again, she is now fully in the world and taking it by storm, by all accounts. The man who was once her " Master" (was he the Alpha twin to her Beta twin in their secret, shared fantasy world?) is now revealed for who he truly was: a weak, anxious perfectionist, totally dependent on his captive little girl, whom he abused terribly and yet could not live without.
If this is a correct interpretation, then in Priklopil's Dream of the womb is his tiny Beta female twin who did not manage to survive. In the womb, he - the larger, stronger Alpha twin - dominated over his little sister, took away her space, her oxygen and her nourishment until she just faded away and died. There are strong echoes here of a dark cellar in Austria.
Tragically, there is a strange kind of redemptive justice in the end of this tragic story, for he, who was once the dominant one, is now cast aside and dead, while she, the once-submissive captive, is now triumphant and very much alive.
References
Hayton A (Ed) "A silent cry: wombtwin survivors tell their stories", Wren Publications 2008 (to be published June 30th)
Boklage CE. (1995) "Frequency and survival probability of natural twin conceptions." In Keith LG, Papiernik E, Keith DM, Luke B (Eds.). "Multiple Pregnancy: Epidemiology, Gestation & Perinatal Outcome" (Parthenon Publishers, New York) pp. 41–50.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A Silent Cry is now complete!
Just to let you all know that the anthology was dispatched today on CD to Lightning Source UK. I have moved the publication date to Monday 30th June, because I have been getting stressed out with the time pressure. Pre -publication copies will be available at the conference and the contributors copies may be sent out in advance of that date. We'll see how it goes.
Just to let you know: to buy this book (after June 30th) go to the Wren Publications site where we have a credit card facility (and a special ordering page for members and contributors, who get a 30% discount.)
Exhausted now, but triumphant. Thanks to everyone who contributed, sorry to those who were not able to be in it. Thanks to Richard who, just two days ago, sent me some much-needed editing advice: a major last-minute overhaul took place as a result, but I'm very happy with it now! Its a great deal more professional looking than UNTWINNED, but this is how we learn, one step at a time.
Just to let you know: to buy this book (after June 30th) go to the Wren Publications site where we have a credit card facility (and a special ordering page for members and contributors, who get a 30% discount.)
Exhausted now, but triumphant. Thanks to everyone who contributed, sorry to those who were not able to be in it. Thanks to Richard who, just two days ago, sent me some much-needed editing advice: a major last-minute overhaul took place as a result, but I'm very happy with it now! Its a great deal more professional looking than UNTWINNED, but this is how we learn, one step at a time.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
A silent cry: publication June 17th
After three weeks in purdah, buried in the complexities of InDesign for Mac, I have emerged slightly bleary but triumphant. The book is set. Its going to be 224 pages, with 17 chapters, an introduction a glossary and a foreword by Elizabeth Noble.
It remains to copy-edit it now and arrange for every contributor to sign an agreement. If you are one of the 80 contributors and you are wondering where your agreement is, don't worry, it will come. This will take quite a while to organise!
Publication day is 17th June. Price £7.99.
Review copies available, from early June, to journalists or anyone prepared to write a review for their own in-house journal.
Contact me via the website if you wish to write a review.
Friday, March 28, 2008
A silent cry: a story that will now be heard
So we have reached the deadline (almost.) I have over 80 stories, written by wombtwin survivors from all over the world. [What am I talking about? see here]
Thank you everyone! The next step is to set the book, using InDesign for Mac, and decide which pieces go where, in which chapter. It will be a 70,000 word paperback.
Elizabeth Noble, author of Primal Connections, has written me a foreword. A wombtwin survivor in Canada has offered me one of her original paintings for the cover.
I have not been so happy for a long time: I love to make books (see some of them here) in any case, but to be the first to help 80 people tell one of the great untold stories of our time, is so exciting I don't know what to say, so I won't say any more.
Thank you everyone! The next step is to set the book, using InDesign for Mac, and decide which pieces go where, in which chapter. It will be a 70,000 word paperback.
Elizabeth Noble, author of Primal Connections, has written me a foreword. A wombtwin survivor in Canada has offered me one of her original paintings for the cover.
I have not been so happy for a long time: I love to make books (see some of them here) in any case, but to be the first to help 80 people tell one of the great untold stories of our time, is so exciting I don't know what to say, so I won't say any more.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
A new anthology
Well a dream is being realised: at last I have been able to gather together some of the stories told to me by wombtwin survivors, into a new anthology, to be called "A silent Cry." These surviving twins describe the nature of their vanished twin; they talk about their feelings of loss and loneliness. The incidence of vanishing twin phenomenon is so high, that the substance of these stories is common enough. The most astonishing aspect of this book is that it will probably become tedious to read, as the stories are so consistent. Again and again, people describe that feeling of something missing; of searching; of feeling incomplete without their twin soul.
I am almost half way through collating the stories. I have received 350 forms altogether, many of them with a story attached. Some people don't want their story used, so that is of course respected. The other stories have been anonymised, so we know nothing of these individuals except their age and gender.
What stands out is the story of the Dream of the Womb, told again and again: a loss experienced before birth which leaves a vague, mysterious but indelible impression.
I am almost half way through collating the stories. I have received 350 forms altogether, many of them with a story attached. Some people don't want their story used, so that is of course respected. The other stories have been anonymised, so we know nothing of these individuals except their age and gender.
What stands out is the story of the Dream of the Womb, told again and again: a loss experienced before birth which leaves a vague, mysterious but indelible impression.
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