Closing One Chapter, Opening Another
04/19/25 • 6 min
Today marks a meaningful transition as I conclude "Schizophrenia As I Live It" and introduce my new creative journey, "Fractured Ink: Writing in Life's Chaos." While living with paranoid schizophrenia remains an essential part of my identity, my fiction writing is expanding to embrace the full spectrum of my experiences.
"Fractured Ink: Writing In Life's Chaos," or "Fractured Ink," for short, delves deeper into topics that have shaped my life beyond mental illness—from exploring sibling abuse in my second novel "Three Kidnapped, Three Siblings, Three Furies" (https://amazon.com/dp/B0DPXW76DV/) to sharing how I built a successful career as a research mathematician and university professor despite my diagnosis. You'll discover how adaptation, fortunate circumstances, and supportive colleagues helped me navigate professional challenges while managing schizophrenia.
The podcast balances serious subjects with life's joys. Humor has been crucial to my survival, and I'm eager to share what makes me laugh. I'll talk about finding love in marriage, my passion for bird watching and nature walks, and why love is never wasted—even when directed toward complicated relationships. Every Sunday at 5 pm PST, I'll bring you new episodes in both audio and video formats, available on Apple Podcasts and my YouTube channel "@DianaDirkbyWrites." (https://www.youtube.com/@DianaDirkbyWrites)
As we embark on this new chapter, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your support throughout "Schizophrenia As I Live It." That podcast will remain available as a resource, while "Fractured Ink" expands our conversation. Episode 0 is already available as a preview, with Episode 1 premiering tomorrow. Subscribe to my YouTube channel, join the discussion in the comments, and let's continue exploring life's challenges and celebrations together.
My website and social media:
My Instagram: @dianadirkby_writings (https://www.instagram.com/dianadirkby_writings/)
My Facebook Page: Diana Dirkby Writings (https://www.facebook.com/DianaDirkbyAuthor)
My X-account: @dianadirkby (https://x.com/DianaDirkby)
My YouTube channel @DianaDirkbyWrites (https://www.youtube.com/@DianaDirkbyWrites)
#fiction #novel #families #relationships #challenges #schizophrenia #CPTSD #epilepsy #siblingabuse #mentalhealth #nature #birds #birdwatching
Do you love to watch wild birds from inside your home? Then, your answer is a feeder that won a British Birdwatching Innovation Award and was updated just this year, 2025. It is designed with clear, strong plastic, so nothing obstructs the view of the birds who visit it to feed. It has extra-strong suction cups that ensure it stays in place. It has a high roof, which is also suitable for larger birds. Where can you find it? To see it on Amazon, click on the following link: https://amzn.to/42jxzDF. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #ad #commissionsearned #birds #wildbirds #birdfeeder #nature #birdwatching
Pastime With Good Company by King Henry VIII, played by The Chestnut Brass Company
Pastime With Good Company, composed by King Henry VIII, played by The Chestnut Brass Company
Today marks a meaningful transition as I conclude "Schizophrenia As I Live It" and introduce my new creative journey, "Fractured Ink: Writing in Life's Chaos." While living with paranoid schizophrenia remains an essential part of my identity, my fiction writing is expanding to embrace the full spectrum of my experiences.
"Fractured Ink: Writing In Life's Chaos," or "Fractured Ink," for short, delves deeper into topics that have shaped my life beyond mental illness—from exploring sibling abuse in my second novel "Three Kidnapped, Three Siblings, Three Furies" (https://amazon.com/dp/B0DPXW76DV/) to sharing how I built a successful career as a research mathematician and university professor despite my diagnosis. You'll discover how adaptation, fortunate circumstances, and supportive colleagues helped me navigate professional challenges while managing schizophrenia.
The podcast balances serious subjects with life's joys. Humor has been crucial to my survival, and I'm eager to share what makes me laugh. I'll talk about finding love in marriage, my passion for bird watching and nature walks, and why love is never wasted—even when directed toward complicated relationships. Every Sunday at 5 pm PST, I'll bring you new episodes in both audio and video formats, available on Apple Podcasts and my YouTube channel "@DianaDirkbyWrites." (https://www.youtube.com/@DianaDirkbyWrites)
As we embark on this new chapter, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your support throughout "Schizophrenia As I Live It." That podcast will remain available as a resource, while "Fractured Ink" expands our conversation. Episode 0 is already available as a preview, with Episode 1 premiering tomorrow. Subscribe to my YouTube channel, join the discussion in the comments, and let's continue exploring life's challenges and celebrations together.
My website and social media:
My Instagram: @dianadirkby_writings (https://www.instagram.com/dianadirkby_writings/)
My Facebook Page: Diana Dirkby Writings (https://www.facebook.com/DianaDirkbyAuthor)
My X-account: @dianadirkby (https://x.com/DianaDirkby)
My YouTube channel @DianaDirkbyWrites (https://www.youtube.com/@DianaDirkbyWrites)
#fiction #novel #families #relationships #challenges #schizophrenia #CPTSD #epilepsy #siblingabuse #mentalhealth #nature #birds #birdwatching
Do you love to watch wild birds from inside your home? Then, your answer is a feeder that won a British Birdwatching Innovation Award and was updated just this year, 2025. It is designed with clear, strong plastic, so nothing obstructs the view of the birds who visit it to feed. It has extra-strong suction cups that ensure it stays in place. It has a high roof, which is also suitable for larger birds. Where can you find it? To see it on Amazon, click on the following link: https://amzn.to/42jxzDF. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #ad #commissionsearned #birds #wildbirds #birdfeeder #nature #birdwatching
Pastime With Good Company by King Henry VIII, played by The Chestnut Brass Company
Pastime With Good Company, composed by King Henry VIII, played by The Chestnut Brass Company
Previous Episode
A New Podcast: Fractured Ink
A significant transition is underway as I prepare to close "Schizophrenia as I Live it" and launch my new podcast "Fractured Ink." While schizophrenia has been central to my story, it's just one piece of a complex puzzle that includes complex PTSD, absence epilepsy, and my creative identity as a novelist and poet. These conditions, as I explain, "feed off each other" in ways that create a uniquely challenging yet creatively fertile internal landscape.
My journey from research mathematician and university professor to published fiction writer has given me new ways to explore and express my experiences. Through my novels "The Overlife: A Tale of Schizophrenia" and "Three Kidnapped, Three Siblings, Three Furies," I've chosen fiction over memoir as my medium for addressing difficult topics including mental illness and sibling abuse. As I share in the episode, "Tell Me A Story," this approach allows me "artistic freedom to wrap these topics in a story worth reading for its own sake."
The name "Fractured Ink" perfectly captures this next chapter – representing both the fracture of my mind as I navigate multiple disorders and my dedication to writing as a means of healing and connection. I hope you'll join me as this new podcast expands beyond schizophrenia to encompass all aspects of my life and creative work. The current podcast will remain available on all platforms, with the final episode announcing when "Fractured Ink" launches. Have you found that creative expression helps you process your own life challenges? I'd love to hear your thoughts as we continue this journey together.
#writer #fiction #schizophrenia #ComplexPTSD #epilepsy #families #friends #familyrelationships
Pastime With Good Company by King Henry VIII, played by The Chestnut Brass Company
Pastime With Good Company, composed by King Henry VIII, played by The Chestnut Brass Company
Schizophrenia As I Live It (audio) - Closing One Chapter, Opening Another
Transcript
Hello , my name is Diana Dirkby and I live with paranoid schizophrenia . You are listening to my podcast Schizophrenia As I Live It .
Speaker 1This episode is the final one of this podcast series .
Speaker 1I am starting a new podcast series that in many ways , acts as a sequel to this one , in that schizo
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