Feline, Fearless, Faithful and True

He's a little bit of an enigma, since no one really knows anything about him.

I see him as a character who is not exactly flashy or fun, but is both physically and mentally strong. He basically runs the entire ball and tirelessly keeps it going, plowing through one disaster after another in order to ensure nothing sabotages it. He remains calm, makes quick decisions and does what he needs to do, which is often at odds with what he wants to do. He can be kind and loving, or impatient, imposing or fierce depending on who he's engaging with. In the absence of Old Deuteronomy, he's the pinnacle who everyone looks up to for reassurance and guidance.

Whether they're writing to get away from difficult circumstances, imagining the perfect romance in order to get over an abusive relationship or just for something to fill the time, everyone's reasons are individual and complex.

I write because it's a pleasure, but also as a way of helping get over an eating disorder which I suffered from for twenty years, and dealing with traumatic experiences that happened in my life. Writing literally gave me a reason to start eating again.

If a writer has written about an unpleasant experience, then consider that writer may have experienced the scenario for themselves.

Just like song writers who write songs about trauma or heartbreak, many writers do the same. Writing is a wonderful medium in which to offload things and turn them into a wonderful story.

What is sad is a lot of new writers are being put off writing entirely or are too scared to publish their stories for fear of getting abuse from a purity brigade that seems to think that if a writer writes about something disturbing, that means they condone it, when the opposite is true. These people are overanalyzing and misinterpreting what they read.

If their theory were true, it would mean that JK Rowling condones the killing of muggles and the prejudice of certain groups of people simply because of who their parents are.

No. She is showing you that that is a bad thing and why it's a bad thing, as well as giving the reader the benefit of the doubt and enabling them to come to the correct conclusion themselves, because the writer assumes that the reader has the intelligence to make that distinction between what is reality and what is fiction.

Shocking scenarios make the reader feel horrified and appalled, because that's the whole point!

How someone chooses to react to something is their issue, not the author's, especially when that person chose to read their work in the first place.

In the world of trying not to offend people, it's like a minefield at the moment. People seem to think that just because they're offended, it's someone else's fault and that gives them the right to be obnoxious, when they could just change their viewpoint.

Yep. So been there.

But having started writing myself, I'll say this.

Don't blame the writer. Sometimes inspiration can be a fickle thing. It can just fizzle out!

And also life happens. Although it's largely for fun, writing takes a lot out of a person. (I personally believe it should be up there with mountain climbing, in regards to the drain it has on your body and mind.)

People get jobs, get sick, have kids, ect.

Since I started, in order to ensure a good day of writing (where I write more than a paragraph) certain things have to be put in place and all at the same time.

I have to:

• Have had at least 8 hours of good quality sleep (🤣)

• Eat well. (Five smalls meal, lots of carbs to fuel that imagination)

• Take exercise (increases blood flow to the brain)

• Take vitamins (iron, omega 3, whatever works)

• Have quiet.

• Have plenty of time.

• None of this guarantees success, since I might get distracted and go onto something else.