People are really creative. People have big beautiful diverse imaginations. But fear holds so many of us back (myself included). Fear of being seen. Fear of being wrong. Fear of being targeted.
This goes beyond embarrassing yourself (although that governs me too). Currently, I’m supposed to be renewing my US visa. The application is asking me to list my social media accounts and that ‘request’ is making me second-guess all my past online interactions.
It shouldn’t matter.
But it does.
I have a lot of family in the States. To get rejected for a visa because of something no one forced me to post will not only crush me, it’ll piss me off.
But what happens when that self-policing filters into your work?
O N W R I T I N G
This week has been fruitful (pun intended). I’ve managed to add 500 words a day to Oranges 🍊 and her cast of characters. But every night, I slump into bed exhausted with the effort only to find myself dream-policing my protagonists. I want them to be bad, but not too bad. I want them to be crazy, but only reasonably so.
Last night, as I searched BBC 4 for an auditory nightcap, I stumbled on The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. An electrifying retelling of the Trojan War, read the blurb. I scoffed fully expecting to be asleep in seven minutes.
Ten episodes later, I was wide awake and my brain cells were firing!
Ms. Miller, backed by the narrative skill of Tom Hollander, has made an old story beautifully new. It is breathtaking. It is heartbreaking. And it is fearless.
If you’ve never heard of the Trojan War, I recommend you listen to this story. If you’ve read the Odyssey cover to cover, I recommend you listen to this story.
Just don’t listen to it before bed.
When I eventually managed to get to sleep, it was with thoughts of Oranges and how I could be more courageous with her pages. Ms. Miller’s retelling of the Song of Achilles, was a sort of permission I didn’t know I needed. Over the next couple of weeks, I’m excited to see how my big beautiful imagination incorporates her gift.
And that’s where I’m at this Thursday. Until next week, I’m wishing you all the very best of company. ♥️
Progress Bar . (53,000) words🦧