Reflections
The feedback on Salazzle Dazzle has been stellar thus far, and... honestly, it's restored a lot of my faith in my own writing. Depression is an insidious curse; among other things, having done its damnedest to convince me my writing was amateurish and subpar, that I'd peaked in 2015-16 and might as well give up trying to reclaim any past glory (let alone strive for better). All lies by a chemically imbalanced brain, sure. Except when you can't trust your own mind, what can you do?
You're supposed to write for yourself. On a fundamental level that's entirely true. We are, however, social creatures. Family (blood or chosen), friends, and a sense of connection are right above health and personal security on the hierarchy of needs. Surround yourself with the right people and they can be an anchor and guide in this madcap ride we call life. Or something philosophical like that. Beep.
Point is... I've been holding back on projects like the rewrite of Feathers with Benefits and other, larger, concepts. "I'm not ready yet." But I did it once before, didn't I? And now I know even more. "I need more practice." Except, what better way to practice than to just... do it? "It won't be as good as I'm hoping." Hope shouldn't be the same as an expectation. It won't be good, at first. That's what editing is for, and modesty aside, I'm pretty good at editing.
I still want to finish a few in-progress works... but I think I'm ready for more, too. Or at least, ready to try.
Hope y'all're doing okay, and hopefully life improves for all of us. :)
EDIT: I done goofed and uploaded this as a story instead of a journal. No way to change it, so I'll have to set it hidden soon.