Good Morning

Is there such a thing as a pointless memory? I don't think so; my belief is that every experience lends something to be learned from, as long as we don't overgeneralize from it. Then again, I am only nineteen, but I have a sneaking suspicion I won't be proven wrong.

Today I was attempting to deal with some of my worst memories, prepared to accept that they were simple exercises in pain that one must let go and forget. Then I realized that those experiences helped to make me damn strong. If I can survive and grow from them I can survive and grow from many, many things. And that is a wonderful way to start the day.

One of the reasons I often read and rarely write is that part of the joy of tales for me is the mystery of their every aspect before I start and complete them. It is interesting to write a story not knowing where it may lead, but far more difficult. Part of what I enjoy about writing in general is that I sometimes sit down to scribe what I know and a conclusion will magically form from the previous elements. Take, for example, the shallow issue of clothing and American culture.

Clothing has, throughout human history, helped to form an indicator about a person, whether it be rank or affiliation. In the modern day, subcultures are no exception, and there are instant subconscious impressions which can be formed by looking at how a person dresses. Of course, in the modern day, a lot more influences a person's dress than cultural affiliation, such as time, comfort, and aesthetic appeal. Lastly, it is impossible and not worth the time to indicate all the things which compose a person in dress. There is a paradox here, where some people dress specifically to be associated with a culture and others simply dress for convenience. It seems the wisest thing to do is not to form opinions based on clothing, but ironically, some people may even be offended if their cultural affiliation is ignored. Perhaps the only thing possible is to tread lightly and give the benefit of the doubt. Stereotyping people based on the way they are dressed is at times no better than stereotyping people because of their race.

Writing organized the structure of my thoughts and helped me to articulate them in a manner much more effective than speech, even if this was a shallow topic.

I also love drawing because when I start, I rarely know what or who I will end up with. Today I drew a character I named Angelica Bonnet. Her wispy hair, long face, neck, and fine features would be beautiful if she didn't live in a society which appreciated the bold and straight line. Angelica has tried to live in this society and conform to it all her life; only a small inkling in the back of her mind wonders if she has been following the wrong path, an inkling she rarely pays attention to. She has fit into her society successfully, but she is not beautiful now.

I planned none of that.

Yes, many great works have come from pre-planned scenes and points, and occasionally I feel the need to create one of these myself. But I feel right now as though the greatest story I ever write will be a road which I will wander and discover new things while exploring.

Note for early readers: I condensed the last two blog entries for brevity. I don't pre-plan posts and sometimes the organizational structure that results from sporadic posting is not the best.