Discovering Foreign Media

With the rise of Netflix and other streaming video sources, foreign films and television have become accessible to average Americans in an unprecedented way. Before there was access, I never thought much about foreign media. In fact, I had no idea they made so much, or that it could be so interesting. The occasional melodramatic european movie to reach American cinema did not do much for my perception of foreign media.

My interest in foreign media began with BBC television programming. A huge fan of Jane Austen, how could I not be enraptured? American film versions of her books fall far short. Then there are the epic nature and history documentaries. If any country can be said to have risen to the production standards of American Media, it is the British. More recently, Japanese animation from Studio Ghibli has been proving its mettle in the American market, raising our collective expectation of foreign production quality.

Production quality isn't everything. Even with fewer production resources, interesting story and fabulous acting can raise foreign television shows from unexpected countries into our cannon of "Must Watch" media. In addition to pressing their reading fluency to a new level trying to keep up with the subtitles, these shows expose my kids (& me) to diverse cultural ideals. They show how values differ and how cultures have adapted to their environment. I'm sure they don't think much of it when making their TV shows, but I never would have thought of Korea as so cold for so much of the year. Even though their clothes are modern, how they layer jackets and accessorize with multiple scarfs, gloves, and hats, is quite different from how we live in California.

The stereotypes are different and their concerns are different. You seldom see truly impoverished characters at the center of American tv shows. Yet the strength and tenacity of the poor is honored in many of the shows I've seen. They have pride, and the show is not about how they have to give up their pride to survive like we would expect in our media. It's about how a poor life with self-respect is better than wealth without it.

How they eat is especially fascinating. A two minute lesson on how to use chopsticks is so different from watching how they use them differently to eat different foods, or when they choose to use a spoon. No one would ever sit you down and teach you all these things. They don't remember learning them, like we don't remember learning to use a fork. You learn them by observation and trying, just like a child. This is our chance to sit at a foreign table like a toddler and watch without anybody looking back at us strangely.

These shows also show us how much we are alike. This week I stumbled on a show from Korea that felt incredibly relatable to me. We love our TV geniuses in America, but there's a mistaken idea here that genius is easy. "Bones," "House," "The Big Bang Theory," all center around characters that are passionate about a subject that they are also incredibly gifted in. Even college seems like it must have been easy for these characters.

That's not really the case for most geniuses. When everything comes easy early on in school, it's difficult to find a passion that will drive you through college into a narrowly focused career. I'm one of those high IQ people with that kind of potential, but had no direction. I didn't go to college, and I'd say about half of the Mensa members I know didn't. There are many ways for a genius to learn, and we all found other paths. Those who go to college often drop out when things get hard for the first time. They never learned how to work hard. I've spent every day since high school learning that lesson. School was easy, but life is hard. The people who know how to work hard succeed over the people who have good grades that came easy.

The show I found, "Playful Kisses," catches the genius character on the cusp of college with no understanding of how life is for students who have to work hard to learn. It places him into an uncomfortably close relationship with one of the academically stupidest girls in school. She has none of the intellectual gifts that he enjoys, but she has determination to keep trying anyway. It's ridiculously comical, and sweetly poignant. If you have a gifted teen lacking direction, drive, or empathy, this show is an excellent way to stretch their thinking in these areas.

If I hadn't ventured into foreign media, I'd never have found this gem, this piece of media that articulates the tenuous balance between intellect and effort that we all must find to be successful. Even the biggest idiot is happier than the genius because he knows what he wants to do and is prepared to work hard to do it.  As comical as he is in his stupidity, you don't feel sorry for him because you know he will find success. You even think sometimes that the girl both guys admire might be better off with him. A simple life with love can be a happy one.

Clearly I'm in a Korean television phase. But I would encourage you to follow your own interests into foreign productions. Try one of the foreign options that pop up as recommendations "because you watched..." Be a little more tolerant of slow starts, subtitles, and weak production value than you typically would, and see how they build. Check on IMDB.com for reviews. Foreign media is showing up there too, and people are watching and leaving useful reviews. Let it expand your world view in all the little ways I've described. American media is not the beginning and end of educational and entertaining television. People in other countries are making "Must Watch" television and movies too.

*** This post was featured in the Redwood Mpire Mensa Bulletin, Aug. 2014 edition. 

Educational Exceptions

I am raising both gifted and learning disabled kids. I wish all could receive the comprehensive testing the first daughter, with inattentive ADHD, dyslexia, and slow processing, has received. The testing is invaluable. It shows BOTH strengths and weaknesses. Something every child has, but is particularly useful when dealing with any child who demonstrates extreme asymmetrical development. In either case, there are a few things I've learned about educating exceptional children.

In my oldest, most learning disabled child, her most recent tests showed unusually high vocabulary and reading comprehension for her low reading fluency. In addition, she's in the 99th percentile for visual memory. This little piece of the puzzle is consistent with the argument I've been making since she entered school. She remembers everything she sees on tv, so I am going to leverage that ability to help her learn other subjects regardless of how many arguments are made citing studies that show "screen time" is bad for her education and development. Her unusual results are due to her love of watching all sorts of documentaries on tv and the internet. When a child's ability to access information through reading is far lower than their cognitive ability to learn and appreciate history, science, etc. why should they be prevented from accessing a resource that enables them to learn at their interest and cognitive ability level?

Research has frequently shown that development in one area of learning benefits all areas. The interests and vocabulary she developed by watching documentaries have given her motivation to pick up books and TRY to read them. Getting a child to try something they already know is going to be harder for them than their peers is 99% of the battle. She's completing 8th grade right now with a fifth grade reading level, but 'A's in science and history at grade level.

Fighting the system is exhausting. I see burned out parents griping about it all the time. It burns out teachers too. Bringing creative solutions that leverage your child's strengths to overcome their weaknesses is usually welcomed by teachers whose ultimate goal is educating. For my child that means looking up documentaries on the areas she's studying in school. The results have since changed her teachers' views on the matter. Her 8th grade teacher recently reported that her essays are concise and accurate, her tests scores are high, and she always has something interesting to bring to class discussions, at the same meeting where her RSP teacher reported the aforementioned fifth grade reading level.

All of the learning she does around the subject increases the level of reading comprehension she has as she plods her way through the textbook at half speed, as well as her reading comprehension in general. The entire student study team was shocked and impressed by her progress as we planned for her transition to high school. Now, when I advocate for her independence in certain areas and the use of an iPad (we provide) during class, my suggestions are readily accommodated. Even though these interventions were initially discouraged and digital devices are not allowed during class for the general student population.

Studies are helpful in figuring out general guidelines for best practices in education. But we should never forget that every study shows exceptions; those abnormally high or low results they attribute to error and dismiss. If your child is already showing themselves to be an exception in other areas, don't be afraid to take exemption from those generalized best practices and try following their strengths to create leverage against their weaknesses. Be honest with yourself about what is not working and flexible about making adjustments until you figure out what does work. Then you will have results to demonstrate the effectiveness of your arguments for exceptional interventions at school.

I'm grateful to have learned this working with my first child, as I try to create appropriate interventions and exceptions for the obviously gifted ones that followed. Especially since the school does not test gifted children, nor give them the benefit of a student study team to develop strategies to help them achieve their full potential. It does not even try to identify their weaknesses, which are sometimes learning disabilities in desperate need of intervention but disguised by their areas of giftedness. I must diligently and honestly observe, communicate frequently with their teachers, advocate directly with them, and strategize and try my own interventions.

Most teachers want to do what is best for each child. They recognize that they can never know a child as well as his parents, and welcome insight into individual learning styles. But they are also human, and will respond defensively to an adversarial approach. A cooperative attitude where you listen to their observations, combined with providing information (they can't keep up with every educational development either), and individual insight, will lead to better accommodation for your exceptional child. The strategies you develop may also benefit others, as success stories are shared and successful interventions tried by others.

No study is completely representational of all students, and no university can teach every educational style and possible intervention to upcoming teachers. Be sure to give them abundant grace as you work toward the common goal of figuring out how to meet your child's educational needs. It won't be solved all at once. Expect to do a great deal of study yourself.

In addition, I have homeschooled three of my children during different periods as I deemed it appropriate. Personally, I would rather work with a teacher, and I did not homeschool for lack of good teachers. Rather, I deemed it developmentally necessary to deal with those areas of weakness the school was not equipped to handle. We homeschooled to deal with emotional and behavioral development issues, not educational ones. Each child re-entered school refreshed and ready to excel, with a self confidence their teachers and other parents all comment on. They also acquired interests and strategies for learning that work for them. The exact opposite of what schools expect from homeschooled children, since they usually only see them returned to school because of failed home study experiences. In other words, don't be afraid to look at more extreme interventions, like temporary homeschooling, with specific goals and a plan to return to a regular classroom when they are met. Understand and accept the reasons for the institutional opposition to this, and other unusual interventions, but don't let it stop you from doing what is right for your child.

Ultimately, educating exceptional children requires making exceptions to accepted practices in education. It will tie your brain in knots the way that thesis statement just tied your tongue. You're going to have to work hard at it to do it well. The reward is seeing your kids become exceptional adults!

When an eleven year old writes the Easter play....

2013 Puppet Team Easter Play
By E. A. Provost 2



Esther: Hello, and welcome to an Easter play brought to you by Vertical Kids wonderful puppet team. And now, without further ado, let us begin.

E.B.: Our story takes place a long, long, long, long,---

Esther: Time ago!

E.B.: At zero A.D. Jesus was born.

Esther: This isn't Christmas!

E.B.: Oh, right.

Esther: Thirty something years later is where we're supposed to be! Jesus was handed over to the Romans!

E.B.: So, where does the bunny come in? (Gestures to a bunny. )

Esther: I actually don't know. (Both head off stage)

Roman: We will crucify their king.

Jesus: (On the cross.) Ow, ow, ow...

Roman: (Places thorn crown on Jesus' head. Sees bunny.) What's he doing at Jesus' crucifixion?

Jesus: (Shrugs.)

Roman: Get him out (Throws a spear at bunny. Misses.)

Bunny: Wow, they really don't like me. (Bunny leaves.)

Jesus: Are you trying to kill me.

Roman: Um, yeah.

Esther: Then, Jesus died. Then, was buried. But 3 days later Mary and her friend went to his grave.

E.B.: But the tomb was empty. Jesus had woken up. As a zombie!

Esther: No. The tomb was empty and the cloth in which Jesus had been wrapped was neatly folded inside.

E.B.: So, no zombies?

Esther: No!

E.B.: Fine, if you want a boring story.

Esther: Back then, when you folded your napkin you weren't done yet. That's why Jesus folded his wrappings.

E.B.: (Sees bunny.)

Esther: (Also sees it.) Don't even say it. 

Arguing Religion

There are a lot of annoying religious posts and subsequent arguments online and elsewhere.  I am a believer, but I don't see the purpose of arguing about it.  It wasn't a scripture or an argument that convinced me of the reality of God through Christ Jesus.  It was my experience of him.  I would not expect you to be won over by an argument or even the testimony of my experiences, as I am not in any way deterred from my faith by the arguments of others who oppose it.  Jesus disciples went about preaching the good news, and healing all who were sick.  The Bible also says it's the goodness of God that draws people to repentance.  The good news was accompanied by experiences of healing and goodness from God.  Not arguments.  When Paul made his arguments before the Roman leaders he almost convinced them...almost, because an argument just isn't enough.

It is entirely possible that my experiences are a fabrication of my mind, a placebo.  Something I consider highly unlikely, or I would not have embraced them, but still possible.  It is also possible that my experiences are real, but what I call God is an alien life form we have yet to comprehend.  That alien abduction stories and angelic visitations are the same thing from a different mindset.  

It's possible that what we call spirit is an elemental force we are about as able to comprehend as a dog is color.  That the humans who perceive things and beings of a spiritual nature have simply received an evolutionary adaptation that may yet become further developed and more widespread, if we don't lock all these people up in looney bins where they're unlikely to procreate first.

It is not possible from a scientific perspective to prove that God does not exist, anymore than it is possible to prove that aliens do not exist.  We simply have no way of ascertaining what we don't know.  It is an unscientific hypothesis.  That is why it baffles me that most of the scientific community have closed themselves off to the possibility of God.  Efforts to prove the existence of God may presently be pretty pathetic from an educated perspective, but proving his non-existence is impossible.

In any case, I have determined that I lose nothing by my faith.  That faith, in itself without anything that may come after, still adds to my quality of life.  That if God is my imaginary friend, I'm quite content with my delusion.  If my experiences are a combination of coincidence and placebo, then I am fortunate indeed.  That as a person who is interested in science, being open to the possibility of God as a future discovery allows me to see more possibilities in the interpretation of new scientific data than does denying that possibility.  There is very little certainty in science.

There is no reason for you to believe as I do until you experience God for yourself.  The Bible says that if you seek him you will find him.  Until you do, to adopt an intellectual belief in God would be a meaningless act.  So why argue about it?  Seek or ignore, as you wish.

Thank You Notes

In a previous post, I wrote about the rule I made with my husband, then boyfriend, about not saying the generic, "I love you." Instead we agreed to find more accurate ways to express ourselves. Today, I've been thinking of another generic expression that could use some clarification.

Today, I could have written a generic, "thank you." But there was much more I could write. Things that would bring a smile to the reader and lighten their heart. I thought, if I were really grateful I'd take the time to be specific. I'd tell them what I thought was wonderful about them. I'd be unmistakably genuine.

I know a lot of people complain that handwritten thank you notes have gone out of favor. I don't care. Mine was an email. But what I wrote was real. More real than anything I ever wrote in an obligatory handwritten card. Not that I wasn't truly grateful before, but I was rushed and trite.

Age is settling well on me. With the passage of time I've grown a better set of priorities. I want to be more genuine. I want to be more truly connected. I want to take the time to say the nice things I think of others. We're raised with the rule, 'if you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all.' But when we can say something nice, how often are we silent anyway? How desperate are we to hear good of ourselves, and how stingy with our praise of others?

We cannot live our lives without the company of others. Humanity as a species is incredibly interdependent. How beautifully our words of appreciation create deep channels between us through which the requirements of our interdependence can flow. Specificity in expression allows us to better understand what those channels need to transport.

I'm challenging myself, and you reader, to not withhold saying a good word to someone, when it is in our minds to think it. To be more specific with our words of gratitude. To value our human connections, even through digital mediums. To not lose an opportunity to speak encouragement.

I appreciate how my readers respond to what I write here, because it helps me to become a better writer. I appreciate when you like and share my links on Facebook, because it lets me know when something I've written really touched you or was useful to you. I don't widely publicize this blog because I feel that it's still writing practice. When you publicize it I feel truly honored. When people declare that the internet will be the downfall of polite society, I know they're wrong, because all of you are here, reading a blog that declares its purpose to be helping to create strong families. I hope my words make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, because I'm not going to be posting any photos of kittens to try and make that happen.

Loving the Teen Years

I often feel that I've nothing to offer here. The parenting scenarios I'm currently facing, I feel I haven't the authority yet to advise others about. The successes of the past are quickly forgotten when you've got four children to raise in the present. A conversation with a fellow parent at school yesterday reminded me that I have done a few things right about which I can confidently offer advice.

My oldest daughter is fourteen and my youngest is six. I am grateful to be out of the toddler years, and thoroughly enjoying my foray into the early teens. This statement keeps astonishing people. I have two daughters in Middle School! How am I not going crazy with the emotional drama and the attitude?!?

These are two separate issues which I will address individually. The emotional drama for girls actually begins early. My husband frequently says that the "pre" in PMS begins at birth. Some girls are just more melodramatic than others. Ignore it and it will usually diminish. As far as the PMS goes, it really does start to kick in around the age of nine. While girls may be years away from beginning menstruation, the necessary hormones are already beginning to cycle in slowly increasing amounts.

You'll begin to notice a random meltdown occurs about once a month, and around the time mom is starting her period. This is a good time to have your first period talk. In school, in fourth grade, all girls get what I call the "don't panic when you start your period talk." Boys won't get their first sex talk until fifth grade. They go play sports or something while the girls get this talk. This may seem early, but statistically some girls have already started their periods, and this can be traumatic if they're not prepared. Menstruation has more to do with reaching about 100 lbs of weight with at least 14% body fat than reaching a certain age. Long before this, the first time I connected their meltdown with my cycle, I had the "you're getting you're grown up woman emotions talk." These meltdowns are completely different from regular childhood meltdowns. They make no sense and cannot be solved even by giving in. They must run their course. They also usually occur only once a month and are over in a few hours.

I don't think my mom knew about this when I was growing up. My meltdowns were met with frustration. They made no more sense to me than to my parents. There's no sense to them. There is no solution. Every little thing that's bothering you becomes a big deal and there is no way to fix it. You'll hear things like, "I don't have any friends. Nobody likes me. I hate school." All from a child with lots of friends who is well liked and gets up excited to go to school every morning.

Try telling them this during their meltdown and it will only make things worse. Take notes. These are your child's insecurities talking. You can consider how to bolster their confidence in these areas later, during normal life. During the meltdown they need quiet time alone. In our house they can throw fits all they want, but the rest of us don't have to listen to them. Ergo, fits must be taken to their bedrooms. After the fit we have our talk.

The "You're Getting Your Grown Up Woman Emotions Talk":

After explaining how their hormones have begun to cycle to prepare their body for when they grow up and want to have babies, we talk about how they felt when they were having their fit. We compare what they felt and said then to what they feel now. They quickly realize how crazy what they felt was. I explain how this is going to continue to various degrees. Then we talk about how to deal with these emotional meltdowns. There a several important rules I apply to myself and teach my daughters for dealing with strong emotional swings.

1. Take care of yourself. Get a little extra sleep. Eat a small chocolate. Take some time alone in a quiet place. Workout. Don't feel bad about doing this. As women, we are inclined to take care of everyone else and neglect ourselves. In school our daughters are constantly pushed to keep up with academics and sports, and their bodies sometimes suffer. It's important to take care of ourselves first so we don't burn out. If it strikes on Monday morning, stay home from school. A lunch date with mom while learning how to be a woman responsible for herself is more important than one missed day of school.

2. Keep silent. It is too easy to say something you'll regret later. Stay off the phone. No texting. Keep off Facebook. Send no emails. Pass no notes. If you feel the need to communicate, keep a journal. Write all the crappy things about your life down and look back at it a few days later. Decide then what is ridiculous and what you might actually need to do something about.

3. Let it go when it's over. Recognize that our bodies will do and feel things that our brains can find no sense in. There's no need to do anything or solve anything. When it's over, let it be over. Mom and dad don't bring it up or dwell on it. There's no punishment. Punishment for something they have no control over is unwarranted. There's no behavior modification that can stop this. Letting it go will keep the emotions from accumulating and becoming successively worse. Furthermore, giving any credence to what came up during the meltdown will cause a domino effect of drama.

That wasn't so hard, was it? Not even really embarrassing. Yet so much emotional agony could be relieved if we take the time to explain to our daughters what their hormones are doing to them and how they can mitigate the damage, rather than just casually blaming hormones for everything.

Ok, so you get what to do to minimize the melodrama. But what about the smart ass attitude? I cringe when I hear even young kids talking to their parents disrespectfully. This is a crisis of our times and it has such a simple solution.

First, you must realize that this disrespectful speech is not generally about attitude. It is a combination of the natural process of children beginning to assert their independence AND a continuation of the natural developmental process that started the day they were born of imitating observed behavior and studying the reaction.

By Middle School, most people assume that this behavior is ALL about asserting independence and forget that the developmental process is still going on. Truthfully, it never stops. We do it as adults. We just have far more happening that we understand than we don't. There are many ways to assert independence that are not disrespectful. If disrespectful speech and behavior does not work, they will find these other ways. So, how do you curb the disrespect?

Practice this phrase, "Would you like to find another way of saying that that won't get you in trouble?" Say it out loud a few times right now. How about, "Would you like to try doing that again in a way that won't get you in trouble?" or "Would you like to try saying that in a tone of voice that won't make me want to slap you?" (I've never slapped my children, but I think it's okay to let them know how people react emotionally to certain tones of voice.) or "Would you like to try asking for that in a way that might actually make me want to get it for you?" (No change, no get.) Then wait patiently for them to do it. It might take them some time to figure out an alternative. Don't rush past this moment.

I don't know how well this will work on a teenager for whom unacceptable behavior has long been allowed. But if you start it early and use it consistently it works. By using this phrase you are accepting that this is a teaching moment for your child and not an offense to you. You are giving them the option of trying an alternate form of communication and behavior.

Sometimes, after they have changed their phrasing, they will want to know why their first phrasing was unacceptable. It's then that you'll realize I'm right. This wasn't much about them trying to assert their independence. They don't even have the bad attitude they were presenting. It was an experiment in social behavior, and you gave them the right reaction to allow them to develop into a respectful adult, capable of healthy interactions with other people.

Keep practicing. Make it your automatic response. This is important. If you fail at this you're letting your children grow up to be unemployable. Setting them up for failure. Keep your cool and say it again. If they're disrespectful to you they'll be disrespectful to everyone. This really is the crisis of our times. And the solution is simple, but it must be backed up by the unwavering patience and consistent instruction of parents everywhere.

The 2013 San Francisco Writer's Conference Preview

This Thursday, Valentines Day, I will get up early in the morning, throw my carefully packed bag in the back of my husbands work truck, get dropped off at the Larkspur Ferry, and make my way across the Bay to the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel for the tenth annual San Francisco Writer's Conference. I'm absolutely giddy with anticipation.

Three weeks ago I submitted my poetry book for children to an agent I met my first year and, she'll be back this year. Needless to say, I've been dreaming the writer's equivalent of the romance movie cliche where the two protagonists are running toward each other across a beach, or a meadow, or an airport, or... Yeah, it's rather ridiculous, but none of us can help our dreams.

It won't be all roses and romance with agents and editors for me. I'm going, as I have in the past, as a volunteer. I'll be working, along with about fifty other volunteers, to help make sure all the classes and special events go smoothly. It's a big job, and the hosts of the event graciously make volunteer positions available for people who could not otherwise afford to go. This is not the case at most conferences anymore, and it is greatly appreciated. Looking at the price tag for the first time, I wondered how anyone could afford to go. The SFWC is one of the more expensive conferences, but it is also the best conference for actually meeting industry professionals face to face. The ratio of attendees to industry pros is 3:1. No other conference has that. Now, I wonder how any serious writer can afford NOT to go.

Every industry has its conferences, and those who wish to excel in their chosen career take advantage of the opportunity to go and learn about what's going on their field. They learn to be better at what they do, and make important connections with others who can help them along their path. For some reason, writers, whose work isolates them by its very nature, don't think they have much to gain from conferences. That is the reason we need it more than most. We need to find out what's happening in publishing. We need to hone our craft. We NEED to build relationships with other writers and with industry professionals, agents, editors, publishers, web designers, marketers, etc.

While this conference will offer more than fifty workshops on everything from craft to platform to poetry, the highlight for me is the between times. The first year I sat down in the lobby next to a bored looking fellow and struck up a conversation. We talked for half an hour before being interrupted by someone with an appointment to consult with publishing visionary Kevin Smokler. I had no idea I had been chatting with someone others paid $50/15 minutes with. He spends each conference in the lobby making such appointments, helping people move along their unique path to publication. Then, he donates all the money back to the conference for a scholarship. And he's a lovely and very approachable person.

Every night of the conference Harvey Pawl facilitates a no host dinner for attendees who don't have other friends to make plans with. I highly recommend anyone attending plan to go to each of these dinners. My first year I sat next to Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest, who edits the Guide to Literary Agents, and learned how much prouder he is of his little humor book, How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack, than editing the most essential guide to agents for authors. He has become one of the most in demand writer's conference speakers in the country, and he's another wonderfully approachable and entertaining guy. Later, I had dinner with an interesting gentleman who engaged with me and two other fellows in one of the most amusing arguments of my recent memory. Two years later, I'm still engaging in amusing arguments on Facebook with BookBaby founder and CEO Brian Felson.

I've talked about my sci-fi novel with Author and Physicist Ransom Stephens and Editor Gabrielle Harbowy. I've rocked the open mic with poets Brad Henderson and Dr. Andy Jones. And I've met and discussed my children's book with Andrea Brown, the Agent I dream about running across a beach at sunset to meet. All of these people are regular speakers at the conference and they are wanting to talk to writers. We're all there looking for our dream agents, and they're all there looking for the next best seller. If ever there were a zone of greater potential for a collision with destiny, this is it!

My advice to writers is, get yourself to a conference. Get out of your comfort zone, escape the friends you came with, and meet new people there. Take every opportunity to build relationships. The greatest truth you will hear there is that this industry is built on relationships. Even if you discover that your work isn't ready for publication yet, the relationships you build will help you down the road to success. Then, like me, you'll keep going back because you can't wait to see your friends. And you'll keep pushing yourself as a writer because you can't bear to go back without having some new accomplishment to talk about. If you're there, do look me up. I'm always excited to meet new people who share my passion for this art of communication!