Search where?

This Portfolio (charlieabney)

All of Writing.Com

◄ July ► 2020
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31
Archive				RSS

Create New Item

Read & Review

Community

Browse By Type

Browse By Genre

Writing Resources

Saturday, May. 4, 2024

6:20pm EDT

Members: 1,000

Guests: 1,434

Total Online: 2,434

Are You Listening???

by Charlie ~

Rated: GC · Book · Emotional · #2181458

A journey of self-improvement - or not.

Sup? I'm Char.
You may know me from timeless classics such as

Invalid Item

This item number is not valid.
#2030442 by Not Available.

and

Invalid Item

This item number is not valid.
#1974611 by Not Available.

I blog for things like

Invalid Item

This item number is not valid.
#2146101 by Not Available.

FORUM

30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS

(13+)
WDC's Longest Running Blog Competition - Hiatus
#1786069 by Fivesixer

FORUM

JAFBG

(XGC)
Because real life isn't always roses and sunshine...
#2094931 by Elisa the Bunny Stik

[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]
Believin' all the lies that they're tellin' ya
Buyin' all the products that they're sellin' ya
They say jump and ya say "how high?"
Ya braindead, ya got a fuckin' bullet in ya head

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

intuey GoT Survivor!

Jul 22, 2023 at 8:05am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Hey Char, It's been a while since I've touched base with you. I'm so sorry for your loss. The last thing people should say is everyone loses their grandparents eventually, or it will get better with time. It's the last thing you want to hear when you're hurting. Death sucks, long-lasting illness sucks! Having to decide to let the person go to keep them from suffering REALLY SUCKS! I think the only ones who can understand truly just how much are those who have had to make that decision. My heart breaks for you.

I'm not religious, but I do have a strong faith in God. I call myself spiritual because I don't agree with all the rules and regulations of religion. I do know I will see my family and friends again, and this is a great comfort. I can only imagine how much more painful the death of loved ones is without this belief. But you're right, it can't be faked. But it is a beautiful thing.

Having mental health issues during times like this makes it even harder to go through. I know what you mean about seeing things that aren't there. I'd walk into a room, and say, "Where's Star?" and she would be sitting right in front of me. When I looked, I swear I saw an empty chair. The mind is crazy. It gives new meaning to a mind of its own

Some time has passed since you wrote this. I don't know when you'll see this but know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I'm sending good energy your way. I hope you're doing better. I look forward to hearing from you.

Aiva Raine

Mar 28, 2023 at 9:40pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'm sorry for your loss. I know they are shitty sounding words that don't even attempt to fill or fix, but they're meant in sincerity.

Having lost several people the best advice I was ever given was when life gets too hard- take it at your own pace. If a day is too much- cope with an hour at a time. If that's too much, take it ten minutes at a time. If that's too much- then you deal with one minute at a time. Work through life and grief at your pace. And don't ever feel guilty because you feel sad. And if you can- find one positive in each chunk of time- even if it's something as little as the beauty of sunlight on a leaf or the softness of your shirt. And ask for help if you need it.

Elle - on hiatus

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:29pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Aw, Charlie, I'm so sorry. It's a shit thing to go through whether it's sudden or not. And just because everyone goes through it, doesn't make it easier. It also doesn't take into account that you were closer to them than your parents. Nobody says 'Oh, everyone loses their parents eventually' do they? Surely not. And that's what's happened here really. I'm actually glad you've got an appointment with a professional tomorrow, because they might be able to help you with getting through that initial devastation.

When my dad lost his mother, he really struggled with his own lack of religion. As you say, there is some comfort in believing they've gone to a better place, been reunited with loved ones, that you'll see them again, and so on. For most of my life, Dad would say 'Religion is a crutch for the weak', but I definitely saw him struggle with the finality of it when he lost his mother, the person he was probably closest to.

My thoughts are with you.

1 Like

~Minja~

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:21pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Crazy stuff, grief. If you want to talk about it, message me always.

1 Like

QPdoll

Mar 7, 2023 at 6:21am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I understand what you mean about wanting to tell your grandmother something. I did the same thing after my grandmother passed. I was at home and the first thing I thought was to call grandma. I picked up the phone and realized that she wouldn't answer. It's so tough losing your grandparents, especially as close as you were. I don't have any magic words, but take care of yourself. It's what they would want.

1 Like

Robert Waltz

Mar 6, 2023 at 10:31pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

1 Like

Anni Pon

Mar 6, 2023 at 9:06pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I know it doesn't help any, but I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine much worse than losing a parent or parental figure. They represent stability and safety, you grew up with them, and you've relied on them for most, if not all, of your life. You're right, the initial devastation will fade and things won't feel so fresh. But, as you know, grief never really goes away. It just becomes a permanent part of you.

It's horrible that you only got a couple days worth of bereavement! That's not even long enough for the shock to wear off enough to START grieving. I hope you have the support of someone else in your life to help you through this dark time. Take it easy on yourself in the mean time, that's all you really can do. Taking care of your physical self, eating and sleeping, is critical. Sleep deprivation and hunger will make things feel a million times worse than they actually are (which, for the record, is already pretty bad).

1 Like

Harlow Flick, Right Fielder

Mar 6, 2023 at 8:56pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

This is such a very human thing, isn't it.

“I think there is nearly an overwhelming sadness to the human predicament.” - Skinny Boy Hill

BOOM! This ain’t no whipped cream pie I’m tossing.

1 Like

Cinn

Feb 20, 2023 at 9:34pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I actually pretty much love this one. Nice, man...

Cinn

Feb 19, 2023 at 11:07am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'd say that more freedom for participants would attract more people. One obvious example that I've never understood is fiction vs poetry. If it's an activity, not a contest, why not allow people to explore whatever the theme of your activity is with whatever type of writing that want to do?

I've actually written for countless contests/activities over the years but never entered... because they inspired me, but I don't fit within the guidelines. Max rating too low, items required (book entries only over here), no poetry accepted, etc.

I know well why people restrict writers' freedom, but they're also restricting the number of participants they'll get. I still just take the inspiration where I can get it.

July 28, 2020 at 4:25am

#989343

Please mercy kill these book tropes.

Artist: Blind Pilot
Song: 3 Rounds and A Sound
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Prompt: All month, you’ve been replying to prompts straight from the Challenge War Chest, filled with prompts from previous 30DBC competitors. Today, write three of your own prompts and then reply to one of them in your entry.

3 Prompts:

1. What are some stereotypes about your country/state/region/city? Are they accurate? What would you like your area to be known for?

2. What are some common movie or book tropes that you’re tired of seeing and reading?

3. Which fictional world would you love to live in? What would your role be there?

I choose number 2 to answer today and I’m going to specifically talk about book tropes because I’ve been reading a lot lately.

Everyone is obscenely attractive.
He looked like a Greek god, jawline chiseled out of marble. She looked like the lovechild of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, also her boobs were big.

I find this to be so obnoxious. Have these writers ever, ya know, been outside...? Not everyone is so attractive that it’s their main qualifying attribute and purpose in life.

They fill pages with these repetitive descriptions and it gets to the point where it’s like cool, we all wanna sleep with the main characters. They sound hot. Move on.

Romanticizing mental illness.
I'm happy that writers are including characters with mental health issues, but they portray it so inaccurately. Absurdly moody main character violently lashes out at the people who are trying to support him for the 600th time, but it's okay because he has a traumatic past so everyone still loves him and understands.

I'm speaking from experience here. You can only lash out like that a couple of times before even the most angelic of saints is going to hit you with, "Hey, so your mental health issues don't dismiss your bad behavior and if you don't seek help immediately, I'm outta here."

I mean, for real. The character will use everyone around him as an emotional punching bag and they'll still have hearts in their eyes for him. Am I not being obscenely attractive enough here?

Money for nothing.
Her career is painting for one hour a week, she lives in a Manhattan high rise, and she rents a 3000 square foot art studio with plenty of natural lighting and exposed ductwork. She is incredibly plain in every conceivable way (except it turns out she's obscenely attractive and just lacks confidence).

Her love interest is a well-known defense attorney who drives a brand new Audi, has floor to ceiling windows, and because he's an extremely important person, he's forced to work a grueling 12 hours per week. He is so obscenely attractive that people struggle to form words in his presence.

Bury your gays.
Again, love seeing LGBT characters, but are writers aware that not every LGBT person has a horrible life? His parents regularly make unprovoked homophobic comments while he's in the closet. Then he comes out and his dad beats him within an inch of his life.

His parents kick him out for being gay, but things look up for him briefly when he meets an obscenely attractive guy. Unfortunately, he now has HIV as these things go.

But don't worry, he's not going to die of AIDS because he's actually going to get beaten to death with a tire iron by a trucker who spotted him from 100 feet away walking down the sidewalk like a pansy.

Soil and six feet under,
Kept just as we were

11 Like • Comment • View 22 comments

Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/item_id/2181458-Are-You-Listening/day/7-28-2020