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Sun, Oct 26, 2025

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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

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#2030442 by Not Available.

and

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#1974611 by Not Available.

I blog for things like

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#2146101 by Not Available.

FORUM

30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS

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

FORUM

JAFBG

(XGC)
Because real life isn't always roses and sunshine...
#2094931 by Elisa, Stik-or-Treat

[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:

👀intu the Darkness

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

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

Waltz in the Lonesome October

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

Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

1 Like

Anni Pumpkin

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

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.

Elisa, Stik-or-Treat

Feb 19, 2023 at 10:26am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I've had decent participation with Journalistic Intentions (even though I know my prompts are sometimes considered "difficult"). I do think that there's been a bit of a shift in regards to contests and activities, where people have been more open to admitting they find some setups too restricting or that they feel intimidated by contests. I would love to be in discussions to address those issues, but so far I haven't been invited.

September 1, 2019 at 12:28pm

#965344

Go away, sickness!

Artist: Aurora
Song: Under Stars
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

Prompt via "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" : Celebrate 19 years of Writing.Com by writing a thank you letter to someone on WDC or a thank you letter to the website itself. Then, visit "Writing.Com Party Central 2025!"

Happy 19th birthday week to WDC!

I don't know how much I'll be around this month, but I can't miss out on some group blogging.

I've been fairly MIA as is because I've randomly gotten sick. I've apparently had a viral infection and through testing found out that my hemoglobin is very low and that I have wheezing in my lungs likely caused by asthma. It started with my heart racing while trying to do simple things like walking up stairs. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Then it progressed to a dry cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, etc. when I tried to do anything at all. Even walking to the bathroom from my bedroom (less than 10 steps) would leave me doubled over coughing and gasping for air. Just for reference, I can usually run up and down my several flights of apartment stairs (especially when I forget something as I'm leaving) without being out of breath to any degree.

Anyway, I'm on a treatment plan now for all of these things and hopefully will be on the mend sooner rather than later. Right now I'm just beyond exhausted and drained of all energy. I can't remember the last time I had such malaise. I just feel awful in so many different ways at once. I also know absolutely nothing about asthma because I never had it as a child and honestly didn't even know I could randomly get it. I have to go back to the doctor next week to discuss more testing and a long-term treatment plan. It was just very sudden and confusing.

Okay, okay. I'll move on.

First of all, thanks for linking all the birthday activities in the prompt, Em. I was looking for that earlier. I couldn't find it because it was still private, apparently!

My WDC thank-you list would honestly be so long... I don't even know. I found the site straight out of rehab where I had started writing again. If Beth was still here, I would thank her for starting Soundtrackers because if it weren't for getting into blogging, I wouldn't have stayed on the site.

Other than that though...

FivetricksterTreats

, for sure. He was one of the first people who actually read and started commenting on my blog when I was like a 2-week old WDC newbie.

I always think of people like ♥OctOGre tHiNg♥

, 🌑 Darleen - QoD

, and Whispering Ghost of C.St.Ann

when a topic like this comes up. They've just always been super kind to me here and, like, quick to reach out if something's going on with me.

Cinn

is kind of like my writing partner-in-crime, of course. I'm just super comfortable with her in every aspect so I can show her a piece of writing that's super shitty and know that she'll "get" what I was going for and try to help me out.

There are also people I talk to a lot off-site. ~Minja~

is someone I met here who I check in with almost every day. If I don't hear from Min and she doesn't hear from me, usually something is off.

Then there are the people who just very consistently make the site a better place to be like Elle

and A Warped Witch I Be

. They're always keeping up with hosting their activities and they're a major asset to WDC.

Plus, this is a writing site so you have some amazing writers. I think A.T.B: It'sWhatWeDo

and Osirantinous

are the best fiction writers for my taste that I've read on the site. When I'm reading something of theirs, it feels like I'm reading a published story.

But now I've gotten myself into a bit of a pickle, haven't I? Because it's not the individual people who make WDC great (although they do), it's the general atmosphere of the site. It's the overall friendliness that is expected from all the members on the site. I can't thank everyone who I've had a good experience with in the past 5.5 years because I've had a good experience with almost every member I've interacted with here.

I have the "Invalid Item"

crew who give the site so much depth and have such interesting stories to tell.

Then there's the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"

crew who I love blogging with because we end up having so much in common but somehow take totally different approaches to the same prompts.

There are the people who answer questions and greet people in the Technical Support and Noticing Newbies forum. They definitely make the site a better place and deserve a big thanks.

The people who review frequently and, especially the ones who do in-depth reviews, are so highly valuable to the site. I'm not knocking anyone's reviewing style here. Just saying that in-depth reviews take A LOT more time than reviews that are just a few general sentences. The people who can knock out several in-depth reviews a month on the site are so important to getting people to actually post their writing and stick around (especially new members).

Oh, and I can't forget the people who read my blog when they don't have to. They're like liquid gold to me.

Just like, "Oh, hey, Charlie said some stupid bullshit, I should go check that out with no benefit to myself!"

(Don't worry. I haven't blogged in 3 weeks so you didn't miss anything.

)

So, yeah, I know I'm rambling. It's the illness. But the bottom line is that there are so many things that keep us around WDC for a prolonged period of time. The people who create activities & the people who participate in activities are equally important. The site has so much to offer whether you're 'create an activity' type or the 'participatory' type. Both are so necessary and I appreciate both so much.

Actually, I take that back. I think the people who participate become more important at some point because you need more participants than you do activities, right?

The point is, SMs & SM have created a really nice home away from home here. I think there are always things that could improve. Everyone should collectively always be striving to improve and be greater, but I haven't found another place on the internet where people are so generally polite and well-wishing.

I've explored other writing websites before and it's wild how overtly catty, noninclusive, and unwelcoming they are. As a newbie here, I could talk to someone who'd been here for 14 years and not even realize it until I saw their port. On other sites, people act like, I've been here for SIX years, how dare you speak to me, peasant? They might not have said that exactly, but it was pretty close.

Bye-bye. I'll stay on WDC where people generally don't think they're god's gift to the earth.

As far as fun activities going on this month for WDC's birthday... there are a lot! I don't know how much time I'll have to actually participate in them, but, see! That's why you need both activity hosts AND activity participants.

This activity looks fun...

FORUM

Sing a Song Contest

(ASR)
Bring your best lyrics for Writing.Com's Birthday celebrations!
#2198991 by Kit

If you're good at rearranging lyrics, you'll probably be really good at this one!

Rest in peace and give yourself to harmony

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