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My Brother, Schizophrenia, and Hope

Bud introduced me to Socrates and Aristotle before I was a ten. Down the basement stairs on the far wall, where our Dad stored rows of leather-bound and paperback books, Bud had discovered The Art of Philosophy by Will Durant. One summer afternoon, Bud took me down into the musty room and opened my mind.

Buddy and I were born 5 years apart. we shared the same birthday—December 26. A lousy day to be born for us. Our parents, having seven kids, must have been exhausted by end of Christmas Day. Bud never seemed to mind and I eventually got used to it.

But, my gentle, soft-spoken Bud, as a young adult, suffered from schizophrenia. And as I type “suffer”, I remember too vividly what befell him and those who loved him—”suffer” in the drip, drip, drip of daily erosion and the explosion of psychotic breaks.

Two months ago, another friend caught in the sinewy arms of this monstrous, overwhelming disease died a needless death.

Today, I listened to an episode of a podcast that, swells my heart both with gratitude at the openness and fortitude of the hosts and with sorrow that it cannot benefit my brother and my friend .

May the future be better for those who “suffer”.

Listen to “Inside Schizophrenia” by Rachel Star Withers and Gabe Howard.

Writing: Similes

I’ve learned a good deal from Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series. The man’s similes pull me right into his setting/tone. For example, this from his cynical 11 year old protagonist in A HERRING WITHOUT MUSTARD: “Perhaps more cheerful was the thought that the purplish-black elderberries which took their place would soon be hanging in perfectly arranged clusters, like a picture gallery of dark bruises.” Oooh. Love it.

Writing: Techniques, Tips, and Thoughts

After multiple interactions with bestselling author, Barbara Kyle, I continue to be impressed with her prowess as writer and as teacher. https://www.barbarakyle.com

In her Master Class on Novel Writing, we reviewed methods for bringing characters to alive by adding nuance and a dabs of backstory here and there. Before you know, they’re living and breathing with minds of their own. Often, when I close my eyes at night ideas spring up on bits to add—messages from my own creations.