The Battle Within

I read Fourth Wing recently. Yarros is talented. I also read pieces of three other books: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Souless, and Name of the Wind. There’s nothing like reading popular published books to humble oneself. I have to admit, when comparing my drafts against the text in these novels, I’m overwhelmed. Even sad. I seriously wonder why I’m writing. Is my stuff terrible? Cringy? Boring? Confusing? Doubt and fear are my greatest foes.

The last few days were especially bad. But I wrote again today. I’m on the second-to-last chapter of my rewrites. After the epilogue I can shift into full editing mode. Add some neat diagrams and pictures. Take a break from the intensity of conjuring a story from nothing.

Lifting me a bit out of my mental strife, a beautiful event happened today in the United States. Aid for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific passed in the House. It will surely pass in the Senate and be signed by President Biden. This will save countless lives and hopefully begins the end of Russia’s unprovoked invasion. Deterence is better than war. But ending a war is better than a conflict dragging on, or Russia occupying all of Ukraine and committing endless war crimes. And this hopefully deters China from invading Taiwan.

For you reader, I wish only happiness and peace in your life. Success and prosperity.

– Jeff