Are you in the picture…
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Hello friends, There are a wide variety of humans, but today I’m thinking about two basic types. There are the people who take themselves out of the picture. Write themselves out of the story. Slink to the edges of the frame. Others take center stage at all times. They fill the image, crowding out or overshadowing those around them. These people are the stars of the show, and the only Main Characters. But here’s the thing: no matter what our tendencies or training, we would all do well to learn to share the frame, to fill out the story. We are all needed to complete the picture. Do you know what your main tendencies are? Or do they shift according to circumstance? Or are you already primed to share the picture, and co-create the story? See, that’s a third type. The person who happily holds out a hand to draw others toward the center alongside them. But sometimes I think those who do that naturally might be rare. Mostly, I think that sort of sharing takes practice and paying attention. But regardless of whether this sharing of space comes naturally to some, the rest of us can learn. We can place ourselves firmly in the picture and enjoy the centrality of others, too. We are all part of the interplay of art and life. There are no non-player-characters or walk ins. There’s only us, sharing this world together. Best wishes — Thorn Do you enjoy short fiction? I wrote a rare thing for me—a queer magical fantasy Regency romance—and it’s free on my Patreon right now. I also contributed a queer romantic suspense story for a multi-author anthology that launches on Kickstarter at the end of the month. It’s all about the risks we’re willing to take for life and love. You can follow along here: All in On Love
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T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, I wrote this week’s newsletter in advance, because I’m camping with no cell service. It’s so good for my psyche to disconnect from electronics, stare at mountains, and walk along streams for a week. I’m a mind-racer, and this disconnection—like meditation or prayer—helps slow me down inside. The meditation on nature is always a gift to me, even in the small city where I live. For example, on the summer solstice, it was cool enough for me to take a long afternoon walk. I headed...
Hello friends, It’s Pride weekend, and I’m thinking of all the brave people who fought so hard to be allowed to simply exist. And I think of those who are still fighting, myself included. Do we want to fight? No. We’d rather just live our lives, do our work, laugh with friends, raise families, read books, and tend our gardens. Just like immigrants and other people under attack do. “The first Pride was a riot,” it is often said, and whether something is called a riot or an uprising depends on...
Hello friends, The yuccas are in full bloom right now, with dense clusters of creamy blossoms heavy as bells on tall stalks. This type of yucca is a spiky, unassuming plant when not in bloom, and then _bam_there is an astonishing wealth of flowers. While walking to a writing date the other week, I paused at a large grouping of these flowering plants, growing on the edge of a parking lot behind a chain link fence. The blossoms were buzzing with the activity of industrious bees. I paused a...