When I was a preteen obsessed with mythology and magical children’s fiction, I learnt the word “hamartia” from the Percy Jackson novels. A hamartia, otherwise known as a fatal flaw, is that characteristic within a hero that might eventually turn into their downfall. The goddess Athena claimed that the kind of hamartia with good motives… Continue reading A CJ Walker Appreciation Post
Dear Spider Kid, I am writing to you almost as a last resort because I have a problem that seems unsolvable, and I’ve all but given up on it. The problem pertains to my personality. In summary, here is my dilemma: I have come to believe that neuroticism is a fundamental and permanent part of… Continue reading #DearSpiderKid: My Dilemma as A Neurotic Christian
The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu is melancholic, slow, ordinary, and thus, beautiful. It was the most perfect book I could have read while trying to come off my excitement high from a fantasy narrative. When I say it is ordinary, I do not mean at all that it is boring. It captured… Continue reading My Thoughts: The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears
I’m in a weird position, temporally. In a perpetual state of retardation. Always late, always behind, always off-schedule. It’s increasingly ironic, given how much I like making plans and creating timelines and putting things on calendars. Yet, nearly nothing goes according to plan. Therefore, I am inclined to stop planning altogether. I’ve given up on… Continue reading The Enmity Between My Life and Schedules
Rationality and Irrationality I suspect that wanting to live—wanting anything at all, just wanting—is a human default. It does (or should) come as normally as breathing. According to this line of reasoning, a mentally healthy human being shouldn’t need a reason to want to live. There’s a reason why survival instinct is called what it… Continue reading Notes on My Non-Linear Healing Process
I assume, if you’re a believer—and perhaps, even if you aren’t—that you believe in purpose. I do. And although I can’t front like I know exactly what my purpose is in this bleak life, an educated guess tells me that if it exists, whatever it is, it’s deeply related to writing/storytelling/lexivism. For anyone who believes… Continue reading Purpose + Being Forced to Focus
Hey, y'all! A South African writer I'm personally familiar with, Karen Jennings, is offering a 12-week writing course in English to any South African citizen over the age of 18 - no prior writing experience required. I met Karen through Writivism's mentorship program, and she helped me edit a story that eventually made it into… Continue reading Mentorship Opportunity for South African Writers
