on a wintry November Wednesday

on rhythm and response

Dear Reader

Last spring, I started writing the 8ismeerdan1000 stories. I hope that so far, reading them has given you as much pleasure as writing them has given me. There is material left for many more stories and it is my desire to write as many of them as possible.

Last spring, my plan was to first lay a foundation for 8ismeerdan1000 with a few dozen posts before making publicity for this project. It was a surprise to me that even without that publicity, you came across 8ismeerdan1000 and started reading it. 

Unfortunately, my health is not at its best, and it often takes resourcefulness to type and to write. Since I was diagnosed with parkinson's a few years ago, the pace of my life has slowed down considerably. Besides its many disadvantages, this has the added benefit of removing the rush from my life. So writing goes at a snail's pace, but with a dose of imperturbability, there is always a piece of writing ready to publish in the end. 

Nevertheless, I now have to switch back somewhat in my writing activity. It has already been said - the material is there for the taking - at the same time, I keep looking for a way that is feasible for me to transform it into words and images. Last weeks, I thought about taking a break, but I know the value of daily regularity in writing. Therefore, a better option seems to be to make the posts a bit shorter - breaking up a longer story into shorter sections. I will work on this idea and if you would like to give any responses on the articles - length, frequency and content - in the near future, that would be very welcome.

And finally, my health limits my freedom of movement and my social life. I feel very involved with society and the times I live in, but often cannot actively participate in them anymore. In that situation, writing offers me a great opportunity to still make a small contribution to a world with more connection and mutual understanding.

Besides the daily life with my family, writing is my window to the world. In the years I taught, I always tried to imagine in advance as best I could how a lesson would come across to the participants. Now, while writing, I imagine how future - and for the most part unknown - readers will receive it. Since we don't meet in person - such is the circumstance of the dynamics of the written word - as a writer, I often have little notion of how a story is perceived, how it lands. Know that I, like most writers, greatly appreciate it when you respond - via substack or email - to previous and forthcoming articles. In the book chapter 1. Creation is followed by chapter 2. Response!

kind regards, Peter