I’m not especially comfortable dealing with anger, my least favorite emotion. Gauging the ‘correct’ reaction to a slight has never come easily. As an avid observer of others, I look for good examples of anger management and occasionally try them on. Typically the fit feels awkward.

Now, as a writer striving to amp up my work with tension, anxiety, and, yes, anger, I have discovered the perfect use for Pandora’s box. The protagonist, Hannah, of Necessary Pain, is a female doctor-in-training at the turn of the last century. And let me tell you, things were near impossible for those young, ambitious women back then.

So, I’ve taken a deep breath, opened the Box dragging out every slight, wrongdoing, mean thing anyone ever said to me, and have been working it into the manuscript. No more ‘should have said’ reflections. I get it right this time. I assure you, it’s way better than therapy. I can control the dialogue and consequences in my imaginary world. Believe it or not, much of it happened in one form or another.

In this surreal, pandemic-ridden world we find ourselves coping with, haven’t we all learned that there is nothing stranger than reality? I’ve come to realize I don’t need to stray far from my own reservoir of experiences to find great material.

However, I will attempt to reassure you, that most of my blog readers do not appear in the book. Or, at least I think not…..