Writer's need inspiration. They needed muses.
To quote V for Vendetta, "Artists use lies to tell the truth."
The best writers use their own lives to create worlds based in fact, but surrounded by fiction. I've read some books where you can tell the author never took a chance in their life and just sat around being safe all of the time. A good book is an adventure. Writers must take them to write them.
So, for that and other reasons, my latest adventure -- and a long overdue one -- is one in housing. I'm moving to one of the less-than-favorable neighborhoods in Davenport. Two blocks away there was a drive-by in August that killed a teenage girl (see earlier posts about fight in courthouse). Gun shots ring out on a nearly regular basis. My neighbors are crack dealers.
It is a far cry away from the safety that is Wisconsin Rapids or Winona.
And there's that question: Why?
I would like to say rent. I would like to say it's right next to SkateChurch. Both are true, but neither are.
I could just go scamper off to the suburbs, buy a house and live in peace and quiet. All I would have to worry about was keeping my grass cut the right length and making sure my truck was always clean. But, what would that teach me about life that I don't already know?
Let's face it. I'm young and stupid. Living in the 'hood is a bad idea. With every chance I take in life, my comfort level increases. Then I have to jump out again and push the boundaries. Soon everything will feel comfortable.
It's seeing a part of life I've only been exposed to in short doses or through courtroom testimony. Eyewitness is the best.
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