Ok?

Writing gives people choices. It gives people the option to edit their writing and, to some extent, the version of themselves that they present to the world. Rough edges can be smoothed, unflattering moments repainted in a sympathetic light.

Which makes the honesty and vulnerability people express all the more remarkable.

One thing that struck me after Eroticon was the number of tweets and blog posts where attendees described moments of tension, awkwardness, even fear of some of the social situations they encountered or feared they’d encounter.

Personally I only had one real moment of feeling out of place, disconnected and generally bad; which compared to some previous emotional rollercoasters was pretty good. But at the time I felt like I was a melodramatic teen all over again; it didn’t occur to me that lots of the other people around me were wrestling with their own brain weasels.

I guess what I’m saying is stupid-brain is stupid; and you’re likely never as alone as you might feel.