A Measurement of Hardness*

This week I had been catching up on those overdue critiques for some writing colleagues, enjoying my zombie flash challenge and the diversity of others' zombie stories, doing some academic reading for a two day workshop I am attending in August…reading, writing….writing, then reading etc. Drowning happily in words and not waving at all.

Except….I then began to feel irritated too – by some writerly spats that were going on – writers are adept at using their erudition as a powerful weapon, to really wound one another. But it has affected me more than I would like to admit…it’s difficult to keep the focus, the mood for words when they are used in that destructive way. It takes some of the pleasure away when I encounter hardness in people. I would like to be harder, a tortoise when it suits, but I still flip over onto my belly and get kicked accidentally, even if none of it is directed at me personally. I’m soft but also a bloody tortoise – I hate conflict, confrontation, fiery attacks. I want to be invisible. So I decided that the writers I love most – Chekhov, Turgenev, the sublime Helen Dunmore, even Hardy with his sentimental fatalism – they are writers with true empathy, kindness, understanding of the human condition. Those are the (famous) writers I aspire to most.

So I shook the irritation aside and tried to be more positive. Was rewarded. As Assistant Editor of Wolf Print, I have been asked to interview David Clement Davies (www.davidclementdavies.com), a fantasy writer who has penned adult and children’s books – some about wolves such as ‘The Sight’ and ‘Fell’ – the former I am already now reading. I must create some imaginative, intelligent questions to send by email that will avoid the huge clichés (Where do you get your ideas? – that always deserves a facetious raspberry, a tongue in irons) but be insightful and useful to profile this shy (handsome – did I mention handsome) and talented writer.

Then doubly rewarded. Also have been asked to write a book review for a prestigious magazine. I will not mention the name of it yet, because it has yet to be confirmed.

Another few steps. Even the earlier unpleasantness should be a toughening up process. None of us can be wilters. Not The Flea. I just have to work harder, be with people who I admire and respect (I am lucky with my friends – very lucky.)

To die may be an awfully big adventure but hey, there’s lots of mileage in living too. All you need is a filter to spit out the negative.

Don’t tell anyone, but I am still soft.


*The MOH scale is used for stones. It was developed in the 1800's and shows the strengths and weaknesses of the stone.

Measurement of Hardness Scale
1. Talc
2. Gypsum
3. Calcite
4. Fluorite
5. Apatite
6. Feldspar
7. Quartz
8. Topaz
9. Corundum
10. Diamond