International Secret Society of the Flying Cats
Poetry, short stories and essays offering a unique perspective on life
I am a part-time college student, working towards my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. My goal is to become a therapist. I have an interest in writing and a unique voice. Writing helps me come to know myself better. My mind is a world that is very difficult to understand, especially to an outsider, but writing helps me understand this and communicate this better. I mostly write creative nonfiction and poetry.
1. Why this, why now
I have had a recent rebirth with writing. My inspiration and flow of ideas is stronger than ever, and I feel the need to write, and I would like to share some of this writing with others. I have the goal of slowly working towards publishing more pieces, and this is a great place to start. I have a unique and complicated story, and writing is a safe place to share pieces of my story in a way that can help others as well as myself. As an autistic woman diagnosed late in life, conveying my experience in a way that neurotypicals can understand is always a struggle, but I find this easiest to do through writing. Through my writing, I allow others to see my experience in a way that is genuine and also understandable. I want to empower others as well myself with my voice. Since my creative juices are currently booming, this seems like the perfect time to set this up.
2. What kind of community are you looking to build here
I’m still figuring this out. I will start with a few friends, family members, etc., and hope to build my subscribers over time. I am looking to build a community that can be touched by my writing. I want to allow people to feel my world, and through this, be better able to feel their own worlds as well. I want to offer the wisdom that I have accumulated through tragedy and hope in my life. I want my page/Substack to be a safe place for everyone, to feel heard and to see and understand new and unique ideas. I want to encourage others to think outside of the box, to see things in a new and refreshing way.
3. Be specific
It is hard to be super specific at the moment here, as there will not be one consistent medium of writing that I will be using, nor any pre-determined common themes. So I guess, instead, I would encourage a willingness to being open, to being surprised, to being prepared to think deeply about just about anything, sometimes everything. I will post when I have developed a writing piece when I feel that it is close enough to final draft to share with the world in a more broad sense. So sometimes, I may post a couple times a week, and sometimes I may only post once every month or two. It will not be consistent, it will depend on the current flow of my creative juices and my courage and willingness to share certain pieces with the world. Be ready to be surprised!
4. Use an image and “subscribe” buttons
A picture will look nicer when you share the post on your social media (click the image icon in the editor to search for copyright-free photos), and it will give color to your archive as you build it.