title: Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction and Other Dilemmas in the Writer's Life
author:  Bonnie Friedman 
description: "<b>A wonderful book, profoundly honest, intelligent, and beautifully written</b>... Each of the eight essays in the collection addresses a specific theme, ranging from the pitfalls of envy to the paralysis of success. The depth of Friedman's inquiry is factual as well as personal... Humor abounds in this bold and generous book... We cannot read this collection and come away unmoved." - <i>Harvard Review</i><br /><br />"The caliber of Friedman's craft itself is <b>instructive and invigorating</b> -- better than even Annie Dillard's in The Writing Life." -- <i>The Columbus Dispatch</i><br /><br />"[A] slim, excellent book on the emotional aspects of the writer's vocation . . . <b>intimate, honest, liberating</b>." - <i>The Forward</i><br /><br />"If you think writing is a lonely task and you can afford one book, buy this one." - <i>Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft</i> (Addison Wesley)<br /><br />"<b>[I]lluminates with clarity and inventiveness</b> what it actually feels like to devote one's time and purpose to the . . . art of writing. One of the striking differences between this book and others on the subject is Friedman's aboveboard approach. All of her doors stay open; she is immediately and always intimate. . . Friedman's enlightenments are delightful to read . . . [She] extends a warm hand and some welcome encouragement." -- <i>The Georgia Review</i>
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  Welcome to Whitlock
  A.A. Dark
  
   
   
   
  27001
  A.A. Dark
  Copyright © 2017 by A.A. Dark
   
  ISBN:
   
  All Rights Reserved
   
  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. The
  scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and
  is punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of
  copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
  
   
  Prologue
  Charlee
   
  We often wonder where our lives would have led if we would’ve made other decisions—
  taken another path when we came to those dreaded forks in the road. They say everything happened
  for a reason. Some believe our lives are predestined, and perhaps they were. Maybe, when it threw
  me loop after loop of tragedy, the universe knew I would take the most destructive route possib