Perhaps because my town was so naturally gothic in its architecture and relative isolation - the roads often closed in winter - my stories tended toward the ghostly and the creepily suspenseful right from the get-go.
We think that fear must be played out in fight, with military intervention, or in flight, via isolationism - but we are not hunted game, and those are not the only options. There is also the possibility of acceptance, with its corollary of understanding and its ultimate manifestation in embracing.
There's a great deal of scientific evidence that social connectedness is a very strong protector of emotional well-being, and I think there's no question that social isolation has greatly increased in our culture in, say, the past 50 years, past 100 years.
Overnight successes are generally years in the making. And most progress is made in isolation, far from the public eye.
Social distancing does not mean isolation. Call and video chat with friends and loved ones.
Regardless of what tribe people think they're in, we don't work in isolation as human beings, we want to do what's right.
I think, if you have enough inner resources, then you can live in isolation for long periods of time and not feel diminished by it.
Isolation basketball will always be part of the game. But the system has to be predicated on ball movement and, more importantly, player movement.
Border strengthening is effective, but not if done in isolation. We also need to give priority to establishing public institutions that deliver a sustained level of security and justice for citizens. Border security can never come at the expense of migrants' rights. Nor can it be used to legitimize inhumane treatment.
Providing a writer isn't put off by conventions - and some are - attending them can be a nice break from the necessary isolation of writing.
