Deah Curry indie author
The Writing Life
A writer, like a cat,
thrives on the ability
to maintain focus on
that which others do not see.
The writing life is one of sublime frustration, always struggling between capturing the essence of a topic with the most evocative words while striving to paint a complex picture or shine a spotlight on the dark corners of understanding.
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Writers edit out more than we add. We fall in love with description, then go through dismal break-ups that plunge us into the pit of hell as we try to re-focus the metaphors and avoid the clichés.
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It can be exhausting mental work.
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And it can be humbling to have so much power over the impressions our expressions form in the readers' minds. In that, the writing life is a sacred path, always moving towards the truth of facts, or the reality of emotion. Or both.
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It is an act of Magic. And I am privileged to wield the wand.
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What's with the Cat?
When I first designed this website as a showcase for affordable pre-designed sites for budget conscious psychotherapists, I used the cat video as an attention grabber. Inevitably a friend asked what does a cat have to do with designer websites. Sorry, no free kitten with every purchase.
On the most literal level, the cat has nothing to do with websites, of course. It was just a cool, free video strip to try out. Wix has others, and this one fit the color scheme and the introspective tone I wanted the landing page to have.
And yet, one function of a landing or home page is to capture and hold attention -- and to try to get the visitor to be curious about what else they will find. So design elements such as a full page video, and an audio greeting, serve the purpose of keeping the visitor on your site longer.
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Now I've re-purposed this site, but I'm reluctant to let go of the cat. Odd, since I don't even have a cat in real life.
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There's a metaphor to be made out of reluctance to give up what we once thought of as cool, or as saying something about us. Check on the Random Musings page for more writings on that theme.
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Years ago it was popular to provide "entry gates" with flash technology as a kind of interactive welcome to websites. Then that ploy was over-used, and badly used, and they became seen as barriers to getting prospective clients to read your the marketing message.
Now, technology is improving, videos are easier to create and upload, so entry gates are starting to make a come-back when congruent with the rest of the website.
Here's where that congruence comes in for this particular website. What's more independent-minded and curiosity-motivated than a cat? With its ability to sit and stare out windows (at Windows?) for hours on end, and its capacity for not allowing distractions when it isn't ready to play, a cat is a great role model for do-it-yourselfers, and for writers.
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So, on that more subtle energy level of being a semi-solitary creature speaking to other often curiosity-oriented solopreneurs in the healing or helping arts, Ms Cat greets you, and hopes you find something captivating here.
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