A phoney, a fake, a fraud, a snake

Hello, and happy Thursday.

I was about to finish writing the main section of my newsletter, which was supposed to be out yesterday. As promised, I was waffling about Arctic Monkeys and why their last two albums are just as authentic as the first two and what authenticity in art means, and I had a realisation.

I am not being authentic.

In psychology, authenticity "refers to the degree to which a particular behaviour is congruent with a person’s attitudes, beliefs, values, motives, and other dispositions."

My idea was to connect that with other definitions of authenticity in music -- in particular, expressive authenticity, or "an object’s character as a true expression of an individual’s or a society’s values and beliefs."

It was 1 am and I was, frankly, out of my depth in the realm of the philosophy of music. And then, it hit me.

There was nothing wrong with the text I was writing. I truly believe in my main idea — that any work of art is a snapshot of a very personal journey. Authenticity lies in showing that journey as it is, and how it changes us as artists and as humans.

The trouble is, I'm not being congruent in my actions and how I use my time. I am a fiction writer, and yet I spend my time writing everything but fiction. I move through life in a panic, looking for things to save me from writing fiction because this thing I love doesn't feel safe.

All of this to say, the little recaps I wrote over the last couple of weeks will no longer be the focus of my newsletter. I started this to write fiction. So, a fiction newsletter it shall be.

I'll still write the recaps once a month. Because they're fun. But they'll no longer be the focus of my newsletter.

Starting next Wednesday, you'll receive one short story every week, as well as the monthly recap. There'll be a period of trial and error during the first few months of this revamped newsletter, so please bear with me.

Thank you so much for your patience and for coming along in this journey.

Confused but hopeful,

Cecilia

Thumbnail photo: simpleinsomnia

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