S. A. Crawford
Bio
Writer, reader, life-long student - being brave and finally taking the plunge by publishing some articles and fiction pieces.
Achievements (15)
Stories (218)
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The Business of Writing
I never wanted to be a writer - I simply was one, from the day I was capable of holding a pen. I copied poems down, wrote out words I liked, and stared at them as if they held some kind of secret. I told myself and others stories, stories convincing enough to land me in hot water at least once (I convinced the other children in the neighbourhood that a certain alley between two houses was haunted). Beyond all that, however, I was always living in a story. Call it creativity, imagination, or maladaptive daydreaming, but it has been the foundation of my life and my livelihood.
By S. A. Crawford4 years ago in Journal
Blood on the Snow
There weren't always dragons in the Valley, but war came and brought them with it. Black armoured soldiers with featureless helmets came riding them as weapons of war, silver and blue soldiers came leading them as beasts of burden, red soldiers in leather armor brought the dragonlings on harnessess as scouting beasts... and they died. Great dragons fell from the sky and died in pained heaps on the ground, small dragonlings were trampled underfoot by their larger siblings.
By S. A. Crawford4 years ago in Fiction
The Cost of Canine Diabetes. Top Story - May 2022.
When I found out that my dog Tia had diabetes mellitus, I was ashamed at how quickly I began to worry about money. I have pet insurance, of course, but the fact that she was considered a senior pooch meant this had a 20% co-pay along with the excess payment. Thanks to her dental surgery last year, I had next to no savings and maxed-out credit cards (pro pup parent tip - most insurance plans do NOT cover dental work of any kind - start saving early, because dental work is expensive and gum disease is the single most common issue amongst elderly dogs and cats). Could I afford her care, I wondered. Not just immediately, but long term?
By S. A. Crawford4 years ago in Petlife
The Apple That Fell Too Far From the Tree
Dear Mum, When I think about you, I think of a young woman lying in the dark in a narrow, thin-mattressed bed in the hospital psychiatric ward with a cot beside you. I think about your eyes opening in the darkness, watching a baby breathe. I think that you could have been a good mother if you had been given the chance, and I think, most days, that it's a blessing you may not remember those nights very well.
By S. A. Crawford4 years ago in Confessions
Diabetes and my Dog
Tia is the best dog in the whole world. I know that those of you who have dogs will both understand this completely and disagree entirely (because your dog is the best dog in the whole world). But she is. When I was too poor to relax, she helped me to find joy, when I was too depressed to get up she stayed by my side, and when my world fell in on itself she and her brother were all I fought to keep from the relationship. He got the house (which in fairness, his mother fronted the deposit for), the furnishings, and what was left of my self-esteem. I got the dogs, my gerbil, my life back, and a fair share of our joint friends.
By S. A. Crawford4 years ago in Petlife
What is Burnout?
It's 3pm, work is piling up, a headache is threatening to bloom, random muscle aches twinge from time to time and the only thing harder than not falling asleep is getting a good nights' sleep - sound familiar? If so you could be dealing with burnout. In 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized burnout as an occupational phenomenon, but it's not just the working population that has to deal with this. Burnout is becoming increasingly common in high school students and even young children. Faced with mounting academic workloads and restricted by the pandemic, children have had less time to decompress and far fewer opportunities to socialize with other kids their age. As such, it has never been more important to understand burnout, spot its symptoms, and prevent it from taking root.
By S. A. Crawford4 years ago in Longevity
Freedom is Calling Your Mother When you Want to
Freedom is being able to call your mother whenever you want and know that she can do the same. I built my relationship with my mother on a schedule, through booked appointments, locked doors, and the musty heat of a psychiatric ward. Through a haze of sedatives and through second-hand information. I built my relationship with my mother through a quagmire of guilt. There are only so many ways you can turn the truth; post-natal depression sent her into a downward spiral that exacerbated every problem she had ever had.
By S. A. Crawford4 years ago in Psyche
Greed in M***le E**th
The surviving relatives of one of the most celebrated and beloved literary figures in the world may be trying to put the works that shaped generations behind a paywall. If you wonder why I'm saying this so vaguely, or why the title of this article is comically censored I want you to consider these (slightly censored) outtakes from that estate's FAQ section (updated sometime around the beginning of March or end of February 2022):
By S. A. Crawford4 years ago in FYI
Flirting: a Writer's Guide
Flirting - the language and dance of love. It's something few writers ever think about or pull off with aplomb. Romance writers are arguably the most proficient in this, or at least they should be, but it stands that there are still more guides that concern how to write about sex than how to create romantic tension through flirting on the page (though you could try some of this yourself).
By S. A. Crawford4 years ago in Journal
