Dear friends....omg
So sorry, it seems my last post has caused something of an issue...I've been away, and couldn't figure out what was happening in the thread long term. It seemed to have lost its plot, and really only 2 people were regularly contributing: @Sophia1 and @Oaktree. Then I bungled my way in.
Perhaps this can be reset moment. The virtual post and fantasy/fictional characters is simply brilliant for people to get out of the humdrum of MI and the seriousness of MH problems. I will confess, I sometimes find the SANE forums very distressing/depressing. So the virtual post of something fantasy is a welcome relief.
We all have real lives, real problems and just 2 or 3 people holding a thread together is too much to ask. I'm reminded of something @HenryX said some weeks ago...something along the lines of writing creative things when your an introvert, lacking confidence or shy is daunting even in an anonymous forum. Its worse when you have little imagination - like me, which is why I use concrete things from mythology or from my life experiences. To be frank, I was scared witless just saying hello when I first joined this discussion thread - everyone seemed so creative, and I was clueless about Winnie the Pooh (and most other childhood stories).
The posts in this thread still amaze me. You guys are just so creative, but its a small market - Pooh and his world is small and fixed for most of us non-imaginative kinds. Its easy to criticise, and I don't have an answer.
Personally, I'd just let it flow. Rather than fix it in the land of Winnie the Pooh, just open it out. I note @Sophia1 's comments that the thread was originally created by a Winnie fan - but there are only 8 main characters, and most are no longer participating. Yet anyone checking the thread would be scared off because all the main characters are taken, even though some have quit.
I'll just throw this out there....I love the idea of the secret garden and a magical land, then let people create their own fantasy identities that can meld into whatever the storyline is. It also means they can come and go as they feel like it, and no need to track who is who. I tried to keep a database of who was what in Pooh's story - too hard and I don't have an eidetic memory.
No idea whether this would work, but even if not, I still like the idea of virtual posts - so maybe you guys will get some random Sooty adventures just because Sooty likes to be naughty and share his adventures. I will have to tell you sometime about when Sooty visited Stonehenge, then there is that story about Sooty visiting Bunnings...
I think this is about 2 weeks worth of Flax creativity in one post.
Will leave you with how I feel now:
Hasta la vista
Flax
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.