Forum: Author Hangout

This morning, I read an article in the NYT about recommended activities for keeping your brain active. It was the usual stuff, but the author did mention writing. I do what I can to avoid becoming a vegetable now that I am officially an octogenarian (makes me feel like I should have eight arms). I do at least one hard NYT crossword a day, read 2-3 books a month, and write. Since I resumed writing after an almost ten-year hiatus, I feel more mentally alert. So, if writing my naughty little tales keeps me sharper, and I enjoy it, that makes the effort worthwhile. And if a few other people enjoy taking a trip into my dirty mind occasionally, well, that's just gravy on my poutine (I threw that in as a tribute to Lazeez and his staff for all they do for us).

So, if writing my naughty little tales keeps me sharper

From an article I read recently, writing is more beneficial than regularly tackling the same brain exercises such as crosswords or Sudokus.

However learning a new language or learning to play an instrument is better because they're the best at forcing the brain to make new connections. Allegedly people already showing signs of dementia can benefit.

However there's a new drug (no, I can't remember the name) undergoing testing that sweeps the brain clean of amyloid plaque and might just be a game changer.

AJ

I can't claim any such motivation, but it's certainly a wonderful side benefit, now and hopefully in the future. I do some amount of other 'brain stuff,' and am about to embark on learning a new language, but writing definitely keeps my brain working in ways it might not otherwise be working.

Scribo ergo sum 🤓
Much better than just consuming stuff.

I am approaching 60, however, I have experienced quite a few documented TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injuries). Fortunately, I have received excellent treatment from the armed forces hospitals and VA (Veterans Administration). I am "lucky" to have been wounded in the early 21st century, when there has been significant studies of TBIs, and progress in treatment!

Starting in the 1990's with treatments for very "valuable" athletes; then post 11 September 2001, our technology allowed many to survive what have previously been fatal Injuries. Thus thousands, probably tens of thousands, of individuals have survived wounds and Injuries that would have been fatal not long ago.

In addition to the medical treatment I have received, I have been a subject of multiple studies related to TBIs. Keeping a person's mind Active, and Learning new things, is good for our Brains. 🧠 It is quite likely that "new" pathways,and/or parts of the brain, will be engaged if you keep your mind active! 😉

Not long ago it was believed that there was "Nothing" (or perhaps very little) that could be done for brain injuries, or declines of memory.

Cheers 🍻 🥂 to all of us, keeping our brains engaged!

Why I write:

While I do wish to keep my brain engaged; that is not the primary reason I write.

When I was in 5th grade I started Reading about people's experiences in combat. I dreamed of becoming a Fighter Pilot! Multiple reasons that I never achieved that goal. Instead, I became a Paratrooper jumping out of aircraft, rather than flying them...

I have been a voracious reader since age 4. In the US Army I continued to read. In particular I used the USMC Reading Program(s) as a guide.

What I learned in books added to what I had been Trained. (Mostly by Veterans of the war in Vietnam.) Knowledge I gained saved my life, and the lives of fellow soldiers.

As a veteran NCO I passed on as much knowledge as I could to other soldiers (and members of other services).

Most people don't understand what combat of any era is like; let alone modern combat. Less than 3% of citizens in the USA have served in the armed forces. Less than 1% of those who served have been in a Firefight! (Engagement using small arms [rifles, carbines, machine-guns, etc.]). I've "Been There, Done That, Got the CIB!" (Combat Infantryman's Badge)

I hope that I can inform people, at least a tiny bit, about what war in the 21st century is like. Hopefully, I entertain them too. I realize that by depicting Logistics, and other boring matters, I likely don't have much of an audience...

Mostly, I Write for Me! Stories that are bursting to get out! Unfortunately, technical matters, and difficulties getting my writing proofread, let alone edited, delays getting my writing posted...

When I have "Writers Block" (or other issues) with one WiP (work in progress), I work on another...

Anyway, that is Why I Write!

Why do I write?

I can't sing or dance.