A shy writer who has finally decided to give blogging life a whirl.

I often find myself stranded in a place I call the badlands. I named it the badlands because it is barren, inhospitable and vast. The terrain here is repetitive; the skeletons of dead trees and dusty bald hillocks the only objects on an interminable expanse of dry earth. The texture is chalky and gritty, putting your teeth on edge and making you feel as if there is always something caught in your eye. The horizon does not look promising; there is nothing more than the same over there and you can never tell whether the sun is rising or setting, so it feels as if you are forever stuck on the precipice of a day which never begins or ends. Strong winds come from all directions, echoes of the past which rush through your entire being, leaving you skinless and without protection. It is a place of nostalgia and death.

There is a way out of the badlands, but it has not yet been fully mapped. It is also a difficult and quite time-consuming journey, but one which is as necessary and natural as the drive towards life. You begin this journey by recognising that you are in a kind of trance; that your gaze has been turned backwards toward a certain kind of mirror which only reflects the things you fear. Coming out of the trance is like becoming aware that you are dreaming; you are still in the dream, but you now have some control over it. Then, you must realise that the badlands are not the only place available to you, but they are the most familiar, which makes entering them very tempting and seemingly effortless. You must recall the small but important progress which has been made to forge new terrain beyond the badlands and know that it is accessible to you.

Once out of the badlands, you need to think back from your new, clear perspective and take note of all the subtle signs and signals which indicated that you were heading toward the badlands, so that you are more aware of how to avoid them in the future. This is important, because once in the badlands, it is an almighty trek getting out. It is also important to remember that entering the badlands is not a permanent state, and that each time you escape, you have a little more information for your map.