Guest Post ~Tracey Alley, Author

Today’s guest post is from Tracey Alley, author of Erich’s Plea, Ursula’s Quest, Slade’s Destiny and the Kaynos History Tales.

I’m certain that practically everyone has heard the parable of the Scorpion and the Frog so bear with me while I repeat it for the few who don’t know it.  

“The land is flooding and the only way out is to cross the river.  A scorpion says to a frog “take me over the river on your back please” and the frog replies “I can’t.  You’re a scorpion and you’ll sting me”.  But the scorpion pleads his case by saying “I wouldn’t do that because then we would both drown.  Trust me and take me over the river on your back.”  The frog can see the logic in the scorpions argument and agrees to take the scorpion across the river on his back.

Half way across the river the scorpion stings the frog and they both start to drown.  The frog cries out “Why have you done this?  Now we’ll both die?” and the scorpion replied “Sorry, it’s my nature.”

It sounds silly but it really represents a very valuable,  important lesson that all of us must learn at some time in our lives.  The simple fact is that human beings can pretty much be divided into two groups – scorpions and frogs.  Life can be very, very hard for frogs – it’s their nature to be helpful, kind and giving.  This means they often get hurt and sometimes, a lot of times, they get hurt very badly simply because there are scorpions amongst us.

The scorpion is a ‘what’s in it for me?’ type of person, while the frog is a ‘what can I do for you?’ type of person.  Thus you can see how easily a scorpion can take advantage of a frog.  They are also, by nature, very credible chameleons who do not show their true colours immediately and can easily pass for a fellow frog – to push that metaphor to the limit 🙂 – thus they can use and abuse other people until finally the real frog realises he’s been stung.  And that hurts.

These people will act like your best friend [or lover, room-mate, neighbour etc] and they will, initially, seem incredibly believable.   Depending on how good these people are at disguising their true nature they can fool you for a very long time – slowly but surely bleeding you dry emotionally, financially or otherwise.  And when you finally feel the sting and realise how you’ve been used the pain and hurt is quite devastating.

We all instinctively want to believe the best in people.  If we’re a frog – it’s in our nature.  Unfortunately not everyone is worthy of trust or respect or love.  By no means is it a bad thing to have a generous and giving nature.  To want to help people, to want to have relationships – these are good, wholesome desires.  What we do have to learn, eventually, though is to be a little more discerning about other people.  I don’t mean we should become cynical – that only means that the scorpions amongst us have won.

Instead just watch people’s behaviour and really listen to what they say.  All people, no matter what our nature, ultimately give ourselves away.  Our realattitudes, thoughts and desires will be shown in the things we say and the way we behave.  Having a little protective shell around your heart will go a long way towards helping you to not only recognize the scorpions but to avoid being hurt by them.  And always remember – you can never change another human being, you can only change yourself and the way you choose to respond.

So to all my frog friends out there – be careful who you give your heart to and keep an eye out for scorpions both for yourself and for the other frogs you love 🙂

See more of Tracey’s writing at “Tracey’s World”, her blog and see all of her books here at Tracey’s Novels

What is it all about?

Sometimes I get bogged down in existential questions like “why is the sky blue?” and “what is the meaning of life?”. Actually, I have already learned the answers to these two questions, but this blog is not about that. This blog is about writing.

Isn’t it strange that some people never pick up a book and read while some people read constantly and can never get enough? And isn’t it stranger still that some people can barely write their own names, hate writing and won’t even write a check while others pick up a pen or turn on a word program and start writing and never stop?

What is it exactly that makes a writer write even though he/she has no idea if anyone will ever read it?

I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I used to love the essay questions on tests. I loved writing letters to friends and family even though I rarely even received a postcard in return. In most cases, they told me that they would rather just call and talk on the phone, but I hate talking on the phone. I really do. Even when I was in high school and utterly ‘in love’, I rarely enjoyed those long, long telephone conversations with the beloved. Now in the age of cellphones, iPhones, webcams and every manner of electronic communication, I still love the written word best. There is absolutely no way to fold up a phone conversation and put it in a little box on the closet shelf.

That brings up another question. Why do some people keep old letters, newsclippings and other written mementos in boxes on the closet shelf? Do they ever go through and look at them? I do. Sometimes, usually when I’m cleaning out a closet or moving or some such, I’ll come across my boxES of mementos and invariably I will take some time to sit down and sift through the memories. I can’t say what exactly comes of this, but it always makes me feel good to look at them and sometimes sad and good at the same time.

I have said before that I write because I HAVE to write. I have no choice. I’ve tried not to and I actually get sick if I do not sit down and write or at least edit my work. I have to work on my stuff every day in some way or another or else I get all grumpy and people notice. My good friends and close family can tell when I haven’t had my writing fix for a couple of days. Not good!

But the question remains: What is it all about? Why do I need to write about worlds that exist only in my imagination? Why do I NEED to have others read about my fantasy worlds? What is so gratifying about getting a good review or a favorable comment? I can’t answer that question, but if you ask any true author, you will probably get the same non-answer.