The aims of ABCTales

Hi there - I think that you will find that a great many of our writers have some form of mental health disability to a greater or lesser extent. What we have always striven to do is to provide a supportive and helpful community in order to allow those people to express themselves. We actively encourage people who have difficulty operating within 'nomal' society to express themselves here - and over the past 12 years I have built up a huge number of emails from users who say that it has been incredibly helpful to them. We do not exist purely for people with problems - we exist for all writers - but we do go out of our way to assist and develop those who may have difficulty elsewhere. Oh - and it's ABCtales not 'tails'!

Hi lailoken I'm not housebound or on benefits anymore but I am still on antidepressants and know what it's like to be socially excluded. When I joined ABCTales last year I was in a dark place after losing my brother, but was immediately made to feel welcome and, perhaps more importantly, feel part of something. Something different. Something good. My writing improved as I found the confidence to take chances, but the best thing that happened was I became a better, more-rounded person with less chips on my shoulder. (ps in this instance more-rounded probably means putting on a few extra pounds around the middle as the chips moved from my shoulder to my stomach viua my mouth, but I'm working on that.) I've not been around much recently, mainly due to big changes in my lifestyle, like moving back to where I originally come from. But I know I'll be back here as soon as I start reading/writing fiction again. I'll leave you with a link to one of my favourite stories. Read it and see if you recognise any of the symptoms. Best of luck. http://www.abctales.com/story/overthetop1/abc-ocd-do-you-have-it

Amen to that Lailoken>

Hello good people - ABCTalers. I really enjoy the opportunity to be a part of this esteemed body of creative artists. Much of my inspiration to experiment in my writing has come from fabulous articles read here. And I must say, being almost home bound from various aging limitations, writing gives me a wonderful escape. I can be anything I want in the world of words. Actually my faith, a precious wife, Esther, and writing was my salvation as I slowly recovered from a stroke - recovery continuing. Anxiety/Depression is one aspect stroke victims are dealt as side issues and I do take each day one at a time. Life remains precious. By breathing fire into my subjects, and through my writing I hope to teach, inspire and encourage others to write about the not-so-ordinary things in life. Take care folks, from Richard & Esther.

Hello Lailoken, I love this site because I am not only learning from people who I consider are the heavweights on this site, such as Stan, Old Pesky and Richard,but also I am gaining confidence to write about my own demons. It seems to me that there are a lot of damaged people who write and post their work on here and I think that is a good thing as it is, or, at least, was for me, like an exorcism. I have recently written a short piece that I have never been able to talk about and certainly not write about and yet now it is in the public domain. It was probably the hardest thing for me to write but now I am glad that I did. I have also found fellow ABC Talers most helpful and encouraging. Pax vobiscum

Concur with everything that's been said above - well, 98% of it. Great speech Stan. Heroic, in fact. I love the accessibility of this site for everyone, whatever their non-virtual faculties. It is an equalising forum in a world that has shunned equality as a virtue. Thanks everyone who works hard to keep it going. Having asked the question, Lailoken, I hope it's working for you.

I was an anorexic child and was treated for it, other than that, no diagnosed mental illness. But I am damaged by an unpleasant past that continues to affect every life decision I make, to this day. From the age of five I've been on self destruct and have got rather good at it. Reading some of these life stories is humbling and drums home again, that while people on here don't tend to engage in chit chat either supportive, or general, you only have to read the comments left on people's work, and responses to people's own stuff, to see little droplets of their life experiences filtering through. Ten years ago I lost twins three months apart, hemorrhaged and had a heart attack. On the waiting list for an operation I put on a lot of weight and had a gastric removal as well as heart surgery. Post op, I contracted MRSA over sixty percent of my body and thought that I was going to die. It was people on this site,and UKA, that got me through those times. We may only be words on a page, but as a lifeline when times are tough, the support is second to none. Recently I lost my family (they aren't dead, just disowned me,) I write to my diary everyday (which is ironic as that's what cost me my family) it's a physical purging. I write my novels and I come on here. This is like the literary equivalent to The Samaritans. We don't know what's going on in somebody else's life. We come on here. We can always be sure of a welcome, and we can lose ourselves in the escapism of somebody else's writing, feel better about our own, or find ways to improve it, and be sure of support.

But we aren't dead, are we? Sooz, Girl, I so admire your guts! And I totally agree with everything you've said about this site being supportive and long may it be so.

I don't do Latin or whatever it is that people are posting. I only know that there are some really good writers on here that make a difference to other peoples lives.We all have our problems and this site helps a lot of people recover and get help from whatever they are going through. If you want to be on it then that's great if you don't just move on, but please don't slag it off!.

Here here to all that - except the Latin! I am so glad that people find the site supportive - it is our intention but there's often a slip 'twixt cup and lip.

Stan, you have blown my image of you in the monastery, labouring over Kells II: The Sequel. Might need an enhancement to the site to render the illuminations tc. Safe, Friendly and Free. And a bloody good read. Wanna bya strappaline?

Life is far too short and many are taken far too young but if you like writing and it helps you be a better person and maybe even help you in some way get through lifes fragile journey then write untill your fingers bleed! This site has a varied international community that as far as I can tell all posses a tremendous level of skill, resilience and ability that hopefully is recognised in there lives far beyond the readers of this site. Keep writing folks.