Gemotions

The accusations against the celebrated author, Charles Beaumont, hit Olivia hard. He was the one who was credited with the phrase "write what you know". Olivia had applied that phrase to her own work. She had written stories, as Charles had inspired her to do. Now she felt humiliated.

She wanted to burn everything, her unpublished stories, her notes. The urge to lash out was overwhelming. But then, she pictured Beaumont, his face, etched with a surprising sensitivity.

She remembered an interview where he had spoken about the pressure to produce, the fear of failure. She remembered his past, a life lived through a series of tragedies. It was then that she decided what she was going to do.

She opened her laptop and began to write an email.