Guest Post: Vikki Patis – Weltanschauung

Vikki Patis: Writing As Therapy

Vikki Patis is a writer and blogger at The Bandwagon, where she reviews books, interviews authors, and gives her opinions on a wide variety of topics, from feminism to fibromyalgia. She’s recently published a collection of short stories, Weltanschauung, and is here today to talk about using writing as a form of therapy.

On The Bandwagon, we don’t shy away from writing about difficult things. I regularly use my blog to get something off my chest, to write about something that happened to me. I’ve made The Bandwagon a space for people to open up and share their stories, and in turn I’ve received countless emails and messages about how reading such articles has helped others to deal with their own trauma, and to continue on their journey of healing. Which is what it’s all about really, isn’t it.

I also use fiction as a similar release. I’ve hidden inside books since before I can remember, using it to escape reality. And now I use my own writing to do the same thing. Weltanschauung, my recently-published collection of short stories, is full of pieces of me. Harbinger tells the story of Zoe, and her ability to see death. As she grows up, she learns that others can see it too – they’re called the Harbingers, and they’re feared by society, to the point of violence. Harbinger describes what it’s like to be different, to sit on the outskirts of society, but to continue doing what you’re doing because you know it’s right.

Being an outspoken woman on the internet can come with a whole heap of problems. People want to shut you up, tell you that you’re wrong. But writing is my only form of therapy. Talking about things like sexual assault and everyday sexism helps us to deal with it, to heal. They tell you to write what you know. Although the stories in Weltanschauung may seem like fiction, every single one contains a piece of reality, a piece that I’ve taken out of myself and put into my story, to get it out of me, and out into the world.

Weltanschauung is available on Kindle and in paperback now. From 16^th – 18^th December 2016, Weltanschauung will be available for only 99p! For more information, join the Facebook event here. Follow Vikki on Twitter: @VikkiPatis