Oh, monsters are scared," said Lettie. "That's why they're monsters.

I'm not much of a challenge here in the dark.

And he said that wasn’t brave of him, doing that, just standing there and being stung,’ said Coraline to the cat. ‘It wasn’t brave because he wasn’t scared: it was the only thing he could do. But going back again to get his glasses, when he knew the wasps were there, when he was really scared. That was brave.’

"‘Because,’ she said, ‘when you’re scared but you still do it anyway, that’s brave

… we have bad dreams
because our brain is trying to protect us… If we can figure out a way to beat the imaginary monsters … Then the real monsters don’t seem so scary… That’s why we like reading scary stories.

A good writer should be able to write comedic work that made you laugh, and scary stuff that made you scared, and fantasy or science fiction that imbued you with a sense of wonder, and mainstream journalism that gave you clear and concise information in a way that you wanted it.

I wish being a beekeeper, which I am, gave you a free pass on the carbon footprint, but it doesn't.