HarryC

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I have 171 stories published in 3 collections on the site.
My stories have been read 302856 times and 188 of my stories have been cherry picked.
103 of my 768 comments have been voted Great Feedback with a total of 112 votes

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Kevin Marman

Care worker, writer, memester, autist, dissenter.

I like people who not only think outside the box, but reshape the box into something else!

I've been writing since I was 10.  It's my sanctuary - though the structure often needs maintenance.  Over the last twenty or so years, I've won some writing prizes for short fiction, poetry and playwriting.  In 2013, I published my first novel, 'In the Day'.  Looking at it now, I can see all sorts of things I would change - but I suppose that shows progress.  I also have a collection of short fiction, 'Sacred Shirts', which was published in 2024.

In 2015, at the grand age of 56, I was finally diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Condition (Asperger's).  I live alone with my cat, Daisy, and lots of books.

My stories

Cherry

Gift: A Son's Story (extract) - Final Day

The final day of clearance at my mother's bungalow, following her death. Joanne, my niece, comes to help me as my brother has gone on holiday. Lottie...
2 likes
Gold cherry

Gift: A Son's Story (extract) - Clearing the loft

In continuing with the final draft of 'Gift', I've reached the point where I'm clearing out my mother's bungalow following her death. I'd been...
2 likes
Gold cherry
Story of the week

Gift: A Son's Story (extract) - Mother's Day

Another extract from the final draft (still in progress) of my memoir of my time as my mother's full-time carer at the end of her life. So March wore...
2 likes
Cherry

Gift: A Son's Story (extract) - A day out

I've almost completed the final draft of 'Gift' - my memoir about my time spent as my mother's full-time carer during the final months of her life...
Cherry
Pick of the Month

Tom Tom Turnaround (5) (ii)

It was a hard decision. But a month later saw her sailing out of Liverpool on the Royal George with everything she owned in the world crammed into a...
2 likes

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103 of my comments have received 112 Great Feedback votes

1 Vote

The 'double empathy' problem

Posted on Fri, 13 Sep 2024

The 'double empathy' problem helps to explain it.  If you get two people together from entirely different cultures, with no sharing of language, belief system, cultural norms, etc... they'll have the same problem.  I've a theory that it's at the...

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Posted in What is Autism? A brief guide...

1 Vote

Same here.  Chuckling all the

Posted on Fri, 13 Sep 2024

Same here.  Chuckling all the way.  Laughed out loud at

'You turn to the wife and kids. They are sitting in the car. The signs are bad but they still have hope.'

And 'The Majestic Hote.' Great!

Made me think of a Denzel...

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Posted in The Big End

1 Vote

Thanks, Di.  I'll never

Posted on Thu, 12 Sep 2024

Thanks, Di.  I'll never forget that moment.  It didn't take long after this, incidentally, for Greg to become my 'right-hand man'.  I ended up being able to get him to do anything!  It was wonderful.

Thanks for the cherries, too, eds!

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Posted in Taking Care 5 (ii)

1 Vote

Can't help wondering how much

Posted on Tue, 10 Sep 2024

Can't help wondering how much 'War is good for business' comes into decision-making, too.  Greased palms, donors with influence.  Snouts in the trough.  And fear of the media/establishment wielding the old 'anti-semitism' brickbats again.

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Posted in Memo to a new Labour MP Regarding Israel’s Latest Atrocity

1 Vote

Thank you!  I keep thinking

Posted on Tue, 10 Sep 2024

Thank you!  I keep thinking these are a bit rambling, and keep abandoning them.  This is very encouraging.

I set out with the idea of writing about all of my 20 years in care - but this first job, which I had on and off over a 5-year...

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Posted in Taking Care 4 (vi) - Day Centre

1 Vote

Quite.

Posted on Tue, 10 Sep 2024

Quite.

'Do try and keep a straight face.'

...and hide the other one.

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Posted in Memo to a new Labour MP Regarding Israel’s Latest Atrocity

1 Vote

Naturally, I've had to

Posted on Sat, 07 Sep 2024

Naturally, I've had to amalgamate some episodes, and do a little invention.  It's inevitable with anything autobiographical.  It was 20 years ago, after all. We don't always remember things accurately, too. But many of the memories are very clear...

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Posted in Taking Care 4 (ii) - Day Centre

1 Vote

Brilliant!

Posted on Sun, 08 Sep 2024

Brilliant!

I was a 'dunce' at school - in spite of being bright.  Had to wait until 56 to get the solution.

I've never had a problem with metaphors, figures of speech and figurative language.  I love slang and things like that.  But...

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Posted in A hundred moments in autism - First attempts at diagnosis

1 Vote

Reminds me though, Terrence,

Posted on Sun, 08 Sep 2024

Reminds me though, Terrence, of a story told to me by a teacher who'd worked with autistic children at a special school in Bulgaria.  Every morning, some of the kids would come in and set off the fire alarms - and the teachers couldn't understand...

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Posted in A hundred moments in autism - A trip to the cinema

1 Vote

Exactly what I said to the

Posted on Wed, 04 Sep 2024

Exactly what I said to the woman at KCC when she asked 'Is it likely to cause danger?'  They've said it's okay for now - not damaging the road or anything.  But the slime is making it slippery.  And, as you say, when it's icy.  The main problem...

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Posted in Water Palaver!

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