Wounds From a Friend (by Bion)

Pneuman and Jerry both work pretty hard--well, at least Pneuman does. Jerry mainly just puts stickers on his eyelids and starts singing showtunes...and then he hugs me for no apparent reason. But I've seen Pneuman and my human struggle through some fairly difficult plots and characterizations. Writing is difficult work.

What most people don't realize is that editing is even more difficult than writing. Of all my human's muses, I, Bion, am probably the one who works the hardest. I'm also the one who gets the least amount of gratitude. After all, who wants to thank someone for tearing apart what they've written and telling them to do it over?

Miss Campbell has often said that she hates editing. I understand that she doesn't mean that she hates me. My human isn't wise as Dragons go, but she is a wise enough human to understand that editing is necessary, even if it's unpleasant. If I were to let her get away with some of the drivel she and Pneuman write, she really might hate me. I edit her work because I want it--and her--to be the best possible. I edit, not because I am heartless, but because I care.

Another thing that Miss Campbell has often said is that she appreciates my honesty, even when it hurts. I think my writer has a good grasp of reality. I, too, am a realist. Realists are often misunderstood. Both my human and I know that ignoring a problem or hiding an unpleasant truth are not kindnesses. To quote a proverb, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (Proverbs 27:6)" I don't like telling my human to fix part of her plot or change one of her characters; I know it hurts her. But if I were to neglect to help her edit because I didn't want to hurt her, I would be a poor friend. Sometimes a person--or a Dragon--must tear down in order to build up. Miss Campbell knows this, and even if she doesn't always like what I have to tell her, she trusts me.

I'm very well aware of the fact that my fellow Dragon Muses think I'm uptight, but they also understand that I have a high calling. I'm the friend who wounds: the editor. Without me, my human's writing would be less than what it could be.