Laura Morgan: Live the life you want to, not the life you think you should

Last updated on March 22, 2019

At the top of this page under the title, we have the words “Live the life you want to, not the life you think you should”. It’s a sentiment we try to embody, and one that seems to resonate with lots of people. When some fellow and favourite writers started asking if we accepted guest posts, we initially weren’t sure how to approach it. We wanted to feature their writing, but how best to do it? We found our answer in the strapline. So here begins the first of our guest post series where talented writers respond to our mantra: “Live the life you want to, not the life you think you should”. We hope you enjoy it.

Introducing Laura Morgan

First up is Laura Morgan, a brilliant novelist and friend from Belfast who to me embodies the word whimsical (and that’s one of my favourite words). Her first and fabulous book, Stars Apart – a modern day myth for these celebrity obsessed times –came out in October and can be found on Amazon.

Live the Life you want to, not the life you think you should

From a young age, my parents were strict about telling the truth. If they ever heard me exaggerate, I would get instantly pulled up on it. At the time, I found it utterly infuriating, but now I know what they were telling me was: have confidence in your own truth. You don’t need to embellish to make things interesting. Say it like you see it.

So I got into the habit of telling the truth. And, maybe I’m wrong, but I’ve always linked that to the fact that I usually have a pretty strong idea of what I want. My obsession, my wants, have always been clear to me: stories – words. As many as I can get.

To me, ‘living the life you think you should’ presupposes knowledge of the future. And regrettably, I am not a psychic.  I don’t know why we are here. So this leads me to think that ‘should’ is a layer of bullshit that obscures our own truths – our own wants.

Should is arrogant. Should assumes that there is one way to live, and how, when the world has such an array of tastes, sights, textures, sounds and scents, could anyone possibly suggest that?

I like to think of the world as a  jigsaw puzzle. Each individual has a shape that slots in beside other shapes to make some sort of whole. As I have no conception of what the whole picture is, I can’t know where I will slot in. And therefore, trying to figure out what shape I should be is a futile exercise.  I think it’s best to try and figure out the shape I am – and put my energy into making my shape brighter.

Anyway, that’s what I hope. When the birds of worry attack my brain squawking about the unknown ahead, I tell myself that the future laughs at plans. That plans can be derailed in a phone call. That plotting a map for the days before me is a waste of time. But at the same time, I don’t like to feel directionless. So I use my wants as my compass.  My north is stories. And so far, they have led me to fascinating places.

Read more about Laura on her site Laura Morgan Novels.