Why I can't write a Book about Witchcraft

Try as I might. I have started so often, then either find that what I have written either seems to vanish as I write it, or I find someone else has already written the book I am setting out to write. For this reason I have tended to find the episodic writing of a blog suits the subject matter better, and while writing things down has the same effect of making them vanish for me, the blog allows themes or patterns in my thinking to appear.

I used to think it was almost the fault of the subject matter. I didn't want to write a 'do this, say that, whack that' beginners guide but wanted to write a book about what was behind the beginner's guides. This is of course impossible, because these things are intangible. I would liken the layers behind what we see to a dynamic in psychotherapy - you can't see it but you can definitely feel it. And it is essentially these dynamics that all magical traditions work with.

Even in the real world of management, there are recognised things called intangible assets - for example the loyalty returning customers have to a company. You can't necessarily measure the loyalty, you can only measure the return and the reasons for it.

It is also not surprising that other people should helpfully keep writing the book I mean to. There isn't a tangible history of witchcraft succession, but we sure as hell know each other and walk the same paths without necessarily visibly meeting. And of course there is the tradition that witches keep meeting, so it's no surprise we should cover the same ground. We are, after all the ultimate intangible tradition.

I have also noticed that published authors who write more than one book either publish the same stuff rehashed or else publish different stuff as their own interest and journey moves on. Exactly the experience I have that I write something down and it's no longer my current focus.

I don't think you'll be seeing an actual book by the Hound at this rate...