Secrets for the Mad

Book excerpt: A collection of personal stories, lessons, song lyrics, and photos from the beloved British vlogger Dodie Clark, also known online as doddleoddle. When I feel like I'm going mad, I write. A lot of my worst fears have come true; fears that felt so big I could barely hold them in my head. I was convinced that when they'd happen, the world would end. But the world didn't end. In fact, it pushed on and demanded to keep spinning through all sorts of mayhem, and I got through it. And because I persisted, I learned lessons about how to be a stronger, kinder, better human—lessons you can only learn by going through these sorts of things. This is for the people with minds that just don't stop; for those who feel everything seemingly a thousand times more than the people around them. Here are some words I wrote.