ON THE IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
HOW WRITING HELPS
“Writing is my way of expressing –
and thereby eliminating –
all the various ways we can be wrong-headed.”
—Zadie Smith
Counselors and therapists make a living helping us understand how we are ‘wrong-headed’ about something in our lives.
There is a much less expensive path to straighten out our thinking when we get stuck or ‘wrong-headed’ as Smith calls it.
We can use a pen and paper. When we bring curiosity to the page in the form of a question and then trust our Muse (or God or Spirit) to respond, we only have to transcribe.
The wisdom that comes through this process is nothing short of a miracle.
ON BEING CREATIVE
I believe one writes because one
has to create a world in which one can live.
—Anaïs Nin
Isn’t this, after all, the reason we read? To escape, or change or understand our world?
Fiction provides an alternate reality, ‘how-to’ books – how to lose weight, how to win friends, how to accept failure – teach us how to change our world, and poetry helps us see the world through a different side of the brain.
When I write poetry, I enter a space and time separate from politics and weather reports.
The time is short; the space is small. And my poetry often sucks.
I wrote WORDPILE in one of these moments. Briefly, I am in a different world, and it makes me smile.
I believe we will see some great literature and poetry arise from the pandemic, for the ingredients are all there: Time at home to create and a world of chaos that we all wish were different.
We can, and will, make it different ( and more livable) through art, music, and writing.
A FOREVER JOURNEY
“If you’re a writer, you don’t have to retire but can keep on
doing the thing you love till you drop off the chair.”
—Alex Miller
My passion in life is to stay fully engaged in things I love until I, too, ‘drop off the chair.’
When I look at the things that get set aside as age creeps forward (gardening, mountain climbing, foreign travel), writing and prayer are two things I can continue despite the challenges that come with aging.
With the technology available today, I won’t even have to hold a pen. I can dictate my words. A long-term gift for long-term living!
WHY I WRITE
I don’t write to STAY alive. I write because I AM alive.
If you write, please let us know your story.
If you do not write, do you know what is holding you back?
In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield says, “Defeating Resistance is like giving birth.”
It is painful labor. And it is worth it! His book is small, eminently readable as well as life changing. (I don’t make money if you buy it. I do get a charge out of referring people to great resources.)
If you missed the first article in the blog about writing click here “Did You Ever Want to Be a Writer”
HERE IS A PLACE TO GET STARTED.
“THE MEMOIR COLLECTIVE” BRINGS YOU A PROMPT EVERY DAY IN A COMMUNITY
OF OTHER ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO WRITE, READ AND SHARE.
Some are writers, some want to be, some had never thought about it…until now.
Click on the image and check it out now.
DON’T MISS NEW ARTICLES FROM “THE REFLECTIVE PEN”
