Why I Write



Why I Write



Whether writing is a choice, a calling, necessary as breathing or even your job, some days, heck sometimes every day, you just need to remind yourself why you write. 

Reading is as necessary as breathing and I can’t live a day without it. Otherwise I’d be one grouchy mamma bear. The need to read, to explore other worlds, people’s lives. Dive into another world for a while. Escape. I discovered I get really cranky when I don’t read.  I wanted to know how I could I transfer that feeling to writing? I wanted to be there, at that stage. Then I realized I see writing on a whole different level. Maybe because I’ve come to it at a later age and haven’t been doing it all my life.

It’s a choice. My mom’s favorite saying. We all have choices. I choose to write or maybe it chose me. Who knows. I found a new love and we are well past the honeymoon stage. We’ve powered past the seven year itch and the take it for granted stage.  We've now entered into the the second honeymoon phase of life where you can't get enough of each other.  

How can I describe writing. It's like diving into a rushing river and letting it take you away. You give yourself up to the flow of the river, which at times can really be unpredictable. You never quite know what is around the next bend.  Even though you have planned it out, studied it, anticipated what is going to happen, there is always the unexpected. The rapids carry you along, pull you every which way, too fast for you to see or think. The view passes by in a blur. You do your best to stay afloat until you able to get clear of the rapids and find a calm spot and take a steady breath. Some days the words pour out just like the white water rapids and only when you've reached the calm spot by the bank, can take time to access. Sometimes all you can say is "Wow, how did I do that?"

You take a moment to rest in that calm spot, float and quietly absorb the beauty around you. Then you move back into the crazy flow again and suddenly it shoots you into an unexpected tributary. A side trip that could either sooth or unsettle. A side trip that gives you insight into your imaginary world. At times, the water is so clear, you can see the bottom. Every single pebble and the fish glistens in the sunlight. But in a blink of an eye, the water turns muddy. So thick, you can’t see a thing. Then there are those waterfalls. The sudden drop that takes your breath away.  

You can either swim as hard and fast as you can against the current, fight it all the way or…. You can relax, go with the flow, enjoy the journey.

Why do I write aside from the fact that it’s a fantastic mind journey full of unpredictably?

I write to open the door into my mind and have grand conversations with myself, with God, with my characters. I write to explore the who’s, what’s, where’s and why’s. I write to free my mind of all the detritus that gathers throughout the day. I write to understand that which I don’t understand. I write to heal the wounds of the soul. I write to practice, I write to explore, I write to play. I write to create. I write for those Aha moments because I do so enjoy when my characters surprise me. Or when I even surprise myself with an epiphany about my life. I write to let my soul sing.

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