Writing is Essential to Life!

When did it happen? Somewhere along the way, the desire to write turned into the necessity to write. My body actually has a physical reaction to not writing for a day or more. I feel edgy or anxious, as if I have missed an important appointment. If I haven’t made time for myself to connect with my world of writing - I have. I have missed an appointment with myself, and unless I put some words on a page fast, I know that I will be miserable. My husband can attest to this strange force that takes hold. The winds outside seem to blow harder, the air in the house is heavy, canned goods jump off the shelves (no, not really) – all because I NEED to write! My husband will say, “Just go. Take yourself out with your laptop. We’ll see you in 2 or 3 hours, and you’ll be a new person.” It’s true. I am much easier to live with, when I have had my writing fix.

Literature brings meaning to the writer and the reader. For the writer, it brings both meaning and an extraordinary purpose in life. Being able to describe your world in detail and create something that represents that experience of life with all of the joys, sorrows and every day occurrences is a great gift. Writers, painters, photographers, musicians, dancers, actors and all those in the various creative arts fields, all have the precious opportunity to observe and comment on the human experience in a way that the viewer or reader can identify with, find meaning in and draw comfort from, as we all travel on this path together. Artists have the gift of expressing how it feels to be alive on a deep and primal level. Without this space to create and express, most of us would just have too much creative energy bubbling up to the surface with no outlet. Thank goodness for the blank canvas, the blank screen or paper, the stage, and the raw materials of art.

Writing is essential to life. What a gift to know that this is your path.

Write on!