Writing

When I write I feel alive. That may sound clichéd and contrived, but it’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it! Writing gives expression to my thoughts, helping me to process and record how I feel about things, be that personal pain/triumph or my views on/response to events that occur.

I am well able to articulate myself verbally, so I don’t primarily view my writing as an outlet for the unsaid. Yet such is the power of the written word, that it often intuitively fulfills that function.

I want to make change happen. The spoken word is so powerful, but its impact is sometimes only momentary. Not because of its validity, but the capacity of the hearers to retain those words or stay in the ‘moment’ created by them. The written word can be re-visited over and over. Yes, a book could remain packed in a box, never to reach a shelf in order to gather dust. However, eventually, someone will pick up that book and read its words, even if as a consequence of a bargain bin rummage.

Transformation can occur at this point. If a book touches one person, in my opinion, it has fulfilled its purpose, and it will not remain with that one person. Consciously or unconsciously, there will be a ripple effect, affecting to varying degrees all who come into contact with them.

Writing has allowed me the privilege of sharing in people’s lives. Timely provision of an encouraging word, sometimes in a very dark time, has appeared to be a needed catalyst for a step forward.

Can my writing be more than a personal habit? Can its sphere of influence be enlarged?

This is some of what I wish to explore…