Why do I write?

 Why do I write? Let me count the ways. Because I can. Because I like to. Because there is a blank sheet of paper in front of me. It is my outlet, my release, my peace, my joy and the only way I can tell you what my world is like. Yours may be quite different, but mine is full of pictures waiting to be put into words, emotions that can run amok all over the sheet, or sometimes it's a thoughtful grazing place.

Words are magical! Take twenty-six symbols that represent sounds and turn them into stories, novels, instructions or directions. Words can take you to the far ends of the earth with a novel or just down the street with a thank you note. Words can tell the world or a close companion what you think or feel. Words can cause anger or bring peace. They can rile or calm. They can impart truth or lies. Without words how dull and lifeless our lives would be!

With words I can create a scene that you can see even though there is no picture. You can see the mountains, feel the wind and sun, hear the warbling brook or smell the fragrant wild flowers. That picture is so much greater than just a photograph or painting. Words involve all your senses. They give you the complete picture. It fills your imagination and it then becomes yours alone.

With words I can go anywhere in the world. I can see the pyramids of Egypt, the Coliseum of Rome, or the Taj Mahal in India. And I don’t only have the picture, I have historical content, perhaps even a narrative of the culture. I can visit the great museums of the world, or I can sit quietly beside a flowing stream and enjoy the lush grass and warm sun. Yes, I can go anywhere with a word.

With words I can express myself. My inner most feelings can flow to the surface, those things that you would never see or hear from my lips. The joy, the pain, the love or anger can all burst forth like a dam that has been breached. Words can cleanse. Or they may preserve feelings or memories. Words are often my best counselor.

If you are of the male persuasion, this one may not be all that important. But for we women, words are the things that make recipes, give directions to build a project, guide us along a path to where we need to go. Yes, directions are important in many aspects of life. Just try baking a cake by guess or by golly.

Words offer infinite ways to express ourselves. They fill our lives with so many wonderful options. What would life be like without them? No books, no maps, no communication. Our world would be small, narrow, lacking in significant ways.

Why do I write? In this medium, I do it for you. In other mediums, I do it for me. But mostly I just do it because it’s my way of creating and I can’t imagine not doing it. Thank you for your kind words as you follow my wandering, sometimes convoluted trail as it is expressed on paper. Or pick up a pen and create your own path into the unknown. Who knows where a personal journal might take you!

Com’in from the Written Road