A very wise woman responsible for the indispensable parent handbook, Reviving Ophelia, Mary Pipher, believes that the desire to write, that a ha moment when you know exactly what your going to say and how you’re going to say it, is like a muse that must be acknowledged whenever and however it presents itself. No matter if I am doing the dishes or taking a bath or walking the dog.
My best story ideas usually dissipate with the bath water but I feel strangely drawn to the writing world these days and I am trying to appease the unknown presence in the universe that guides us and, for a change, listen to my god-given intuition.
Of course, I have many ideas, and leads and queries started, few completed. I am not sure if my inability to finish a project is tied to my inability to finish my thoughts or simply the result of a life well lived. Yes, I’m stalling – trying to remember what it was the muse wanted. Did she want me to finish my dream job cover letter or my blog or my query to O. In any case, as I listen as intently as I can to my soul, my wine glass is becoming increasingly empty and my stomach is growling.
I recently read that writer’s block isn’t so much that but rather other underlying issues that prevents us from completing our work. It isn’t that your blocked but rather that you hate your current project, or your life, but that’s another issue. And I can’t say for sure what exactly it is that I am destined to do with my gift to form a complete paragraph but I do not that I am drawn with such passion and desire to share myself with others, perhaps allow for a glimpse of my soul in hopes of catching a piece of theirs.
How about you? Why do you write? What inspires you?
I very much connect with the last line of your blog. I write for the same reason you do-- to connect with people. While some people think that blogging is purely narcissitic, I find that it allows me a window into one of those souls you mentioned that I likely wouldn't ever see in daily life as we all rush past one another doing our thing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for giving me a glimpse of yours. Your writing supports my first impression of you... and it was a good one.