This morning I woke up wondering why I write. Why? I sit in front of the computer, pulling words out of the air for a good part of my day. Why do I do that? Maybe the answer lies in the third sentence; I don’t really pull words out of the air, they are vying for space in my mind and I put them down on paper as quickly as I can. In other words, I have no choice. The words are there! What am I to do? I could talk to my dog. He always listens patiently, wagging his tail and looking soulful. I could mutter aloud as I walk in front or back yards but that might cause my neighbors to look at me, askance. In the old days, I grabbed a pencil and a blank sheet of paper. I still do that a lot but it’s much faster to type. Words, however, are not empty little missives; they carry meaning. With them, we communicate. With them, I tell you my hopes and dreams and spin some pretty wild tales. But it goes a step further than that. I write because I hope you want to read.
I love reading old letters. I have a few postcards and letters that my grandmother and my mom wrote. My mother sent a postcard to her grandpa when she was about nine years old. Mom was in California with her family and Grandpa Ben was back home in Etta, Oklahoma. Mom reminded him that the next day would be her birthday. And I’ve a copy or two of letters between Ma Latty and her family in Georgia. Those written words give me a peek at life long ago and of the dreams that were dreamed and the plans that were made.
It would be wonderful to read a journal or diary that a member of my family left but my ancestors were, for the most part, not given to keeping daily written records. I guess they were too busy living life, working hard, and taking care of each other. However, a journal from 1918 appears in the third Darcy/Flora mystery and with it, a family secret comes to light. Journals can be not only entertaining, but crucial in solving a mystery.
With words, I create a world of my choosing. Problems abound but, in the end, everything turns out all right. Words are so important and lasting that I wonder why many writers choose to create a world that includes profanity or sordid scenes. I have never seen such things advance a story line or add interest. To me, these unnecessary words are sort of like spots of dirt on an otherwise pretty shirt, and I consider them a complete turn-off. True, life is not always sweetness and light but there is enough ugliness in the real world without perpetuating it in the make-believe world of fiction.
I guess I write because I have to write. It is a gift that my Creator gave me. Writing is life and life is writing. That’s just the way it is.
May your world today be one of joy and gladness with just enough mystery to add a bit of spice.
Picture by Julie Seedorf
excellent