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Everybody Write!

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The other morning, as I was sitting with notebook blithely writing away at my morning pages, I had a funny little frisson of thought~you know, those strange notions that seem to pop into your head occasionlly, like a waking dream. For just a second, I had the feeling that everyone in my neighborhood, everyone in the world, actually, was writing too. With a quick mental shake of the head, I came to my senses. How ridiculous is that? But then, a wave of sadness came over me, sadness for everyone I know that doesn't write, because they are missing so much. Using words to express our needs, our thoughts, our emotions, is basic to life, and something every child is taught from the earliest of ages. Unlike playing a musical instrument, or painting, or dancing, learning command of our languge through speech and the written word is deemed one of life's most necessary skills. Isn't it exciting to watch children master the use of words, to figure out that the use of words makes things happen? Who hasn't cherished a child's scribbled notes and poems, written with such excitement and freedom, their first forays into the world of written expression?

Back in 1938, when she wrote If You Want To Write, author Brenda Ueland insisted that "everybody is talented, everybody who is human has something to express." We let that creative engergy, that drive to express oursleves get "drummed out of our lives by dry obligation, and because we don't respect it in ourselves and keep it alive by using it." Fast forward 60 years, and Julia Cameron publishes Right to Write, in which she advises us to "write because it's human nature to write. Writing claims our world. It brings clarity and passion to the art of living. It is good for the soul. It connects us to our insights, and to a higher and deeper level of inner guidance." I don't believe writing is just for the "chosen few," but that everyone comes hard wired with this need to express themselves with the written word. The proliferation of blogging as a means of personal expression is testimony to that.

In the high school where I worked, we had a period of time each day known as "Silent Reading." It happened about 10:30 a.m., right after morning announcements. Just after we heard results of the volleyball game, meeting time for National Honor Society, and were reminded to wear red and black for spirit day, the announcer says, "Now it's time for Silent Reading." The entire student body -all 2100 of them- including teachers, stops class and reads for 20 minutes.

I love being there when that happens. I love the idea of everybody stopping in their tracks just to read, to enter into someone else's world for a while. Wouldn't it be fabulous if the whole world took time every day to do that? And, wouldn't it be even more fabulous if the the world took 20 minutes every day to write, to enter into our own worlds a little deeper, express our vision of life and ourselves on the page. Wouldn't we all become more mindful of the beauty that surrounds us, the people that intersect with our lives, and more keely attuned to our own thoughts and dreams? Those are just some of the ways my writing experience has enriched my life.

So, how about you?  Do you make time to write everyday?  Don't you think everybody should?   

The Times They Are A-Changin' (part two)

During the summer of 1968, we were on our annual summer pilgramage to my mother's hometown in central Kentucky.  I recall being gathered around the kitchen table at my Aunt Emily's house, eating homemade peach ice cream.  The Democratic National Convention was on the television in the background, some of the men sitting around watching Hubert Humprey become the nominee for President.  One of the littler cousins turned to my Uncle Bud and said innocently, "Papaw, what are we? Democrats or 'Publicans?"

"Hmph," my uncle replied, "we are Democrats in this family, boy, and don't you ever forget it."

So my political leanings seem to have been bred in my southern bones, along with my love of going barefoot, my taste for pecan pie and mint in my tea.  Admittedly, I've never been more than a lackadaisical Democrat, have never done more than dutifully cast my ballot in Presidential and Gubernatorial elections.

But this election feels different to me.  It feels like this country is at a watershed moment, as if we're poised on the brink of a precipice and could quite easily tip over, careening down a path of destruction.  The stakes are high in this election, and this time when I cast my vote for the Democratic party, I feel as if it carries more weight than it ever has before.

In the past eight years, we've seen firsthand the power of the Presidency - and certainly not in a good way.  We've seen only too well how one man can lead a nation to the brink of destruction globally, can erode its economy, can create an atmosphere of hopelessness and loss among its people.  How one man can exacerbate a personal vendetta war that costs thousands of young lives and billions of dollars.

I rarely mention politics on any of my blogs, because that's not what my writing here is about.  But I believe the times must change in this country.  And I believe of the two candidates who are running for President, Barack Obama is the man who has the best chance of making that change occur. During the course of this seemingly endless campaign, he has impressed me with his logical, common sense approach to domestic and foreign issues, his vision for new opportunities for the middle class, and his serenity and cool headed manner.  He strikes me as a man who thinks things through, who pays attention to detail, and who does not jump rashly into a situation without being fully prepared.

These qualities will serve him well in a country that's hungry for hope, guidance, and strong leadership.

Although I was raised in a family of Democrats, I married into a family of Republicans.  Rabid ones at that.  (My father in law kept an 8 x 10 glossy of Ronald Regan on his bedroom wall.)  It's never been an issue between Jim and I, because neither one of us was all that invested in the political process.  But lately I've been telling him (and I'm only half joking, people) that if McCain wins this election, I'm moving to Canada (or maybe even Australia) and renouncing my citizenship.  "If the American people are stupid enough to elect another Republican," I've been known to say when I get really riled up on the subject, "than I don't even want to be an American anymore."

Whether it was my threats, or whether he's finally seen the error of his ways, my spouse is about ready to jump off the sinking Republican ship.  For once, when we go to the polls, we won't cancel each other's vote.

And for the first time in my life as a voter, I feel as if my vote counts for more than just a token show of alliance to the Democratic party.  It counts for my fervent hope that the next leader of this troubled nation has the strength, the wisdom, and the grace of God to turn things around.

I Dare You

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.             ~Seneca

Or- to put it another way - what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? Go skydiving? Become a doctor?  Take up ballroom dancing or acting...hockey or figure skating?

What's your wildest writing dream?  Penning the biggest blockbuster since The DaVinci Code?  or winning the Pulitzer Prize for a finely crafted work of fiction?  And what's stopping you from going after it?

Sitting in my bottom desk drawer are the manuscripts of two short novels completed for NaNoWriMo in 2006 and 2007.  In my more generous moments, I think of them as rather good stories.  More often, I think of all the revision and shaping they would require and am overwhelmed at the difficulty of that task.

So difficult, the task of revising a novel.  Where does one even begin? 

Much too difficult, really.

I don't dare.

Yes, sitting here in my comfortable chair is safe and easy.  But how often has it happened that, once ventured, much is gained.  Where do I find the courage to open that drawer and make a start?  What might happen if I did?

Many questions to consider, many dreams to ponder.

Can you make yours come true?

I dare you to try.

Write on.

The Times They Are A'Changin'

 

Change is afoot in the world, isn't it?  If only it were all this beautiful.

Autumn is my favorite season, and the older I become, the more I love it.  There's certainly a poignancy to it, this spectacular gala nature throws for us just before the earth turns cold and dark for winter.  But somehow that only makes it more lovely, like Cinderella at the ball, racing the stroke of midnight and ekeing every last morsel of glory from the dance.

Just over two years ago, I began writing here at a time of change in my life's cycle.  About to turn 50, I found myself searching for a way to express and challenge myself.  In this chronicle about "life in general and my own in particular,"  I've explored my thoughts about the typical things which occur in the life of an American woman  - relationships with adult children and aging parents, carving out time for one's interests and passions, finding the balance between fulfilling the expectations of others and creating a meaningful life as an individual.  In sharing those thoughts on this forum, I've been fortunate enough to meet a veritable world of talented, inspiring women, each one on a journey of her own, each one looking to learn and share, each one reaching out a hand in solidarity.

Lately, watching mother nature perform her annual metamorphosis, I've been wondering whether it's time for some bigger changes in my life as well.  I feel slightly adrift in my writing life, as if I've lost my focus, my outlook on life in general turning fuzzy and disjointed.  I come to this page quite often, but sit staring at the blank screen not knowing what it is I need to say.

All this by way of saying I'm putting the Byline on hiatus for a bit.  Maybe a couple of weeks, maybe a couple of months.  Maybe the act of publicly stepping back will free the thoughts that seem to have frozen into an early winter.

I'm leaving you with this gorgeous maple, decked out in fullest autumn finery to remind you (and myself) that change can be spectacular.

I'm hoping for that in all our worlds.