Why write????

So, why do I write?  Because words intrigue me.  Because it has always been a form of expression when my voice failed me.  Because I can't always say what I feel without emotions getting in the way..... but Oh, can I write a letter!  When I was young I kept journals, now both humorous and slightly sad to me, as they recorded my extreme lack of self-confidence apart from whatever current boy was interested in me.  Page after page of teenage angst, always wrapped around certain male attention, or lack thereof.... I wrote a few 'dear John' letters, masterpieces I imagine, though I am sorry for the adolescent hearts they may have broken.  I've written love letters also, to boyfriends, my husband, and my precious kids.  I wrote a letter to my Grampa a few years ago.  He beamed when he told me he kept it in a box of his 'precious letters.'  I felt completely fulfilled. 

I'll admit to being a literature snob.... I am insulted by novels that do not challenge me; roll my eyes at cliches and love stories written at a level I consider below me. If I can predict the ending, I see no reason to waste my time getting there..... Words are a gift, language a trust, we should use them skillfully.

So there it is. I write because words have an impact. They are powerful. They can be a weapon or a gift. Perhaps at their best they are a mirror.  The best authors validate our feelings; they give us permission to laugh out loud, or cry in our pillows for reasons we may have until that very moment been unaware of.  Success for me is knowing I have, at least once, accomplished that small goal.  In the meantime I will write, selfishly, because it is my passion -- like an artist with a brush, or a potter with clay, words are my medium.  I hope you enjoy the results.