Freewriting
The Infamous Writer’s Question
For as long as I’ve called myself a writer, there is always the infamous question posed by others about my craft, “So…what do you write?” Many times before, I’d draw a blank. What do I write? Is there a name for it? I mean, a specific one? I was being asked to label what I wrote, and I’m not a fan of labels. I felt cornered to give it a name, as if it was the same thing each time I wrote, the same message, the same impact. And it never is. Only now have I figured out the simple truth about what I write and all gratitude goes to Beat generation writer, Jack Kerouac. According to Jack, and now me, “I write how I feel.” Simple and true. However, this answer may not satisfy inquiring minds, but let me continue with what Jack once said: “Write how you feel, because feeling is the essence of intellect, because without feeling nothing can be known…” Jack’s idea can easily transfer over into every day life, as well. Recently, I was reminded by a dear friend that we are here to take nothing away with us; only to experience. As a writer, I am here to experience, to feel all that I can, and to express it in a way that is true to me. I am nothing other than pure energy and feeling in this world.
TweetChoice. Experience. Life.
Everything is our choice…every situation, every person we grant permission to enter and affect our life, is our choice. We choose to be in whatever state of mind we want to be in, and most times, we choose to remain there.
So if it’s a negative or potentially negative experience for you, pay attention to every sign and put a stop to it, leave it, walk away, kill the thoughts you have about it that keep you there, simply change it.
You have the ability and resources to do whatever needs to be done to get to the place you deserve…a state of happiness.
TweetFifteen – The Age of Innocence
I happened to catch the song, Fifteen, by young artist Taylor Swift and am taken back to the time when I was that age. She sings about how at age fifteen, “this is right before you know who you’re gonna be,” how this is the time when you’re suppose to find out who you’re suppose to be.
When I hear that lyric, I am transported back to my younger self, a sophomore in high school, and walking home alone – as I usually preferred. The noise of the passing traffic, occasional birds chirping, and the myriad thoughts flowing through my mind were enough company. I was thinking about the word “vocation” and pondering what my own could be. Without much thought, the word “writer” came to mind. That was the first time I realized that I was a writer, that that was the form of self-expression that chose me. That idea of being a writer has taken on many forms since that moment in my life. Of course, I had been expressing myself through journals since age nine, and twenty years later, nothing has changed. I am grateful to know my vocation; how I choose to fulfill it in this life is ever-changing, always evolving, but as long as I share myself with the world in this way, then I know benefits are inevitable for me and whoever chooses to read my words.
Who were you at fifteen? What’s your vocation?
TweetClarity, Order and Women
I’m always interested in clarity
It should be clear, readable, straight-forward.
Creating order is typography.
It should be neutral. It should have a meaning in itself.
-Wim Croewel, Helvetica
“It” is Woman.
TweetBroken Heart
I started to listen to Carrie Underwood’s song, Lessons Learned and it made me think about how the only people that have truly broken my heart have been women. I have befriended plenty of women and they have been the one gender I have given my heart and soul to more than men, so there you have the broken heart. Women get into misunderstandings galore and for what? Mostly, I think it’s a matter of unexpressed anger and not our nature. Women are not encouraged to express their feelings when angry. We are known as the nurturing species and have the desire to mend and make better all that is not right. We have the need to talk, to express our feelings, and so when meeting someone, a woman, we look for a connection, a bond, and when we think it’s found or there is potential for one, we open ourselves up. We pour out everything there is inside of us and when heartache occurs, we learn to hold back a little. And if it happens enough, we hold back a lot and offer little to no feeling. But we are a stubborn species too, so we try and trust again, and again and again. Sadly, some women make it to pure bitterness and choose not to make friends with anyone until life sends someone down their path to shake them up a bit, give them a couple of unwanted hugs, some pats on the back, some compliments about how beautiful they look, and they may even just prove to be there when most needed and bitter woman starts to loosen up. Doubt and fear are still key players in the relationship, but without realizing it, they become backups and she begins to warm up to the possibility that hope and love can and do always prevail in relationships. This is life teaching us to stay open, to look for the lessons, to ask for advice when we aren’t sure, to reach out when we feel vulnerable and uncertain about the direction we are going, for whatever signs we need to grow and become stronger. Keep a look out for that woman, or the many women who have your heart, and cherish what they bring to your life. Even if it gets rocky at times, the lessons learned can be precious jewels for you to wear proudly too.
TweetThink Global.
No boundaries. Imagine that.
