Go Ahead and Ask Me

To Write or Not to Write (thanks wordsy)

To Write or Not to Write

         Each day holds some new inspiration for me, an inspiration that I would miss if I did not record it, or reflect upon it in some manner. Writing (to me at least) is a chance to express myself, for I am most certainly an external processor. Without writing, I would not think as clearly, not enjoy life as much, and I would forget about what is most important to me.
         As a college student, I am frequently required to write things that I really have no interest in. If I am lucky, I get to write a response to a journal prompt in a touchy-feely professor's class, but those do not come around very often. More likely, I receive the opportunity to have my unworthy ten page paper comparing Hinduism to Buddhism read over and graded by an expert in religion or world history. Strangely enough, such chances do not make my blood run faster.
         In my slower, secret moments that I steal away from the activities and responsibilities of life, I scribble my thoughts down in a journal, blog them, email them, write them in dry-erase marker on the window, whatever it takes. That line, "This isn't about love, this is about holding my hand," will only come once. If I don't write it down when I think it up, it will not return to me. Reading through such scraps of paper and long-forgotten blogs brings a smile to my face as I remember my own cleverness, or depth, or clarity, or thoughtfulness.
         Speaking of enjoyment, nothing feels as good as scribbling that period on the last complete thought of the night, or hearing the printer roar with the making of your new short story, or finding an old poem recorded on a Big Boy napkin. The completeness of that point, when adding another sentence will only detract from what you've already communicated, is indescribable. It is not the relief of making the due date. It is simply feeling good about what you have written and the effort you have put into it.
         And so I tell you, my fellow students, professor, other audience members, I tell you that things which I hold closer than my moments with just a good pen, a trusty journal and myself are scarce. The chance to be open with yourself is waiting for you. I answer your question: Write!



Inspired by wordsy