Why I Write

    Writing for me is many things.  It is an outlet for my creative side, a tension reliever, and a necessity for my career.  I have expressed myself through writing as long as I can remember.  Many times the writing was for my eyes only and other times it was gladly shared with the world.  Writing for me is my vocal instrument when my voice is not strong or brave enough to relay the words that swim in my heart and mind.

         I am not your typical creative person.  I cannot draw a recognizable stick figure.  I have no musical talent whatsoever.  After a lifetime of dance I can finally hear the rhythm to most songs.  Yet, I am very creative.  I can choreograph dances, orchestrate drama productions, envision and create unique jewelry pieces, and I can write.  I’m not a Shakespeare nor a Poe, nor do I aspire to be.  The thing I believe I excel in is thinking outside the box.  I’m not afraid to try something new in writing, attempting a new genre challenges and excites me.  Even more than that, I like to think how someone else would write it and then do it differently.  This is where my creative side comes alive and gives me such a rush that even as a writer I am at a loss for the right words to describe it.

         The best way I can describe this feeling is comparing it to the excitement of seeing your child after you’ve been apart a couple of days.  At least that’s what it’s like for me when my eleven-year-old son comes home from his dad’s house.  Just seeing his bright eyes reminds me how blessed I am.  There are, of course, days when being a single parent and working full-time teaching middle school does wreck havoc on my nerves.  My escape is not the bathtub or the gym.  It is the typewriter.  It seems that after just a mere ten minutes of letting my thoughts on the day or even just random babbling escape, my body relaxes and my super powers of mom return in full force.  How lucky am I that my vice is free and has no health risks?

         Writing is part of my daily life because it is what I teach nine months out of the year.  My greatest challenge comes in making the students excited about writing.  I am constantly looking for innovative ways to present ideas and motivate them.  Part of that is making sure that I stay excited about the subject.  Often this doesn’t come from my own writing but from reading other writer’s pieces.  Teens are very intuitive; they know when you are teaching because you have to or when you are teaching because you want to share something with them.

         Writing is the part of me that I share and at times the part of me I keep hidden.  It reminds me of the best friend that you tell all to, the friend that finishes your sentences for you.  Writing isn’t a reflection of me; it is a part of me.  All I have to do is look through my writing to see myself: random, funny, thoughtful, a bit twisted, full of mistakes at times, yet always seeking improvement.