My Love Letter To Writing

Writing has always brought an unadulterated joy to my life.  As an elementary schooler, Young Authors competitions- where I wrote about everything from our solar system to raccoons- served an annual hallmark of excitement. Right now, ten journals sit stacked in the leftmost corner of my closet because it is putting my experiences and thoughts and feelings to words that brings me a profound sense of peace.  In my digital world, unfinished manuscripts from as early as 2014 sit in my Google Drive, because crafting stories and characters and worlds is how I hone my creativity.  This is my love letter to writing- the loyal companion I know will remain by my side for years to come. 

Writing this blog, for example, reminds me of the cathartic experience that is writing solely for myself.  I find myself indifferent to whether one million people read this or if my eyes are the sole witness to its existence.  I think that is a special quality in this world.  This world that emphasizes popularity and external validation. This world that – across all time periods- unites under the idea that a falling tree only makes a sound when there is someone there to hear it.  

I have started writing poetry again in spite of my sister’s comments that it is “incredibly nerdy.”  Okay- it wasn’t in spite of her- but it is an extra bonus.  Rekindling my love for four word stanzas and rhyming and sonnets, I am reminded of the transformative power of poetry: it has the ability to encapsulate moments that transcend time and space. The feelings I write about in my poetry are those experienced by the first humans, by my first ancestors, and by my future bloodlines.  That power of unity is incredibly special. And it is the simple material of words and writing that serve as building blocks for this invisible yet indestructible string.

Over the past year, I have been immersed in the creation of a novel.  With words as my paintbrush, I have fashioned entire realms, populated them with unique individuals, and unleashed conflict upon their lives.  Writing is such a powerful tool for communication that through a fantasy novel with magic and epic battles, my unique experience in this world will live on for generations.  It amazes me how writing can simultaneously be my legacy and bring me joy, free from the need for recognition or validation. I marvel at how writing can be both my safe haven in the present and my connection to this world in the future when I am gone.  I’m still learning how these juxtaposed qualities coexist, but I think they are just a testament to the strength of writing; in that writing has rightfully planted its roots in the depths of my bones, its intertwining branches guaranteeing the foundation it has created for my life. 

So writing- thank you.  With every stroke of the pen, you have breathed empathy, freedom, and transformation into my life.   In recognition of your greatness, I vow to honor our bond and stick by your side as you have done mine- venturing with you into the limitless realms that you fashion.