Posts in Writing
Once Upon a Time in a Land Far-off
 

Once upon a time in a land far-off, there was a girl and construction paper before her. She took crayons and markers and crafted poem after silly poem to make the best birthday cards she could for her family members.

The years went on, and the girl grew. A blank notebook set before her with decorative cover. Inside it she produced thoughts and memories, ranging from the deep to the minuscule. The ink flowed freely from her pen onto the lined pages, filling journal after journal. Her thoughts generally vacillated from the soul-searching questions about faith to the heartbreaking unrequited crushes of her youthful years. New writing styles emerged in forms of poetry, short stories, plays, and personal essays. She couldn't stop writing.

The years continued on, and the girl became a woman. A blank document set before her, glowing on the computer screen in the darkened room of night-owl tendencies. Though life had become filled with responsibility after responsibility, she began a blog to occasionally share some thoughts with the world, trying public pondering on for size.

Life changed and became filled with activities, both challenging and fantastic. Blogs became something she read rather than wrote, seeing others who made names for themselves in their blogging efforts. These days much of her creativity was mustered weekly for her editing position, writing 52 short pieces a year, one a week. Personal writing went by the wayside, but reading other people's words (both fictional and non) as inspiration remained a joy.

One night during a distracted quest to search for something for work, the woman recalled that she had a blog. She visited the land forgotten and smiled at past posts. Some were a little embarrassing to her as an editor (they sure could use some editing!), and most she could hardly recall writing. But they reminded her of the life she lived and the blessings God had given and continues to give.

She also remembered how cathartic it could be to put words together just for fun. Not for work. Not for anyone else's benefit. Just for her.

So she sat down and wrote. And after 2.5 years, she posted.

 
Writing = sanity

Sometimes the mental effort required to take both the mundane and the exciting events of life and place it into words feels taxing. Other times, I have to sit and craft something intelligent or else I worry about my own senility. If not unleashed, it builds up inside without me realizing it, and I feel mentally bloated! And then that makes me feel tired and useless.

Yet when I allow the dam to break and words to pour forth, I find the sanity and focus I was seeking. It's like I need the reassurance that I still possess some semblance of the skills I thought I had within.

WritingKellyComment
Warning: self-reflective post ahead!
At times, if I allow myself the time for cognitive reflection, I can tap into the intelligent side of my brain and bring forth profound thought and multifaceted vocabulary to express my visceral personality. The writing produced by such thought emerges from an unknown location and presents itself on the page. In reading through past meanderings as these, I find myself surprised that I was the author and hardly recall the entire construction process.

And, at other times, my brain is simply muddle. A puddle.

And then there are times when I feel I can’t focus on a thing! Barely comprehending one thought, my attention is yanked away to some distraction. And I get mad at myself for not being able to remember why I walked from one room to another.

Such is life, I guess. And while I desire depth in both my daily thought processes and my weekly postings here on the blog, sometimes life isn’t like that. Or depth comes in simple language and simple events, which is just fine. The only negative is that it can be hard on the pride and ego -- if I’m a writer and editor, I tell myself that I should be more eloquent more often. I have the potential, at least!

My desire for my life is to encourage others with my words. However that comes, in large words and large thoughts or in simple musings, I hope that you might find something I say ends up causing you to smile, to think, to praise God. After all, the ability to write comes from God, intended to give the glory back to Him!
WritingKelly Comment