It has been nearly seven months since I have written anything on this blog and it seems my words are coated in a thick layer of rust and writters block because of it. About the time of my last post I decided that due to a lack of time I would have to prioritize all of the things I did in my free time and make some cuts. The idea was that I would only focus on self improvement and family in my time off of work. Self improvement meant that I would keep reading the bible, going to the gym, and reading other non-fiction books daily. I cut out things like television almost completley with the exception of a movie during family time and programs that I could learn from. For the past few months I have barely written and I haven't read any fiction literature, as I write this I realize the toll it has taken on my creative mind.
The other day, after reading the blogs of two women who always inspire me to write I decided that it was time for me to pick it back up again. After staring at a blank screen for about fifteen minutes I got frustrated and went back to watching political debates. My words don't flow like they should, there is no beauty or imagination in what I'm doing now. This is only an attempt to stimulate my thoughts and remind my brain what creative writing is.
Creative writing is what I set aside because it wasn't important enough.
I took her for granted....
Creative writing is important.
Writing it is important.
Reading it is important.
Steinbeck is important.
Byron is important.
Dumas is important.
Hughes is important.
I set all of these aside because I thought I wasn't learning enough from them, I decided that history, science, how to, and political books were more essential in better developing my brain. What I took for granted was the fact that they don't evoke emotion or allow thoughts to be shared in the same way. Every type of literature has it's own purpose, every writer has theis own message. Each is important (mostly anyway) in stimulating the mind, increasing intelligence, and bringing awareness to the reader however creative writing is the only type of literature that gives both the writer and the reader insight into themselves and others.
So this is my attempt to brush the dust off the pages and rejuvenate my passion for the pen once again. Hopefully my next post will be on here soon and my words will be restored to their full vigor. Until then goodbye and God bless.
I stopped writing and reading the books and poetry I liked sometime around our sophomore year in high school, and I didn’t go back for a while. I felt it consumed too much of my energy… isolated me from others. I couldn’t seem to strike a healthy balance, so I opted for a social life instead. Then I became involved in my first (and only) serious relationship and then I became a mother shortly thereafter and it was always me denying that part of myself so that I could “improve” other aspects of my life. But mostly I think I was just afraid and exhausted. That creative part of me didn’t really seem to fit in with my newfound life so I just boxed it up and stored it in the attic, and then I mourned that empty space for four years straight without even realizing it.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it’s a lesson we all have to learn at one point or another. I guess sometimes in order to know who we are we have to be something else for a while. But I do beg to differ on one point. You said, “There is no beauty or imagination in what I’m doing now”. We think that if we’re not actively creating then that part of our brain goes stale. But your devotion to God and to family, honoring your body by taking care of it, your passion for politics, and your decision to focus on more concrete subjects, like history or science …all of that is art. The hunger in you didn’t go anywhere; it just adapted to a new routine.
I actually thought about deleting that sentence when I wrote it. I didn't mean there is no beauty in my life, I just meant I wasn't expressing it on paper.
ReplyDeletePS. You are one of those women I was talking about so please keep doing what you're doing.
ReplyDelete