Monday, August 19, 2013

To Be Heard

Notebook, 2012

Inspired by Alexandria and her link to this post, I have a question for all of you out there who write.

Why writing?/Why do you write?

I was trying to think of my own answer and the first thing to come to mind was, to be heard, which is funny because no one can hear the words I type on my keyboard or write in my notebook.

What's the first thing that pops into your mind? Feel free to be brief or expansive.

Cheers,
Denise

50 comments:

  1. The question I ask myself is 'Why don't I write?' Finding the right word gives me more pleasure than most other things, and yet I can't be bothered. Maybe being bothered is the difference between writers and the rest of us.

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  2. I find that writing helps me process things.

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  3. Becaise it makes me think better, broader, deeper... and because I want others to write too, so I can hear their thinking: it is a beautifully contagious act

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  4. hmmm. interesting!

    it empties my terribly overcrowded mind, thus clearing space for new thoughts; it feels creative in a way that is newer to me than making pictures and is, in a way, more interesting for being so 'new'; it makes me feel good when something i've thought out loud in words resonates with someone else.

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  5. The first thing that popped into my head? Because I am a writer. It's what has defined the core of me since I was about 6.

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  6. I love to tell a story, or rather let a story tell itself.

    xo Jane

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    1. Great take on writing/story telling, Jane. It does seem to be what the writing I like best does, allows the story to take me away.

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  7. There is real joy when you write something that you feel is true or beautiful or new.

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  8. I would feel flat without writing; it gives my world dimension, definition. I would feel like a shadow without color or depth. I write because painting, photography, filmmaking...all other forms of story are not open to me.

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  9. to explore, to capture a moment, to know myself.

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  10. Simply put: to ponder, learn, and let the words out.

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  11. Gosh, I'm really loving reading all of your reasons. Thank you for sharing them. Happy writing!

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  12. I share some of the thoughts above. Writing helps me to process my thoughts... allows me to breathe.

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  13. Yes...although I don't 'write' I do understand how you do it to be heard. My mother once told me that if something is troubling you it can be helpful to write it down, and that the act of pouring out your inner most thoughts tends to be quite therapeutic. This has proved to be quite true at various points in my life. It's as though it is a private conversation with yourself...

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  14. Connection of the inner life to the outer life.

    writing is (at times) a painful process, but nonetheless where the creative force nudges me. It is a wondrous process. Starting with the ephemeral, we string words together, bringing life to images, notions, and stories that share the human experience.

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    1. "Connection of the inner life to the outer life."

      You have me thinking, Nancy. There are so many things I write, yet do not share. I suppose the act of writing takes those inner thoughts into my outer life, whether I share them or not.

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  15. It helps me understand myself and the world around me. To make sense of things. Or try to...

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  16. I like how the concrete flatness of words, when lined up one after the other, are greater than all their parts. A sentence can create the universe, break a heart, ignite war. Writing is powerful magic.

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  17. To try and paint a picture with words. To reveal my deepest emotions between the lines, hoping to connect.

    x E.

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  18. To hear myself. The process of writing somehow reveals me to me in a way that no other art form does. Heaney in 'Personal Helicon' says it perfectly: '...I rhyme/To see myself, to set the darkness echoing.' But there is also Anne Tyler's explanation of why she writes that resonates with me: 'I write because I want more than one life'. And then, there is the sense of connection and recognition that can result from sharing words. It's also why I read.

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    1. A way to more than one life. I like that. And the sense of connection and recognition you speak of... Yes. A good reason to write and read.

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  19. I've forgotten how lovely and calming your blog can be. It's such a relaxing place to visit; and thought provoking too. For me writing is a record of experiences, a place to vent, a sounding board of sorts and a place to receive clarification. It's also a place to practise and to keep practising so I get better with how best to express myself.

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    1. Practice. Yes, I suppose most of life is practice, isn't it.

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  20. probably to be read.
    yes. definitely. to be read.
    and to unleash. yes, that too.
    n♥

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  21. Ah yes, - to stop drowning in my own thoughts.

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  22. to process and to thank God again, to know God better, to connect. - sarah @ beehousehives

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    1. Writing does help me process. Sometimes just writing out my thoughts and feelings helps me work through issues.

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