Why write?

I am drawn to writing as a hummingbird is drawn to nectar. I can’t seem to stay away from it. Sometimes, if I awake in the night, I write poetry in my mind. In the early morning, even before daylight, as I lie in bed, I compose paragraphs filled with perfect lines that I may or may not remember once I am seated in front of my computer. It doesn’t matter, really, because once I am here, I have the pleasure of filling a blank piece of paper with whatever I want.

Now that I have a blog, I am a bit more compelled to write for an audience, but in all honesty, the greatest pleasure I have in regard to writing is becoming lost in the creation of a scene or character. I love detail. When writing about a place I envision it first and then I put color to paper, much as an artist puts paint to canvas. I am empowered by the process, searching for the absolutely correct word that fits for me. Instead of blue, I substitute cerulean or aqua, azure or sapphire. It’s an issue of depth, of shade, of mood and atmosphere. It is the same with describing a person. More than the way a woman appears physically, how does she hold herself? If she is worried, does she pace? Does she chew her lip and twist the ancient wedding ring on her finger? Do her eyes move erratically? And if she is sad, do her shoulders slouch forward, her eyes sparkle with tears she refuses to let fall? Is she buxom, as skinny as a rake, or as big as “the broad side of a barn”! What color is her hair? Is she a coal yard blond or a straw haired meth head?

This is why I like to write. It’s fun. It allows me to go wild with my imagination. I have a small card hanging from the corner of my computer desk. It reads, “In the midst of chaos lies creativity”. I’ve always loved that statement, because it has been true for me. My life is not a cesspool of chaos of course, but in moments of sorrow, or frustration, mistrust or disappointment, writing has been a salve. It is not a crutch, but a release, a way to explore, decipher, debate, and decide. Without it I’m not sure what I would do. So, yes, I write. I like it!