Write On

I've been a reader and writer ever since I can remember. Even before I could read by myself, I recall sitting next to my grandmother on the mauve living room sofa listening to her read in her light soprano voice. I was captivated by the scent of rose that emanated from her skin and the idea of books bringing stories to life. As a child I wrote stories prominently featuring girls talking to small critters such as birds, bunnies and poodles and the animals talking back.

I continue to read voraciously and love finding unusual books that are so good I wish I could read them for the first time again. As an adult, in my solitude I felt a depth of feelings that were very intense. And it was that intensity of emotion that led me back to writing. It opened my life.

Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a chance at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it time and time again. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on the ship.

Are you a reader or a writer? And what has reading and writing done for you?