Friday, October 15, 2010

Writing is Good For the Soul

I don't know if you guys feel this way, but sometimes I feel like a robot. I do what I need to do, whether it be one of my many jobs, or cleaning the litter box (which made me gag five times yesterday. That is why I always clean the litter box on an empty stomach.). As I morph into this robot I feel all semblance of creativity literally seeping out my pores, until I'm left as this mechanical life form that thrives on WD-40 and pre-programmed repetitive actions. Feeling like a robot makes me sad. I don't feel like Anita anymore.

And then I received an e-mail from my crit partner Diane. She's talking about a book. I think it's my book. I'm writing a book? Oh, yes. I guess I am. And then she starts discussing specific characters and scenes and something lights up inside me, a spark of something. Are these my peeps that she's talking about? Characters that I created? As I read her e-mail a smile forms on my lips. It's not because she's telling me I'm a flawless, fantabulous, masterful writer (although she does give me tons of encouragement). It's because reading her e-mail, thinking about the story that I'm writing, contemplating her suggestions, makes me feel like a human again. Spending this time in imagination land makes the robotic metal melt into flesh and I feel like Anita again.

Writing must be good for the soul. Right?

On this note, I suggest checking out Natalie Whipple's Happy Writing Society. Every Friday there's a meeting. Check it out.

2 comments:

  1. Every once in a while, I try to imagine what I'd do if I didn't write.

    I've got nothing. Just this amorphous pit of emptiness where all that thought and emotion and strength would be.

    Writing is cathartic and integral to my daily functioning. I may not write all the time, but my stories and my characters are always in the back of my mind. They're little parts of who I am, and ways to explore the world.

    Writing is definitely good for the soul. :)

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  2. It is good for the soul! And so is sharing your work. It is a very fascinating experience hearing your characters' names spoken on others lips. I was just talking to my dad-in-law about my book today and had one of those moments. Like Wow what's in my brain is actually on the page! :)

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