The Power of Writing

Writing makes me feel incredibly empowered. Not only do I love creating stories and images with words, but it also makes me feel like I understand, at least minimally, what is going on in the world. By being able to make sense of my thoughts and feelings, I am able to express who I am and make sense of the crazy world I live in.

Writing is more than just an activity, it is a way of life. Not only does writing give me a way to pass the time; it also allows me to shape and work through my anger, loneliness or sadness. By painting a picture of words I can see what it is that is bothering me and find the path of light through a tough time. Writing has been my therapy for a long time. A paper and pencil is a lot cheaper than a shrink and for me just as effective. My journal is my companion and great councilor. The best part is by writing, I bring to life the truths that I already know--mostly that I am loved and all times of trial will soon pass.

There is a lot more to my writing than just darkness though. Some of my best polished pieces I like to call them (ones I go back and edit for possible publication) come from times of great joy. There are many times in my life that I am so happy that I feel like I am going to burst. Writing is the perfect outlet to express my overwhelming joy and share it with others. These are also moments in my life I like to capture and hang on to and bring out when I can't always see the light through the darkness.

One of my favorite parts about keeping a journal is going back and experiencing my journey and see how far I have grown as a person. I do not fall apart about things I once did and I now know more about myself and the world around me.

All that I have mentioned doesn't even include stories I've created. There is such beauty in unfolding a story with characters that not only come from your mind, but also your heart. I have learned a long time ago that you can't control the characters of your story any more than you can control people in real life--they have their own story, you just have to let it unfold. As long as you stick with a set of characters and allow them to show you all of their strengths and weaknesses the story comes to life right before your eyes.

Poetry also has a place very close to my heart. Not only can words paint a picture in your mind, it can also spur up amazing emotions that help understand the world and the people in it. It is also a fun experiment to put different kinds of words together to form vivid descriptions. You would also be amazed at what you can turn into a verb.

There are all kinds of art; that's all writing is, an expression of self. A writer is simply an artistic, using the medium of words. That is my art--words and photographs. There is so much you can capture in a photo and often powerful views are inspiration for my writing. For me, it all goes hand in hand.

There is art in everyone because all who breathe need a way to express themselves. I hope all find the power of writing--the power of art.