Why writers write

I have written, since I retired, over 5, 000 separate posts. Some of my friends ask me why I write. The following from Brain Pickings may help to answer the question.

The question of why writers write is a piece of psychological voyeurism and as a beacon of self-conscious hope.

Though many famous writers have notoriously deliberate routines and rituals, Allende's is among the most unusual and rigorous. Ultimately, however, she echoes Chuck Close ("Inspiration is for amateurs — the rest of us just show up and get to work."), Thomas Edison ("Success is the product of the severest kind of mental and physical application."), E. B. White ("A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.") and Tchaikovsky ("A self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood."), stressing the importance of work ethic over the proverbial muse:

A necessary antidote to the tortured-genius cultural mythology of the writer, Orlean, like Ray Bradbury, conceives of writing as a source of joy, even when challenging: 

Writing gives me great feelings of pleasure. There’s a marvelous sense of mastery that comes with writing a sentence that sounds exactly as you want it to. It’s like trying to write a song, making tiny tweaks, reading it out loud, shifting things to make it sound a certain way. It’s very physical. I get antsy. I jiggle my feet a lot, get up a lot, tap my fingers on the keyboard, check my e-mail. Sometimes it feels like digging out of a hole, but sometimes it feels like flying. When it’s working and the rhythm’s there, it does feel like magic to me.

She ends with four pieces of wisdom for writers

You have to simply love writing, and you have to remind yourself often that you love it.

You should read as much as possible. That’s the best way to learn how to write.

You have to appreciate the spiritual component of having an opportunity to do something as wondrous as writing. You should be practical and smart and you should have a good agent and you should work really, really hard. But you should also be filled with awe and gratitude about this amazing way to be in the world.

Don’t be ashamed to use the thesaurus. I could spend all day reading Roget’s! There’s nothing better when you’re in a hurry and you need the right word right now.

 

Just a thought?

Just a thought:

Who else could you fall in love with today?

What else could you fall in love with today?

Is having that in mind better than asking:

What is wrong with the world?

Why is there so much hate in the world?

English is a pain and one other school joke

Enlglysh is a Pane

Hear eye sit inn English class;

the likelihood is that eye won't pass

An F on my report card wood bee worse than swallowing glass

It's knot that eye haven't studied, often till late at knight

Butt the rules are sew confusing, eye simply can't get them write

Hour teacher says, "Heed my advice, ewe must study and sacrifice"

Butt if mouses are mice and louses are lice, how come blouses aren't blice.

The confusion really abounds when adding esses two nouns

Gooses are geese, butt mooses aren't meese; somebody scent in the clowns

Two ultimatums are ultimata, and a couple of datum are data

Sew wouldn't ewe expect it wood bee correct fore a bunch of plums to be plata?

And if more than won octopus are octopi, and the plural of ox is oxen

Shouldn't a couple of busses bee bussi and a pare of foxes bee foxen?

Let's talk about spelling a wile, specifically letters witch are silent Words like "psychologist" and "wreck" shirley make awl of us violent

And another example quite plane witch is really hard two explain

If it's eye before e except after sea, then what about feign and reign?

The final exam will determine how eye due, weather eye pass ore fail

I halve prepared as much as eye can down two the last detail

I'm ready two give it my vary best inn just a little wile

And then isle take a relaxing wrest on a tropical aisle.

(By Alan Balter)

Little Johnny's Chemistry teacher wanted to teach his class a lesson about the evils of liquor, so he set up an experiment that involved a glass of water, a glass of whiskey, and two worms. "Now, class. Observe what happens to the two worms," said the professor putting the first worm in the glass of water.

The worm in the water moved about, twisting and seemingly unharmed. He then dropped the second work in the whiskey glass. It writhed for a moment, then quickly sank to the bottom and died.

"Now kids, what lesson can we derive from this experiment?" he asked.

 Little Johnny raised his hand and wisely responded, "Drink whiskey and you won't get worms.

 

Brain Injury go to /https://www.jumbledbrain.com

Those of you who have read me for a while know that my wife suffered a brain aneurysm when we were in Australia and that I documented our story in this blog.  It took a long time, but she is back to normal now. But a brain injury can be devastating to the person who receives it and the family. We need to support those who have suffered a brain injury and there is a site that does just that.  The site is called https://www.jumbledbrain.com/  and the author is Michelle Munt. The following is from her site:

My name is Michelle Munt, & I sustained a serious brain injury in a car accident back in December 2014. The journey to recovery has been a challenge. I had to give up my career in recruitment. But now my confidence has grown so much that I am able to run my own business as a coach, supporting others.

From one brain injury survivor to another, learn how I did it by reading my blog, documenting the various struggles I have faced.

Her site is well worth a visit, as it provides, support advice and helps to those who need it. Her latest post struck a chord with me and it is well worth the read. This post talks about the fact she was not given any information about her injury.  She says, “The lack of information is not good enough and makes our journey so much harder. Here I touch on the harsh reality of what it felt like for me when I sustained a brain injury but had no idea what I was supposed to do.”

My wife and I were lucky for the care she received in Australia, they let her know from the very beginning what happened and what to expect. It did not make the struggles and the journey easier, but she knew what she had to face. 

If you have someone who has suffered a brain injury, then I recommend this site highly. She is doing a wonderful job. At the end of the blog, I am talking about she asks the questions.

Were you given enough information about your brain injury when it happened? What would you like to have happened differently Go to her site and read the blog:  https://www.jumbledbrain.com/2021/03/30/sudden-brain-injury-uncharted-waters/