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Why do you write?

4/17/2018

14 Comments

 
by Gwendolyn M Plano
​Why do you write? One of my sisters has asked me this question multiple times. She is a dyslexic and writing is a frightening task for her. Misspellings and absent punctuation are part of her life; she does not see either. She’s quite aware of this handicap, unseen though it is, and she compensates through her developed verbal skills and persistence. Why do you write?

I’ve tried to explain why I write, but my sister has remained dumbfounded. She equates my avocation to the world of extreme sports. Just as a climber needs to scale El Capitan in Yosemite, writers need to write, she thinks. It’s just something they must do, a risk they must take. But why?

Yesterday my sister called, excited by what she had read. She explained that she now understood why I write. She proceeded to read from one of Henri Nouwen’s books, and as she did so, I choked back my emotions. Nouwen’s words had captured my heart and given voice to its secrets.

I wonder if Nouwen is writing for all of us who sit before a computer putting thoughts to bare pages. My question prompts me to share his words with you. If you have a moment, let me know if you find resonance.

Writing is a process in which we discover what lives in us. The writing itself reveals to us what is alive in us. The deepest satisfaction of writing is precisely that it opens up new spaces within us of which we were not aware before we started to write. To write is to embark on a journey whose final destination we do not know. Thus, writing requires a real act of trust. We have to say to ourselves, “I do not yet know what I carry in my heart, but I trust that it will emerge as I write.” Writing is like giving away the few loaves and fishes one has, trusting that they will multiply in the giving. Once we dare to “give away” on paper the few thoughts that come to us, we start discovering how much is hidden underneath these thoughts and gradually come in touch with our own riches. 
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14 Comments
D.L. Finn
4/18/2018 01:57:25

I love this: The writing itself reveals to us what is alive in us. That is so true and coming in touch with our riches nicely put. I wrote to bring out inside of me what I was unable to verbally express and this explai mbs that. Happy your sister was able to understand the why behind writing. It is embarking on a journey that we can all take together at some point. Enjoyed this post Gwen and the insights of why.

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D.L. Finn
4/18/2018 01:58:45

Explains...

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Gwen Plano
4/18/2018 12:41:47

Thank you so much, D.L. I love that line. It's a beautiful description of the writing process. ♥

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Karen Ingalls link
4/18/2018 03:49:37

I am very happy that your sister now understands why you write. The quote from Mr.Nouwen accurately describes why I have been writing since a preteen. These two passages say it all: “I do not yet know what I carry in my heart, but I trust that it will emerge as I write” and "we start discovering how much is hidden underneath these thoughts and gradually come in touch with our own riches."
Thanks to your sister for introducing Mr. Nouwen to me, and to you for sharing with us. Beautiful!

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Gwen Plano
4/18/2018 12:43:05

Thank you dear Karen. I've shown my sister the responses, and she is elated. Blessings to you. ♥

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John Howell link
4/18/2018 07:57:39

Beautiful words.Covers the reason we write nicely.

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Gwen Plano
4/18/2018 12:43:52

Thank you, John. It really does cover the reasons why we write. Have a great day.

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John Fioravanti
4/18/2018 07:59:19

This is an amazing quote, Gwen! Thank you for passing it along. This is one of the exciting things about writing - you never know where your heart and subconscious mind will take you on the written page.

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Gwen Plano
4/18/2018 12:44:37

You are so right, John. Thank you for the insight. It's an amazing journey.

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Jan Sikes link
4/18/2018 09:13:36

Profound truth! Nouwen's words say it all. We dare to bare our souls and secrets through writing. Therapeutic is too weak of a word to describe what we get out of it. We grow, learn, expand and develop our own deepest selves through our writing. Love this post!! Just amazing.

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Gwen Plano
4/18/2018 12:45:58

Thank you, dear Jan. You are right, "we grow, learn, expand and develop our own deepest selves through writing." What an amazing journey. ♥

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Ernestine Rose link
4/18/2018 11:23:55

I love it, too! Reading this inspires me to follow that journey more diligently, and it's so true that you never know where you'll end up!

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Gwen Plano
4/18/2018 12:46:48

Thank you, Ernestine. It's so true, we don't know where we'll end up. Blessings!

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Vashti Q link
4/25/2018 10:26:24

I think Nouwen's quote is right on point. Inside every writer there's something that has no name, that something is what makes us writers. When we write we expose some of that to ourselves, as well as others. Thanks for sharing this wonderful quote with us, Gwen! <3

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Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ―Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning


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