Ever since I was a little girl, I had a passion for writing. Picking up a pen, putting it to paper, and being hypnotized by what unfolded before my eyes, was always--and continues to be--an exhilarating past-time for me. It didn't make a difference to me as to what form my thoughts would appear on paper. My thoughts could transform into poems, lyrics, short stories, diary entries...it never mattered, as long as I was able to truly expose what I was feeling in that precise moment.
Writing offers the creator a brief getaway from their everyday reality. It presents a moment of clarity that's disguised behind a mirage of beautiful language. Writing allows you to detangle the stress and complications of everyday life, while exploring the creative outlet that is putting pen to paper--or in this day and age, putting your fingers to a keyboard!
The English language as a whole is elegant; the vast and different combinations of word-play are endless. Writing allows the writer to paint colorful and intertwining images--and the perceptions of the reader can be endless. That's the entire point of writing: there are no mistakes. Nothing about writing is permanent; you can constantly go back and change your phrasing, structure, or even overall thought.
For me, writing has always relieved the stress that I habitually carry around; not cause it. One of my favorite novels, The End of the Affair, written by English novelist Graham Greene has stated, "Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in the human situation." This quote speaks to me--and i assume all writers alike--due to its completely transparent introduction into the literary world. The point is simple: you do not need to be the next Tennessee Williams or Jane Austen, you just need to say what is true in your heart.
That's why I fell in love with writing in the first place. If you are writing for yourself there are no judgments, grades, pressure, or red ink splotched all over the page. If you are writing for the sheer love of it, then all you have is a blank canvas awaiting you to unscramble all that runs through your head on a daily basis.
So if you are in need of some free confidential therapy, then I insist that you sit down, relax and put all of your thoughts and feelings into words. Writing is a beautiful art form, that I honestly cannot even fathom not having access to in my life. So join me in this enticing--still existent world--of writing for yourself, and leave all of the judgment, standards, and expectations outside...even if only for a little while.