John Lennon wrote a novelette called In His Own Write. Lennon always liked puns and a play on words or double meanings of words, hence the name the Beatles. But I really feel that Lennon was onto something, and that “something” is writing. I believe that everyone should write and, more importantly, that everyone can write.
Finding your reason
Writing is very relaxing. It takes you away from everyday life. It really takes you on an excursion into your own little literary world. Writing is writing. It doesn’t matter if your writing takes the form of daily journals, blogs, lengthy letters or comprehensive emails.
It can be writing songs, plays, novels, novelettes or short stories. To be able to express yourself in writing is a wonderful experience. I think that sometimes people don’t write because they are afraid of critical grammarians. It is not the grammar that is important; it is expressingan idea, a concept.
e.e. cummings decided to not use capitalization and Hawthorne was the king of run-on sentences. Writing is therapy. It can improve your life and become a source of great enjoyment to you.
Sharing your story
Everyone has a story in them that can be written down, and everyone has interesting ideas and concepts that can make other people think. Some can be dramatic, like an exposé by Woodward and Bernstein, while others can be as simple as a family cookbook that will be passed down for many years.
Writing is writing; just do it. Writing will make a difference in your life. The the best way to write is to start jotting down simple thoughts and ideas every day.
The rock group Foreigner, formed in 1976, has sold about 80 million records and is still touring today. One particular year the band was in New York, scheduled to perform the day after a Rangers hockey game at Madison Square Garden. Depending on who tells the story, lead singer Lou Gramm or guitarist Mick Jones, one or both of them were watching the hockey game when the Rangers goalie John Davidson was hit in the head with a puck on a high shot on the goal and was knocked out, lying on the ice. When Davidson was finally led off the ice, the announcers providing commentary for the game said, “I’ll bet he is going to have double vision for a while.” Jones said he’d never heard that expression before; Gramm said it made a “siren go off” in his head. Either way, the pair locked on to the words “double vision” and wrote the song that became an album title. “Double Vision” sold millions of copies and reached No. 2 on the charts in the U.S.
It is your right to write. Don’t miss the opportunity.
Ready, set, write!
The beginning is always the hardest
part. Want to write, but unsure where to start? All you need is an idea. Get your creative juices flowing and break beyond writer’s block with some of these journaling prompts:
Today, I am grateful for…
A risk I am glad I took…
My favorite emotion to feel…
A fear that I have overcome…
The best gift I ever received…
In the next year, I really want to…
An experience that gave me strength…
Five ways to win my heart…
Ten things that make me really happy…
A lesson I had to learn the hard way…
Three things I’d like to teach others…
The hardest part about loving me is…
Sometimes I miss…
I always think “What if…”
One thing I wish I could undo…
Describe your childhood neighborhood. How does it compare to where you live now?
I am afraid to…
The last thing I was
disappointed in/by….
I felt pure joy when…
I feel inspired by…
