Spurring Synchronicity: It's Not Wrong to Write

Random thoughts...

In recent weeks I've been doing a lot of reading. Books, articles, the Yellow Pages. Yes, just about anything I can get my hands on. I've always been like that. The backs of cereal boxes, the TV Guide, and the shampoo bottle while I rinse and repeat. Oh, and I am one of those geeky dictionary readers too. I'd rather have a library card than a credit card. Can a person read too much?

I've also been developing a great urge towards writing more. Not just my weekly *practice* reflective writing through Inner Diablog, but for something much more significant and substantial.

I began Inner Diablog: A Creative Journey almost a year ago. The initial purpose was to give me a meaningful place to practice writing, drawing upon my life experiences and sense of gratitude. Most of these pieces have been quite trivial, however, a few have found their way onto other Web sites and published 'zines because of their powerful effect on others. And in all honesty, some have just been downright therapeutic for me to compose.

Today I thought about what I was going to do with my writing. I frequently say that I want to write a book. But about what? I'm convinced we all have a book or three inside of us. And think about it; a book is really not all that monumental if you break it down to this:

A book is an expression or manifestation of our knowledge, expertise, experiences, desires, imagination, and/or our creativity.

Packaging those things into an informative and interesting product that other people will benefit from is then the key, right?

Hmmm.

In all cases, should we set out to write a book just for others? Or can we approach it as personal work of 'art' for ourselves? A journal is a book, isn't it? Some journals like the Diary of Anne Frank and Go Ask Alice* were published into mainstream books. And don't forget about Frida Kahlo.

My attitude of late is that I'm going to write a book even if it's never published. What for? For myself, and for those I leave behind. The death of my brother at age 29 has a lot to do with it, I'm sure.

Think about how many books could be written if people didn't give up before they started — because they think they should only write if they are assured of secular success. Why does everything have to be monetarily motivated? Why can't we write books just for the pleasure it gives us to create? I know, I know. We have to pay our bills. Too bad that's the reason...

(Here's more food for thought by author Suzanne Falter-Barnes: Why We Don't Write Our Books).

Writing is much more than the dream of publishing. It's a process and tool for self discovery and growth.  It's an enduring means of communication. It's the essence of who we really are.

In the meantime, I'll keep on practicing. I decided to try writing on paper again in addition to my electronic journaling. Why? Because when I write the old fashioned way, I have more time and space and clarity; more focus.

I realized today that my practice writing (journaling, reflections, articles, research) could potentially serve as the basis for my future published or unpublished book. Yes, It dawned on me that even if I'm not currently writing a book, it doesn't mean that what I am writing is a waste of time. It's an investment. I imagine that later on I will cull and refine my spontaneous splurgings into something that will someday grace a shelf. Even if it's the shelf in my niece's living room.

Spurring Synchronicity

After coming to terms with the above today, I checked my e-mail and found a link suggestion to Profitable Pen, a writing Web site with this focus:

"Use your writing journal as your first profitable source of ideas for articles, stories and books!"

I nearly fell on the floor when I read this:

"In the meantime, you might ask, why bother with a pen?

Indeed, why use it in the first place? For one thing, a pen is the first tool that you reach for on the spur of the moment whether you have immediate access to a computer or not. Even when you get an idea, you are more likely to look for a pen and use it for jotting down notes, and even rough drafts in a handy goldmine or idea bank, your journal."

I think it's important to pay attention when you hear the same message twice in one day, don't you? •

* I know that this book was not really a diary, but you get the idea.

On the Web

Profitable Pen
Learn how to mine ideas from your journals for stories, articles, and books. Features a discussion board, articles, and journal prompts.

Journal Writing Resources
Journaling can be a beneficial outlet for expressing feelings and working through issues. Learn more about the benefits of journaling and how to do it from our collection of journaling and blogging resources.

Writing Through the Pain
1996 was the first year in my life that death touched me on an extremely personal level. Writing helped me through it.