A Couple of Thoughts on Writing

Here are some comments on writing that I wanted to share:

It’s the birthday of poet and essayist Percy Bysshe Shelley, who told us, “Do it now — write nothing but what your conviction of its truth inspires you to write.”

And this, from poet Naomi Shihab Nye (pictured), from a recent radio interview:  Very rarely do you hear someone say they wrote something down and felt worse.  It’s an act that helps you, energizes you, preserves you, in the very doing of it. 

Nye believes that language is a powerful tool that has the capacity to help us move from sadness and animosity to hope and kindness.  I had to laugh when she was asked how she got her start, and she referred to an experience she had learning to read in first grade; she came across “Come, Dick, come!  Look, Jane, look!” She told the interviewer she thought, “Could there be two duller people?  And why does someone have to tell Jane to look?  Why wasn’t she looking in the first place?”

FWIW, here’s what I believe, not that it’s terribly controversial:  Writing is worthwhile insofar as it forces you to clarifying your thinking on matters that are important to you.