“The moment a man begins to talk about technique, that’s proof he is fresh out of ideas.” Raymond Chandler
I see Mr. Chandlers point in the quote above and considering I’m writing about writing today, it seems like an odd choice of quote to use in my blog. It just made me giggle to find that quote as I was searching for other quotes about writing!
I consider this quote to be more applicable today:
“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go” E.L. Doctorow – The New York Times (1985-10-20)
Don’t really know how long I’ve considered myself a writer, but I know I’ve loved it since childhood. When we were assigned book reports, I hated the ones where we had to create something to tell the story because I just wanted to write out the book report and share my thoughts using words, not images.
Self expression
Writing has always been a form of exploration for me, from using it to express ideas as a journalist to sharing dreams, revelations or … recipes in a blog. There have been times I wanted to learn about something, so I researched it and wrote about it.
I’m sure I’ll write about writing on other venues, including my company blog once the website redesign is complete. But for Jamie’s Thots, the important idea is how writing is a form of self expression.
A blog is where someone can share their own story on their own terms. Most of my blogs have been public, but others have been private or very limited access. I’ve used blogs to communicate in early days of therapy to help me organize thoughts, process feelings and ultimately find closure.
I used to never write a blog until I had processed the entire idea and knew exactly what I would say. Then I realized the value of just writing until the thoughts became organized, but that meant I wrote a lot of nonsensical gobbleygook.
I now try to find some sort of balance. I get blog ideas and try to work through them to get some sort of structure then just start writing. It’s my way of teaching myself that a person doesn’t have to have all the answers in life before proceeding but that a little bit of preparation can help those answers come a lot quicker and better.
Helping others
I think we all want to help others or have an impact on their lives in some way. I’m no different. I used to try and write what I thought would help others and did research and wrote with a full heart. Some of those writings have helped others and for that, I’m grateful. One such example is a series of blogs I wrote for the now defunct site (the owner passed away) Daily Jesus. It was about spiritual abuse and writing that allowed me to share about a topic that is close to my heart without getting too personal.
What I’ve found, though, is that most people seem to be helped by being able to relate to my journey. My journey through loss, heartache and sickness. But also, my journey through joy, self-discovery and healing. It seems that this truth allows me to kill two proverbial birds with one “stone.” By processing and growing from my own life, from my own story, I’m able to inspire others and let them know that they are not alone in their own journey.