Writing

The written word fascinates me.

We’re willing to pay $24.95 for a big bundle of them when our favorite novelist releases a new hardback book. We allow them to take us back in time when we listen to a song that captures the essence of a shared human experience. Lines from movies become part of our vernacular. Poems touch our souls. And cards, letters, and e-mails from loved ones make our days brighter.

When a seasoned writer uses the written word in such a fashion as to help us see ourselves in a different fashion, it’s a powerful experience. The written word has the ability to dig deep inside of us to root out who we really are. Sometimes when I’m writing, I’ll come to a deeper understanding of something I’m going through simply because I had to express myself with the written word. The process forces me to search, and contemplate, and struggle until I’m able to say what I need to say.

Of course, the written word can also challenge us or tear us down. And that brings me to the point I want to make. Balance. Sometimes people are too cavalier, or too careful, or too vague with the written word. Sometimes they are too afraid to write. On the other side of the spectrum are the people who treat words as being so sacrosanct that they never get around to writing any. I’m not saying that proper grammar and sentence structure aren’t important. I think they’re more important than most people realize, but that shouldn’t stop people from learning incrementally. Nearly everything in life is a process.

If you’ve been waiting to write something—anything, stop waiting. Write.