The Power of Heidi on Cassette, Pink Lemonade Powder, And Storytelling
Why we write
As a shy child, I buried my nose in books. I remember sneaking pink lemonade powder into my bedroom so I could dip my fingers in and eat it like FunDip while reading James and the Giant Peach. I also read Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, listened to Heidi repeatedly on cassette tape, devoured special stories of Red Fred that my dad penned just for me, and listened intently as my mom read aloud Anne of Green Gables.
The tapestry of many stories wove throughout my growing up years. When I was 2 or 3 years old and my dad wasn’t busy working on his Ph.D. dissertation I’d clack out letters on his typewriter. As soon as I could write, I began telling stories on paper. I was required to write thank-you notes to my grandparents for birthday presents. I loved getting mail as a child and teenager.
In my twenties, I exchanged mail with my Air Force boyfriend. My now-husband and I shared letters when we courted from different cities. Connecting through writing was romantic and intimate. We saved our correspondence to savor. I wrote tons of poetry as I went through my college years, and ended up with two degrees in English.
Did those degrees prepare me for the job market? No, not really. But, learning to share and respond to creative work did teach me a lot of life lessons: how to be vulnerable and accept criticism, how to be kind and give effective criticism, and how to follow my intuition when writing and connecting with others. Workshopping writing taught me how to participate respectfully in discussions, especially when not everyone agreed.
I like being taken out of my head and into other people’s worlds. Reading is a place of adventure, compassion, and wisdom. In the world of story, we are not alone. This is probably why I have liked fairytales for as long as I can remember.
As I converse with writers in the writing community, I find that pretty much everyone agrees that reading creates more empathetic people. And, empathy is vital in a civilized society.
My writing degrees did lead me eventually to grant writing and copywriting as a side gig sometimes. And, to penning many memoir stories in my 40s. I finished writing a large swath of memoirs as I was recovering from mental health obstacles that popped up at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. Writing memoir stories was — and is — a healing experience for me.
When I first decided in college that I wanted to be a writer, I thought that meant that I would gain prestige and recognition as well as a steady paycheck.
Although I would like to ideally monetize my writing to support myself, the big three for me are to: contribute, connect, and inspire.
I hope my writing spurs mutual understanding. I write to contribute what I have learned from life. I write to connect with my readers. I write to inspire deeper conversations.
Why do you write?
Let’s talk about it in the comments below.
