This week’s prompt from Becca on Write on Wednesday was:
Do you make time to write everyday? Don’t you think everybody should?
Well…… I do write every day, but I do not Write every day. Big difference, for me, between writing for work and writing for…. fun. Comments, logs, emails – enough said about work writing.
I communicate with friends and family every day in writing: text (yes, my daughters have finally forced me), emails to friends, Facebook notes to cousins on the “Clan” page – that kind of writing.
Since my new position began in late August, I have not had the mental energy to Write every day. But I think it is time to get back to it. I have settled into the routine of work, I know (for the most part) what I am doing, I have had confirmation from my supervisors that all is well. And I have made a couple writing commitments. One is to NaNoWriMo – write a book in thirty days. I am excited about something I have never tried before, and I am storing up energy and ideas. What to write? I haven’t decided yet. It has to be something I know. There won’t be time for any research.
Back to the prompt. Should everybody write every day? I think there is great value in writing daily, but you have to bring something to it, and not everyone might choose to do that, or know how to do that. My hero, Anne Lamott said,
Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do – the actual act of writing – turns out to be the best part. It’s like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward.
That is how I, personally, feel about writing. But certainly there are many other ways to communicate, and I think that is really the base of Becca’s question. “Do you make time to – communicate – every day? Don’t you think everybody should?” Definitely.
Communicate with friends and loved ones, communicate with nature, communicate with yourself…. That is what makes us special and so very different from all the other animals: the quality of our communication. We don’t just tell our neighbors where our territory ends and theirs starts, or where the honey is. We talk about our feelings and our fears and our needs. We have the ability to share the beauty we find in life. I think we have a responsibility to do that, as a way of giving thanks for this gift. We can journal, saving our stories for future generations, or to be introspective and grow, which will serve the people in our lives and ourselves. We can communicate through music, finding peace or release through this medium of communication, and possibly to share with others. Or we can talk, entertaining those around us. There is a multitude of ways to communicate, and I do believe we have a responsibility to do so.
To get back to Lamott’s tea ceremony. I have learned that the ceremony is the beauty of life. I think it is a very rare young person who figures this out, and some people never get it. As I wrote in last week’s post, it is all about the trip, rather than the destination.
So while you are on your trip, please do connect, divulge, inform, correspond, proclaim, publish, perform, report, announce, interact, or use whatever means with which you communicate best.
There are a few more roses in the yard, but if frost comes in the next couple nights, this will be the last rose from the summer. Crossing over time is lovely.
...Kopi Time 
I am also signed up for NaNoWriMo – this will be my first year. I’m excited and nervous about the prospect. Although I write every day – 50,000 words in one month is a daunting task!
Good luck!
Thanks Bobbi. Good luck to you too. 50,0000 – I figure whatever I get done is a great accomplishment. I see all kinds of community happenings and gatherings and etc., but I don’t think I will get involved in any of that…. I am afraid I will get caught up in socializing and the writing will take second place. Have you even decided what you are going to write? I have no clue, but I guess I had better figure it out pretty soon.
I love the way you’ve extrapolated this…yes, indeed, “communicating every day” is the goal, communicating with your thoughts, with others, with nature…Perfect!
Good luck with NaNoWriMo…I did it the past two years, but I think I’ll take this year off.
Thanks, Becca. Too busy this year for the NaNoWriMo? I am wondering what you did with the manuscripts from the past two years? Most of the people I have come across have the manuscripts sitting in a drawer. It seems flushing it out is a daunting chore. I don’t want to spend the month working feverishly on something I don’t really finish…… I guess I will have to make a commitment to myself that after the month is over, I continue to work on the thing and expand it to proper length.
LikeLike
I went off in a rather different direction, but ended up where you did – emphasizing the importance of communication for everyone. Many don’t write because they can’t write – and many don’t begin to learn the richness of the life of the mind because they can’t read. We are so blessed, in our writing world. I surely did enjoy this bit of writing from you!
Linda
Hi Linda. I read your post, and we did have the same idea in mind with this excellent prompt. We are definitely blessed in our writing world – I review my blessings regularly!
It is a nice little WOW community Becca has created. I enjoy reading everyone’s posts. Thanks for visiting.
LikeLike
Dear Q,
the picture (rose) and the message … exactly.
I have to give a presentation at our international managers meetings this week. They are engineers, first of all. They are prone to lists and tables. I am not an engineer. I am prone to color and communication. I think I need only one slide, one that says “communicate.”
In truth, I can’t wait ’til I figure out what my PPT story really is, but your entry has me on the right track.
As for Nanowrimo, I tried it two years ago. Maybe it’s time to jump in the fray again? I have only one long-term freelance deadline. And then the day job. Maybe, just maybe …
Oh! do jump into the fray. It would be so much fun to compare notes. And did you complete the manuscript you did two years ago?
I do not envy your need to communicate with the engineers next week. I was the technical typist for the engineering department at university while I was in school. About as far from my personality as one can get! I wonder what you have to get across to your managers? and good luck!
LikeLike
What a lovely answer to a complicated question. I, too, often look at the emails, the facebook notes, etc as writing I do in the day, but it isn’t WRITING. And, having woken up at 5:30 to work on the novel, I agree with you completely – the act of writing got my day off to a fine start. I feel steadier, happier, than when I don’t do it.
Every morning you write? That is great! What a sense of accomplishment you must have, starting out the day. The month of November I am going to plan on writing every evening – NaNoWriMo – write a book in a month challenge. We shall see! Thanks for visiting, Courtney.
LikeLike
I think the ‘tea ceremony’ is the best part as well. Ceremony of any kind is very important in life…ritual, tradition, whatever you want to call it. I know that over the years I’ve grown to the point that I enjoy the preparation for and days leading up to holidays, like Christmas for example, more than the actual day of sitting down, opening presents, etc. I feel almost sad when that time comes…the time for ‘whatever’ to culminate into one final act simply because I don’t want it to be over. It must feel that way to some degree to finally finish a written work and know that it is done. I would imagine there is a melancholy feeling mixed with the joy and sense of accomplishment. I guess I just don’t like saying ‘goodbye’. 🙂
I know exactly what you mean, Carl, about the prep (tea ceremony) for the holidays being the best part. I get out my stack of holiday music on December 1st and take it from there.
LikeLike
This is such a beautiful and eloquent post. I loved the part about the tea ceremony and could relate to so very much of it.
Thanks for continuing to visit the Marmelade Gypsy while I’ve been off sick! Hopefully, I’m back to blog checking!
Hope you are feeling better, Jeanie. The Marmelade Gypsy is one of my daily stops!
The concept of the tea ceremony really did nail the whole concept, I think. Thanks for visiting. 🙂
LikeLike
Very wise, and a pleasure to read!
Thanks, Pamela. I hope you are having the gorgeous weather we are having here! Sunshine and in the low 60’s. Couldn’t ask for more on a day off!
LikeLike