SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Write down what happens to you, and more importantly how you feel about that. Something about documenting your life makes you feel present, able and motivated.

Today’s horoscope, written by the lovely and talented Holiday Mathis, couldn’t be more accurate. Indeed, writing does help me stay in the moment. It boosts my confidence and gives me something to live for.

When writing, I draw from a well deep at the core of my being. Sometimes the water from this well is murky; tainted with my own fears, insecurities, or ignorance. Other times it’s crystal clear, as if tapped from a fresh mountain stream.

When I’m sad or angry, writing serves as an inner compass, whose due north is Sanity. When I’m lonely, it helps me remember that I’m never alone. When I’m tired, it keeps me centered, which comes in mighty handy on mornings like this, when my head is starting to tilt to one side, my chin resting atop my shoulder blade as I nod off into Dreamland. Writing taps me gently on the shoulder, wipes the drool from the corners of my mouth, pats me on the back, and whispers: “Wake up, Gina. We’ve got work to do.”

I will sign off with intriguing words from novelist David Harington, who states: “If you are destined to become a writer, you can’t help it. If you can help it, you aren’t destined to become a writer. The frustrations and disappointments, not even to mention the unspeakable loneliness, are too unbearable for anyone who doesn’t have a deep sense of being unable to avoid writing.”

Post originally appeared here: http://iridescently.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/writing/

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman, (2007)