Showing Up

When we keep our commitment to engaging in our craft, showing up at the blank page to write words that come straight from our hearts and minds, we know there's a good chance that someone will someday read them, or hear us read them aloud if that is what we want.  Yet when we write, the propensity for self-expression through the motions of our fingers and hands demands satisfaction for its own sake, and we obey.  Our passion for communicating with words is irresistible and there is an ecstasy in answering the call to committ our ideas to words, and then own those words as ours.  We want to be seen and heard by the world through our words. 

Letting spoken words float and dissolve into the ether is not enough for us.  We need to record them somewhere - on paper, as data on our hard drive, through an audio recording.  That is when they become real for us.  They take on gravity, begin to carry weight.  They carry magnetism and gather more words into the cocoon they are resting in until an entire story emerges, ready to grace the world like a butterfly.  Their energy multiplies exponentially and they lead us on adventures down paths we never knew we'd travel.

Courage

Courage is a strong force in favor of our willingness to show up at the blank page every day.   It takes courage to own our words, for they may not be accepted or agreed with by everybody who reads them.  Our closest relatives and friends my not be able to receive  or appreciate them.  Nevertheless, our words must be birthed into the world because they belong to us.  They belong to the world.  They are meant to live! 

There are people in the universe who will love our words when they read them, and find meaning in them.  Their hearts will be lifted by reading them.  Their minds will be expanded with the challenge of thinking in new ways.  They will feel like they've met a friend who truly understands them and they will feel less lonely.  That is the power in words.

How do you Show Up?

How do you show up on the page?  What is your favorite genre to write in?  Is it writing poetry or prose?  Or does it take the form of writing your thoughts in a journal?  Do you write "Morning Pages" every day, as recommended by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist's Way?  Do you participate in a supportive writer's group at your local library?  Do you read your words at open mics or slams?  Do you write blog posts, or communicate your thoughts via social media?  There are so many ways to show up with our writing in the twenty-first century. 

In addition to keeping a journal, writing poetry and publishing articles online, I am writing two novels.  I am excited to begin my month of NaNoWriMo next week, beginning with attending a local social gathering with my friend and writing companion on Sunday afternoon.  This novel has been a work-in-progress for several years, and November has been the only month of the year I have set aside time to weave more words together into the tapesty of the story I have in me to share with the world.  Whatever words you have to show up with in the world, they are welcome.  I look forward to hearing them. As the Doctor #10 loved to say, "allons-y!"