... getting a slab of granite and being handed a chisel, and then uncovering David.
Writing is like being thrown a jumble of 85,000 words and being told that if you arrange them just so, they will have the power to make people laugh, cry, and remember how true love feels.
Writing is like snow. One flake is a beginning. A million flakes are a winter wonderland.
Writing is like running. You start out slow. And it hurts. But the more you do it, the swifter you become. The stronger you get.
When I was a teenager I finally admitted to myself that magic doesn't exist. As an adult, I know better. Writing is... magic.
What is writing like for you?
--Bethany
31 comments:
I love what you said. So much of it I feel is true.
As an asthmatic I feel like writing is what makes it possible for me to run or fly with the wind blowing my hair back, even though in reality I could never even jog to the end of my blog without being hospitalized. Thank you for your inspirational words!
Sincerely,
Emma
Writing for me is like being on a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs and upside downs. It thrills you and scares you all at the same time, but you know it will end. And then comes another.
Imagine opening the most elaborately wrapped gift ever, covered in layers and layers of bright colorful paper encasing different size packages, one inside of another. The staging and obvious care demonstrated in each loving detail of the presentation make you want the revelation to go on forever. You finally reach that one last box with a simple red ribbon tied around it. When its opened, inside is a present that cost very little...but is perfect in every way.
Now imagine putting that gift together.
That's what writing is like, for me.
Writing is diving into a cold pond on a 95 degree day, holding your breath and floating underneath, watching as the sun slices through green water, absorbing the muted noises from up above. It's knowing that somehow, if you can describe this one moment, the way your hair floats and tugs from your head like soft snakes, the weightless of your body, the compression in your lungs as you hold in the air--if someday, you can paint this feeling with words, you may approach--perfection.
every day I write - its like finding a first love over and over.
I love these! Especially the snowflake analogy. I am a believer in magic.
Writing is flight. Freedom from the burdens of gravity, breathing in clean air, fully awakened by the wind rushing by, looking over my creations. It makes me feel alive.
I gave you the Best Blog Award on my blog today! Check it out: http://marywjensen.blogspot.com/2009/12/tuesday-tally-and-best-blog-award.html
What a lovely post!!!
Let me give it a try. Uh...
Writing is like going scuba diving. You take the plunge and find a whole new world waiting to be discovered.
Very nice Bethany! I loved the snow analogy :) And yes, writing IS magic, isn't it?
All of the above. You said it so beautifully - how can I compete with that?! :-)
You summed it up so beautifully ... I don't have anything else to add! Lovely post!
For me, writing is just what you said. Magic. Joy. Happiness. Wonderment.
For me, it's like watching something come to life. It's building a skeleton, watching it grow flesh. The moment when it takes on a life of its own beyond all the outlines and planning is the most special moment for me, I think.
What beautiful sentiments. I feel like I am in writer's nirvana just reading them!
The winter analogy is wonderful. And yes, writing is magic, with the ability to create anything and everything with the stroke of a pen.
Writers on writing... it is like listening to a chef talk about cooking. Mouth-watering description of the craft.
For me writing is like breathing; I do not know how to live without it.
Beautiful!
I think the best and easiest way for me to answer that question is in the following way:
Writing is an escape. It is an adventure that takes you out of the reality of this world and into the realm of another. It is your moment of being where you want to be.
Great post!
I really enjoy reading your blog and wanted to pass along an award. You can view it here: http://pamelamaclean.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-lovely-blog-award.html
I loved the comparisons with running and snow the best. It does become a winter wonderland. Love it!
Right now it seems like magic gone astray. LOL. Seriously, I know exactly what you mean, I just wish I could master it!
Wow! Beautiful post! To me, writing is putting the voices in your head to work. :D
Those are great. Writing is definitely like running for me. :)
Writing is like not knowing about Santa Claus, or the tooth fairy, or the Easter Bunny, or that you can't do magic. Writing is being able to dive into whatever world you want.
And it's definitely like running, too. I love running!
Writing is very visceral for me- it gives me a tactile sense of being alive. If I cant be out in the woods near a fire, writing gets me there...
Great post! I wish I could think of my own comparisons right now. I'll have to give it some thought.
Hey! What a great post! I did this last week too. I think writing is getting in a fast car, putting the top down, hitting the gas and going for a great ride.
I love it.
:)
Writing is magic. I can't say it any better than that. It is like a world where I call the shots. I say what's possible. Okay...so my characters do all the talking, but they are only talking to ME.
Yes, I agree. Writing IS magic. It's the only world where I can make everything I want to happen, actually happen. : )
Love your blog, and thanks for stopping by mine! : )
Great post. Writing is so many things to me. An obsession first of all. I can't not write. I love it, at times I hate it. It's frustrating, fulfilling, agonizing, liberating, exhausting and invigorating. So many contradictions.
But it's my life and my passion, and when it flows, when I get it right, when I have a breakthrough... oh yes, it's magic.
Your comparisons to writing are perfect. As an athletic woman, writing through the hurt makes so much sense to me. Because you do get stronger.
Wow! I love the similes here! Especially comparing writing to snowflakes!
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