Writing Encouragement

It happened again. I was talking with someone about one of my recent experiences and I was asked, "Have you ever thought about writing a book?" A familiar compliment followed. "I can't believe how you can look at things so calmly and keep going on." Again the thought was thrown out "Have you ever thought how much you could help or lift others?"

The answer is yes, I have thought about writing a book. I have even written a few short books, during a time when there was time between calls and projects at my place of employment to write some thoughts. They were not published, just bound and shared with some work associates and friends. I felt good about writing those books. The words flowed onto the pages in a matter of days. At the time I thought I was writing more for myself, but I found out there were others who struggled with the same issues I wrote about, and were thrilled with the concepts and way of looking at things from a different view. Encouragement, hope and faith was shared and passed from one heart to another as the books went from desk to desk. In recent years I have shared the books with other friends, therapists and a sent a few anonymously to someone when requested by a loved one who cared about them. So I know the messages were inspired, not just for me, but for others as well.

I used to have another blog, which I would update occasionally, but the host I was using changed their policy and I didn't make the change quickly enough. So for a while i did not write at all. Then the online posts of someone else I care about led me back to the Internet and the desire to again share my feelings with others. So here I am, writing a few thoughts once again, letting the thoughts flow through my fingers onto the page, wondering all the while who my words could reach today.

I have been touched myself recently by the writings of others. I found myself a few times wishing I could write like they did or counting the number of people who claim to be followers of their writings. As I thought about the different ways each of them wrote, I realized, of thousands of blogs on the Internet, I was led to these particular ones not randomly, but carefully. I didn't just do a random search for these sites, I was guided to them by a friend, a sister or a new loved one in my life. I trusted their instincts and their wisdom that these other blogs were of worth or value and found I was blessed by where they led me. I found others who wrote about everyday life in a variety of styles. I was reminded that each person who chooses to write from their heart does it in their own ways. No two are like. The subjects may be similar, the experiences familiar, but each person handles it or shares it in their own way. It would be easy to start making comparisons, judging one writer better than another, or someone who shares sadness against someone who shares joy, or even comparing myself to them, wishing I could write as eloquently, boldly or powerfully as I feel they are. I could, but I choose not to. For I know I was led gently to each of these other writers for the way they would touch or inspire me. My higher sources, my Heavenly Mother and Father, and other loved ones who have gone to a higher place before me, know me well. They trust that I will not find encouragement to renew my own efforts to write.

Through the writings of others I have found permission to write freely in ways I haven't tried for many years or possibly to even try a new way to write. Instead of writing random blogs, one woman chose to write 1 or 2 chapters a week of a serial novel (www.thejellobelt.blogspot.com) Another woman doesn't feel she can write well, but is an avid reader, so she simply posts short quotes from something she has read or found. A carving I saw on my sister's site (www.karlaskarvings.com) the other day tweaked my desire to write a new series of children's stories. A trip to mormonmommyblogs.blogspot.com yesterday reminded me that a small note to a friend may be more important today than anything I could write in a blog. What about writing a daily letter to someone I love or someone I have thought about? A blog forum challenged me for 30 days to choose one word a day and write just 100 words on the thoughts it brought to mind. Another author asked why we write in our journals daily and then hide them away with the hope that someday one of our children will read them and understand why we made the choices we have in our lives when we could write the same words and share them with our children, grandchildren and others now. I share the feelings of one writer who said she could write and say 3 times as much on the computer as she can trying to hand write it into her paper journal. As I write this, in my head I hear the instructions from the pulpit to write our life and family histories and I know that I could talk about a particular time in my life and it would be so different from what my sisters would write about the same time, yet all three versions are part of our family history.

So I accept the encouragement and inspiration to write in a variety of ways. I will look for and take advantage of every opportunity I get to write and find ways that I use every style in a positive way to touch others that will be led to my words as I have been led to others.