Writing Is…

I’m not sure where this meme began or if I’ve even done this right, but I’ve been tagged by @WookieStyle to write something that explains what Writing is to me. Here is my attempt at clearing that up. (Probably about as clear as a barrel of mud! LOL)

Writing is… my vent, my voice, my place to focus… my nightmare, my struggle, my inner angst… Where shall I begin and how shall I end?

All my life I’ve loved to write or do something, anything creative. As a child, I drew a lot. I’d sit in classes and draw some kick ass trucks and cars, as well as beautiful landscapes and houses. I loved colors too and enjoyed losing myself in coloring books. Through Jr. High and High School, I learned some typography and shading, so I made a lot of headlines.

Later, I became a homeschool teacher and began to teach our boys to read, write, do arithmetic, etc. I realized then that I would need to teach them to write various forms of poetry, literature, and reports as they grew up. I gave them a project to write a story through the whole school year, each day writing a little more to go in their stories. They easily wrote out a chapter a day, which really consisted of one page or so for their ages… but by the end of the year, they realized they created a creative story with their own world on the page. Their stories were mostly of aliens from other planets. My boys love to tell stories, so I turned their energies of telling them to writing them.

A few years after starting our homeschool, my husband lost his job and spent months trying to find more work. I had been learning how to write HTML code for building websites and was getting good at the basics. It was another means for me to create and I loved it. So, I decided that I would trade my skill for karate lessons to help the instructor with his website. I found that I loved creating websites and using the Internet as a way of showing off my art. Soon, my business began to bloom and I was working my butt off building websites. All of a sudden, I’m not enjoying it as much because the creativity part was less a part of the website, and the mechanics and technical parts became more of a necessity.

About three years ago, I stepped into Twitter and blog writing. I started reviewing books I’d read and movies I’d seen, thinking nothing of my writing ability but received feedback from followers on how well I wrote. One day, a Twitter friend asked me to proofread her stories that she had written. In so doing, I began to wonder if I could benefit from writing.

At this point in time though, my creative venue was leaning more toward Photoshop. I had decided to revamp my blog and try to give it a new direction. I touched upon an idea for a banner that would really symbolize the theme of my blog. On this one particular day, I was in my shower, where all great ideas come to me, when this idea popped in my head. As I stood there thinking about how to create this banner in Photoshop, it became alive in my mind. (No, I hadn’t taken hallucinogens.) The characters began to talk and show emotion. I found that I could move around the image in my head and describe what I saw, smelled, and touched in my mind. I found that the main character in my head was talking to me and telling me her story. I sat for hours that day, typing out everything I saw and heard. I sent it over to one of my best friends and asked her to read it and give me her opinion. I was so afraid she’d laugh and tell me I should stop smokin’ whatever it was I was smoking, but she didn’t. She wrote back all excited, “Tell me more! I can’t wait!” The next day, the same thing happened and all I could do was write what flowed. I’ve been writing ever since.

Writing is my outlet to calm myself down, or explode and voice an opinion. It’s my way of venting my emotions when I’m having a tough day. It’s my way to escape. Writing is a way for me to create -- people, emotions, worlds, and much more. I love words! I love describing ideas and analogies so that your mind begins to see what’s in my mind.

Fumbling through my garage, I searched for a story that I started years ago. I thought, now that the juices were flowing perhaps I could finish it. I never found that story, but I found oodles of journals that I would buy, write in and then lose track of, only to buy another and do the same. Apparently, writing has always been my way of working things out. I would write what was in my head, to calm the proverbial voices, and then move on. Now, I am working at completing one of my many stories.

Next step… I just need the courage to publish!

Hmm, whom should I tag?

QuixoticKatie

KrazyK85_

j_cage

TwittahMom

michelehauf