There is no hierarchy for the words that matter to you
Some people write because they have a story to tell. Perhaps they've experienced something life changing—like a diagnosis or the loss of a loved one.
They lived through their own suffering and want to help others.
Still others write because something extraordinary happened to them. Perhaps they had a near death experience or knew someone famous or powerful. Maybe, like someone I knew a long time ago, their parent was part of a secret government program in the late 1950s.
Some write about coming of age.
Others imagine and tell delicious romances or intricate fantasies.
Still others write to preserve stories of their family or memories with their children.
Others of us write simply because when we do, we feel better. We might gain some insight or understanding. We might settle our nerves or sharpen our awareness.
Each of these types and reasons for writing may look and feel different. And, it's important to be aware that the culture has established a certain hierarchy for what is considered worthy. Seering memoirs or best-selling fantasy novels are "up here;" while writing family stories or about everyday experiences is often dismissed as not being serious.
This hierarchy is arbitrary. It serves the culture, not you as a writer
The truth is in every one of these cases, the writer is using her voice.
The person who is writing has something to say
She may want to express the sound of late summer crickets outside her window. How their song sounds loudest at dusk and feels as if it’s carrying summer’s soft farewell. She may want to voice a sorrow or a regret, like a friendship that once sparkled with glittery promise then slowly, slowly faded to missed calls and unanswered texts.
She may want to mark a moment of awe, like the time she watched fishing boats take to the ebony Mediterranean waters, lanterns clanging against a pre-dawn sky.
She may simply want to write what she feels in that very moment.
That act of writing, of using your voice in whatever way you most like to do, matters, is worthy.
What do you have to say this week?
(NB - if you're looking for a place to start, scroll down for this week's writing invitation.)
Writing Invitation
I encourage you to open your notebook and answer this week's writing invitation with whatever wants to come through.
Photo used in writing invitation is by Gleren Meneghin on Unsplash
Online Writers’ Studio for Women
If you’re interested in receiving more writing invitations and having a place to write on a more consistent basis, you can find a new one every day and the space to see where it takes you in my daily co-writing sessions, which are just one part of the Online Writers’ Studio for women.
Otherwise, come back next week, and I’ll share another one.