November
19, 2001
Commit It To Writing
"All
writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation
– it is the Self escaping into the open."
E.B.
White – Author of Charlotte’s Web
"The
greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something, and
tell what it saw in a plain way."
John
Ruskin – considered Victorian England's greatest writer
I did not set out to be a writer and still do not
refer to myself as one when asked what I do.
Ten months into writing a weekly message about my spiritual journey has
not changed that view. The term
writer conjures images of literary figures like those quoted above, novelists
who provide stories to help us escape into other worlds, or biographers who
bring names to life.
Today, while having coffee at a local haunt, we had a
conversation with a person whom we, up to now, had only exchanged pleasantries.
He is a professional freelance photographer who works all over the world
and enjoys discovering spirituality wherever he goes.
Today he mentioned visiting the Awaken The Soul website and had read many
of the previous messages. Then he
introduced us to a young woman and her husband he was seated with and told us
that she was a very talented writer whom he was going to collaborate with on a
travel book. To say I was intimidated would be an understatement because I knew
she was going to also read a few messages.
I shared with our new photographer friend that I
really did not consider myself a writer, but he ignored the comment and
proceeded to describe what he liked about my style of writing. In part, he felt I wrote as if I was writing a personal
letter to the reader about my experiences.
This week I had another experience with writing that
involved the Internet and the manager of a retail store.
Through written messages over a span of several days, our souls began to
open up to each other and a friendship developed.
We are all aware of the dangers that have risen from certain Internet
“chats” and less aware of positive results of people taking time to use the
written word to communicate feelings. This
experience became sacred to both of us.
When
I was a child, writing from the soul was hardly a common practice.
If done at all, it was the practice of young girls who were given locking
diaries to write private thoughts, while young boys tried to find ways to read
them. Years ago, a more mainstream
term, journaling, was adopted and the practice of journaling was and is taught
in elementary classes. I have many
journals that I keep for various purposes or subjects.
I regret that it took so long for me to make this practice a part of my
life.
When
my wife Jan took a class based on Julia Cameron’s bestseller, The Artists
Way, she began to write what were known as morning pages.
The purpose was to roll out of bed before the hustle of the day began and
simply write what was on her mind. Cameron’s
own experience had taught her that if she committed the things that troubled her
to writing, then she could leave them on the pages and move forward.
A
close friend mentioned this weekend that she still had many feelings that she
wanted to deal with surrounding September 11th.
When I mentioned that I was going to write this week about writing, she
mentioned that she had thought that just journaling would help her with her
thoughts and emotions.
In
the age of technology and lower communications costs, it is so easy to pick up
the phone and just talk. This is a
wonderful way to keep up to date on things and share events with people
immediately. I have found the
experience of the spiritual journey, however, heightened when I take the time to
contemplate and write about things, either for others or just for my own eyes.
When
I decided to try to write a weekly message, I found a book written by a
Zen-Buddhist psychotherapist writer, Gail Sher titled One Continuous Mistake:
Four Noble Truths For Writers. Those
truths are:
Writers
write; Writing is a process; You don’t know what your writing will be until
the end of the process; and, If writing is your practice, the only way to fail
is not to write.
Whether
for an audience of many or an audience of one, committing your thoughts and
experiences to writing can be a wonderful companion during your spiritual quest.
As my soul has become a participant in my writing, it has awakened to
more of the beauty and the wonder of the universe.
With respect, acceptance, and love,
Richard
©
Richard D. Olson and Awaken The Soul, 2001; Edited by Janice E. Olson
One Continuous Mistake: Four Nobel Truths For
Writer by
Gail Sher, Copyright 1999, the Penguin Group (see
Suggested Reading web page)