Giving Up? Not so Fast
I’ve given up on writing a few times, but I keep coming back. Because, when I don’t write, I feel empty, alone, a little lost. There’s nothing quite like creating a new fictional world with new characters, predicaments, emotions. Especially scenes that involve overcoming negative emotions, such as anger, frustration, impatience. Every time my heroine, Corrie, has to overcome an emotion or a challenge, it’s most gratifying to witness the way she takes her obstacles down. And when she can’t take them down, she races (or even tiptoes) around them.
Writing can be a means of taking control, vicariously, of our own lives. Another driver was rude today? Let Corrie handle it. You wish you’d said something during a tense situation? No problem. Corrie can say those words when she’s in a tough spot. See what I mean?
This is what makes writing fiction irresistible. In my last post, I mentioned truths we discover about ourselves when we write. We also let off steam through our stories, which helps promote calmness and relaxation. 
There’s something very Zen about writing, kind of like taking a walk in the woods or listening to the soothing sound of water in a running stream. Plus, what else can you do that will take you straight to the people you’d like to hang around? Book readers, librarians, other introverts and word lovers. Does this sound dull to you? Try spending ten minutes talking to any of the aforementioned and see for yourself. My local librarian always has something fascinating to offer. There’s nothing quite as gratifying as talking to another reader about a book you both enjoyed. Or didn’t. And introverts? They’re often gentle folk with a greater sense of understanding. As for word lovers…I have a great admiration for those who use their words thoughtfully, and with precision.
When I take a pause in my writing, it means I’m recharging to return, full-speed to weave a tale for myself and others to enjoy. See what you’d miss if you give up on writing?
