When I was 16 years old, my cat Max died. It was so sad, in the condition he was in, that he went out like he did. I won't go into great detail here, yet it was harsh. I wrote a Poem for Max...I lost that Poem...but will never forget Mr. Max. That little black fur-ball was anything but bad luck, he used to sit on my lap and go to sleep while I sung him ‘Silent Night.' I used to think it's cause he liked my soothing voice, but in hindsight, he was a freaking cat and just liked to sleep.
That was the first time I'd written since I was an even younger chap. When I was a pre-puberty type of guy, there was this short story contest, I entered and placed at the top of the heap. I didn't much think about it in later years, I figured that no matter how good, bad, or totally boring what I or anybody else wrote was, they placed you just to make you feel good about you. I sometimes feel like that now.
From 16 to 24, I wrote like a madman. Slogans, Stories, One-liners, Greeting Cards, Pro-Wrestling Interviews and even started and almost finished a book, most of which I kept to myself. When I occasionally showed friends, family members, and un-expecting readers, I was always told I was pretty good. I knew I was decent, but I quit. Damn right I quit... inspiration left me or I it. That's all I have to say about that.
Fast forward to early fall of 2006, Active-Rain was already in motion and I started to post. My early posts were for crap, so were a lot of my later ones. In the future, expect more occasional crap as well. Nature of the animal I guess. I can't go back and identify the post, I can't go back and pin-point where I started to just say, "Yeah, I'm going to write as me and forget everything freaking else!" I wish I could find that moment because it was one of the better decisions I've ever made.
Why I write, when I write, where I write, and how I write, had little bearing on why I began to enjoy it all over again. This forum, Active-Rain, gave me the living diary and business enhancement that awoke the sleeping wolf. Thank you folks, whether here or there or wherever, I haven't yet begun to write...but this was and is a great kicker in the arse!
Writing is a catharsis. It's an ability to cope with anything life throws at you or you throw at life. Writing means a lot to me, it's everything I want to be, yet haven't achieved. Writing is the source, the guidance, and the observance of what I hope to become. These little words you see and read mean a lot to me alright, like life, though it is often times hard to figure out how much. I titled this post with the question of Why, I answer it with Because.
*On a side note, don't forget to tune in to my upcoming posts! Look for: "How To Handle Bad Press," "So You're Only Giving Your Client One Option?" "Nicknames In The Rain!" and "The Life And Times Of Gus Hall."*
And whatever you do, please don't forget to unsubscribe to my blog!!!
Comments(31)