I thought it worthwhile to ponder what happens when I write. It is largely a mystery to me, but yet something I enjoy doing and work at passionately until I am happy with the result.
I would like to be able to say I have a set schedule for writing which I follow each day. I am still working on one. So far I write in the mornings and do other things in the afternoon. Mornings seem productive because my mind is rested and ready for work.
What I write does not seem to matter. I can be adding narrative to my novel or working on my blog. It doesn’t even matter if I am transcribing notes from a meeting I attended. It’s the act of writing, putting a sentence together that accurately conveys what happened in a way that pleases and draws attention. I do not write just to share facts or record events. I write to please others and myself.
I sometimes write to untangle feelings generated by an experience I’ve had. While I am doing that, I am able to understand the significance of what happened or what my true feelings are. If it is a problem I am facing, writing often reveals a solution to me. I believe this happens due to the fact that when I write I slow my mind down and focus sequentially on each thought.
Other times I write for entertainment. When I am writing my novel, I am motivated to see where the story will go and how it is fitting together. The payoff comes when I sit back and take the role of reader and glide into something crafted from my own experiences. Maybe writing here is an escape of reality to a world I have created. In my latest novel, there is a flashback to when I was growing up and I can almost see the vintage cars, the blossoms on the trees, the way things were when I was a child. It’s gives me satisfaction exploring the scenes which are a combination of imagination and experience.
Sometimes I write for the discipline of it. This is true when I write a poem. I look for words that have the right sound and meter to fit my rhyming scheme. When I use the word discipline, I usually think of unpleasant things. But in this case, working on a poem is like marching in time with a military drill unit. When I am successful it looks good…and sounds good.
There are times when I write to keep my tools (eg typing, computer use, sentence construction) sharp. I don’t dare let them rust at this time in my life. Tools sometimes degrade when they are not used. I need to use my writing skills to keep them in working order.
The final thing I’ve noticed happens when I write is there is a mystical connection to something outside myself. I usually call it God. Others call it their Muse. I won’t say I am right and others are wrong. I will say that there is something outside me that connects with me every time I write. I feel a solid channel of ideas and words pouring from mind to fingers with a force that my fingers can barely match. There is bouncing vitality and energy that does not occur at any other time for me.
For me, what happens when I write cannot really be explained, it is simply experienced.
Rich Rockwood, Christian Author 