Write to Live!!

I can't help but thinking about how Elizabeth Barrett's life went on a dramatic upward trajectory as she began to be recognized as a writer.  And, of course, it led to her encountering the love of her life, Robert Browning.  Life through words!

And there were a pantheon of others...Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Dickenson...all whose words not only captured their lives for all time, but transcended it, to continue to inspire others for all time.  These authors found their voices in literature, and have, posthumously, helped others do the same.

My high school English teachers, Mrs. Doris Lang and Mrs. Elaine Conery (now Reece), were among the most popular with our high school graduating class.  A gift they gave us was an awareness of the power of words, whether they are to be used to craft a novel or a job-search cover letter.  Who in their teen years could have appreciated the life-juice contained in A Tale of Two Cities, or The Canterbury Tales?  Those lucky enough to be in Mrs. Lang's or Mrs. Conery's classes did.

My mother could have left this kind of legacy.  Back in 1967, for a very brief time, Mom wrote a column for the Valley News and Green Sheet, which later became part of the Burbank Leader.  As a tribute to Mom today, I offer readers a glimpse at the writing career Norma Cook had hoped to have:

I was in the seventh grade at the time of the brief run of this column, and can only recall that Mom soon got a terse letter saying that Sorry, it was fun while we printed your articles, but we can't use them anymore.  Our family pretty much gave her a collective shrug, and an "Oh, well, that's tough" reaction.  Her dream got dismissed by everyone.

Mom packed these away, and no one in our household ever mentioned them again.  I found them, yellowed but well-preserved in an album, about two years before she died.  By then, Mom was in the throes of her dementia, and didn't even remember writing them.  Along with the articles, I found a spiral-bound notebook, with the first half filled with working titles and story ideas...never to come to fruition.

I've often wondered what might have happened if Mom had experienced less indifference from our family, and gotten more encouragement to keep writing.  What if she'd found a writer's group with which to network?  What if the internet had arrived sooner for her to leverage as a promotional tool?  So sad that Mom gave this up...

For all those who write, even it's in a journal, I say treasure what you're doing and don't let anyone devalue your words and thoughts.  They are your legacy.

I'm thinking of the Biblical story of the fig tree that rotted to the ground after failing to bear fruit  Perhaps, in a way, that's what can happen when we don't share what's inside us.  Writing is, especially in this electronic age, as much a social as well as a creative outlet.  It can keep our brains active, and help us build connections to others.

Perhaps all words can be seen as forms of "social media," so keep on writing.