On Writing
This is from an essay called “The Intelligent Heart” by Patricia Foster. It was assigned reading in one of my classes. Now I know why. The essay was so bossy, I stopped mid-paragraph and pursued a lead on a story I’ve been thinking about for a long time but have never been brave enough to chase down. Here’s the section from Foster’s essay that moved me to action:
We believe that personal stories matter . . .
When functioning properly, the intelligent heart knocks at our door, awakens us from dreams, shudders from the drafty places in our apartments, and demands a quick audience. Write this, it says. And this. And this. And this. Faithfully we write it down, trying to quiet the alarm that it will be embarrassing, stupid, irrelevant, or that most insulting of faults: already done. We listen because it is urgent, because it sneaked up behind us and blithely tongued our ear. We listen because it seemed hungry and furious, as alive as thunder before a late summer rain. We listen because we know that stories come from the mystery of knowable places. . .
Oh my goodness. This is so true. And so perfectly put.
Ouch…I should be writing a lot more…
Beautiful.
It is bossy–but in the good way.
Love it. Thanks for sharing.
This is the struggle I always feel when songfighting….er, songwriting.
wow… that was amazing! Whenever I get a chance to catch up on your blog and those of the rest of you Nickerson writers I always find insightful little tidbits…. that make me ponder.
Thanks for sharing this (and your writing) with all of us.