The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life

It is my belief that writing is a way to bless and to multiply our blessings.

Writing is an act of self-cherishing. We often write most deeply and happily on those areas closest to our heart.

We often make the mistake of thinking that we "have" to be in the "right" mood to write. The truth is, any mood can be used for writing. Any mood is a good writing mood. The trick is to simply enter whatever mood like a room and sit down and write from there.

We are often so busy wanting to have a life as a writer that we forget that we have a life to write about.

Writing is medicine. It is an appropriate antidote to injury. (...) Writing allows us to rewrite our lives.

The trick to finding writing time, then, is to write from love and not with an eye to product.

Higher forces speak to us through writing. Call them inspiration, the Muses, Angels, God, Hunches, Intuition, Guidance, or simply a good story -- whatever you call them, they connect us to something larger than ourselves that allows us to live with greater vigor and optimism.

There is an energy to the hand that leads our thoughts to a deeper and more connected place than writing on the keys does.

I made a deal with myself. The deal was: Keep the drama on the page. (...) I have learned through bitter experience that if I start engaging in personal dramas, I will be too tired, too distracted, too distraught to write--and I cannot afford that.

I believe that we are meant to move through the world with interest, and writing keeps me interested.