The Joy of Writing

The hardest book I've read that I can remember, is A Celestial Burning: A selective study of the writings of Shoghi Effendi, written by J.A. McLean, an author of this, his third book, who lives in Ottawa, Canada. Saying this may be the hardest book I've read, is really saying something, since my job at one time entailed learning programming languages like COBOL and RPG, and all those esoteric data processing and information technology abbreviations and acronyms, like OS/MVT, TSO, IBM 360, DASD, Procs and a hundred others. At another it was all the technical in and outs of computing devices and software applications. And at another it was everything to know about energy - buying and selling it, solar, CHP, HVAC, motors, exchangers and much more. And I had to write about all of it in business reports, letters, memos and emails. And I had to have a basic understanding of them. 

I must admit A Celestial Burning threw me to the dictionary with words like hermeneutics (interpretation) and exegesis (critial interpretation), and dozens more like them. Shoghi Effendi's writings do that also, so it was a good fit.

The reason I mention this at all, is to say I agree with Stephen King (On Writing), and every other author or blogger, that reading to become a good writer is mandatory and essential. Even if you read poorly written books (and there are more and more - especially now with self-publishing), you'll learn what NOT to write. Our Baha'i leader 'Abdu'l-Baha once said "You can always serve as a bad example." (Pilgriim's Note) 

I'm not an author yet (hopefully around June when I self-publish Episodes of A Blessed Life in America), but after four years of sitting at our computer every day, I do consider myself a writer. Readers will be the judge of what kind, even if just family are the judges. My boring, one-dimensional 500 page autobiography has been done for six months. Since I started to learn how to write in 2011 with membership in the Lawrence Library Memoir Writing Class, its been a fun, challenging, exciting journey since, with no end in sight. At one point I attended at least four, sometimes five, memoir critique groups every week. Every week! Tony, a writer friend, sometimes attended twelve! (We're both retired.) And slowly I've been improving. Now I teach and facilitate two memoir writing classes per week, free, at local public libraries.

The best writers show the action and just don't describe it. It's a basic rule of writing which is SHOW DON'T TELL. Showing motion and emotion, smells, and sights, thoughts and dialogue. But I don't believe that's enough anymore. In memoir I'm the protagonist, the narrator. And I firmly believe its SHOW AND TELL with emphasis on showing. I try to do both. Things like the year, my age at the time and that of others, what you, and they, look like, backstory etc., all need to be woven in as well. Describing settings is important, even tho the scene takes precedence. But the number one rule in writing? As the Writer's Digest masthead states "There are no rules."

So I've written tons of memoir scenes and pieces, and sometimes weave them together like I did for this upcoming book. Memoir is the easiest genre for me to write for me, although I do like writing poetry on occasion. And so much fun! Especially the reaction of others to a well-scripted piece. You know you want to improve and write more when you get good reactions. And every one of us has a story, in fact hundreds of stories within our synapses, in our hearts, and felt by our bodies. Let alone the spiritual goodwill or stirrings the vast majority of people (I think), have felt.

And it is so riveting, and touching, and evocative, to hear others personal stories. I've heard stories of murder, marriage, embarrassment and shame, mental illness (mine), and the Pennsylvania coal mines. Graphic stories all, from the heart, told truthfully. Perhaps with nostalgia or melancholy, great joy, deep sadness and personal loss, surprise of attempted death, the armed services and their cruelty, and the joy of reunion.

And that's what writing is to me. The joy of reunion between my soul (truth), my heart (emotion), my body (physicality), and my rational soul - my brain. Writing is a path to discovery, for the writer, and, when its written well, for the reader also. I encourage you to write down, or type, your story. Start now and don't wait. You'll be pleasantly surprised and amazed at what you're capable of.

By Rodney Richards, NJ