Commentary: Why write?

Instead of devoting time to la pobrecita I had my coffee and oatmeal and read the paper, glanced at the time and realized I was late for my appointment at the car repair shop. Three hours later and an unexpected $545 additional cost, I returned home ticked off. All of this started the churning in my mind of whether it mattered if I wrote or not. I mulled that over for a while until I picked up my Writer’s Digest and came across an article “Ten ways to fuel your writing” by Bill O’Hanlon, a motivating article. Out of the 10 ways, four struck a chord:

WRITE FROM BEING WOUNDED.

What struggles have you had in your life? What can you offer to others who share them? There are books written about physical disabilities, emotional wounds, traumas, divorce, fraud,and abuse. The challenges, knowledge gained and triumphs are important to share.

WRITE FROM FRUSTRATION THAT A STORY HAS GONE UNTOLD.

Mark Arsenault was a newspaper reporter assigned to cover the story of a dead man found under a bridge. When he stumbled on a group of homeless heroin addicts near the scene, one of them, Julia, made such an impression on him that he wanted to write about her. Julia became the inspiration for his debut novel, Spiked. We all know of stories the world should hear. You could be the one who finds a way to tell them.

WRITE TO HELP ILLUMINATE OR CORRECT A SOCIAL INJUSTICE.

Never forget that your gift as a writer gives you the power to make a difference. There are hundreds of issues to write about. Your writing can raise not only awareness of an issue, but anger, calls to action, plans for action, and allow concerned readers to do something to rectify an injustice.

WRITE YOURSELF OUT OF (OR THROUGH) A CRISIS.

The late Dominick Dunne’s daughter was murdered. During the trial, he was appalled that the murderer had been coached on what to wear and how to act (even carrying a Bible). Dunne knew enough from his time as a screenwriter to recognize acting and props when he saw them. He became outraged when he saw how easily the judicial process could be manipulated and distorted.

When I finished the Writer’s Digest article, I thought about my stories. All four tips did fuel my reasons for writing. My characters are wounded, in or going through crisis, they deal with social issues, and are people (bilingual, bicultural, multicultural) we don’t generally see in mainstream novels. I felt better after I read Mr. O’Hanlon’s article and for turning my attention back to my purpose for writing, even when I don’t feel like it, especially since its evening time and I’m an early bird writer. He doesn’t know it, but he helped rescue Juana.