The Three R's: Writing, Routine, and Reason

It used to be that you would get your pen and paper out and write; that seems to be a lost art form these days.   Once told by my 1st grade teacher that my penmanship was "very poor", I was marked for life! I have the writing of a chicken and a sick chicken at that and I am positive that cursive is my achilles heel.  However, I love to "write"... that free flow feeling  of consciousness from my mind.  The feel of my keyboard under fingertips. The tap, tap, tap of letters into words, words into sentences, sentences becoming paragraphs until a wonderful piece of thought is woven into something of a story. Those things move me and there lies one of my R's: Reason.

Reason to write can be different for each of us. For me, I hope along the way to discover more of myself. I believe we each have a story and writing brings that out.  Now, maybe all of us don't want an audience to our inner feelings and trials in life, but I feel strongly that writing ones feelings and struggles, ones joys along the journey, ones stories from their past will richly strengthen us.  It was one of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott, who wrote, "We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is one reason they write so little." If the Sheep lice wanted to know the reason for their existence they may turn to writing!

Writing itself is a practice in self-discipline and self-preservation.  It sharpens your thinking. Broadens your horizons. Allows yourself to think outside the box. Makes you wonder why certain words in the English language are so hard to remember how to spell. Makes you wish you had paid better attention in class when grammar was being discussed and punctuation.  Writing is the equivalent of the  elliptical in  exercise.  And just like that elliptical machine, it pushes me. I have a love/hate relationship with it; however, I've seen it's results before and I like the way it looks.

And just like that elliptical machine that makes me sweat.... and sometimes swear--I would never do it again(!), I know that with Routine it will bring benefits. Why do you think they have something called "Writer's Block"? I think Writer's Block is like having a sore muscle or a torn ligament.  Maybe even having a cold.  When that happens, we need to rest or change things up.  If you hurt your leg, focus on your arm.  If you're sick, rest; take a break.  But, at some point you will come back to it and the more often you come back to it, you will build a stronger mind, have more confidence writing, and quite possibly step outside your comfort zone and try the StairMaster (or in my case, blog!).

Here, of course, are my thoughts; my R's. Just like those basics of "readin', writin' and 'rithmatic", I truly believe that each of us has something to gain by writing.

~Reggie