I aim to write in my notebook each morning. Coffee freshly dripped from a K-Cup, cools beside me. My cat, Hershey, has learned to sit on my left side so I can scratch his ears while I scribble. The sun porch overlooking my tidy backyard is my favorite writing place. If the room is too hot or cold, I’ll settle into the big comfy chair with a pillow
behind my back and the view of a fourteen-foot mural of the Fire Island Pines shore. If I can’t be at the beach, I can at least have a life-size beach view in my living room, even if there is a lamp in the foreground. It is a cozy scene. I am grateful for my quiet muses and comforts.
What do I write? Small sensory observations, gratitude for all the blessings, and gripes born from disappointments and general WTF moments fill my pages. Sometimes I simply list must-do tasks and scheme want-to-do plans.
Why am I writing? I’ve always written. I think of myself as a creative person. I don’t draw or paint, sing well enough beyond an octave range, nor have grace or athletic talent. Writing is the one outlet that expresses me. Essays, stories, poems (terrible ones) tell who I am, where I come from, what is going on in my head. Most of my writing never goes beyond my journal pages. Through writing, I can play with word choice and sentence structures, rehearse what I need to say, and decide what is not worth saying. Daily writing gives me my voice.
Why do you write?
Be well. Be Safe. Be Smart.
Register to vote
Antoinette Truglio Martin is the author of Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer. The memoir is a wimpy patient’s journey through her first year of breast cancer treatment.
Stories Served 
Hi, Antoinette – Most of what you have written here is also true for me. “I don’t draw or paint, sing well enough beyond an octave range, nor have grace or athletic talent. Writing is the one outlet that expresses me.” Ditto to every single thought expressed here. Oh, and I am also a terrible poet! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Donna. We writers share a lot of common ground.
LikeLike
Hi Antoinette, Interesting for me to read why you write. I ‘get it’ on the creativity. It is difficult to explain this to people who do not write. Yet, they paint, or draw or sing. Like you, I have always written. For many reasons. Clarity, calmness, creativity, to mention just a few. Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Erica. I find writing to be my best therapist. 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a wonderful thing to feel the urge to write. Do you think it is connected with an urge to read as well? That is something I’ve been thinking about. I enjoy both reading and writing. My writing takes different shapes and voices, but I always write, and I always read, many pages every day. From time to time I write a journal, but nowadays it’s mostly thoughts here and there. I write down lists, ideas, and notes to myself. Sometimes I scribble or draw a sketch to prove my point (to my future self usually.) I write for clarity and peace of mind, as a way to meditate, and stay grounded. I also write to do a god job at work. This weekend I am going to write a structural plan of how my department work (hour by hour,) in case for some reason one or more team mates are missing. Then there is the blogging that take any creative shape that is needed. Sometimes I use blogging as a way to document things, gardening and places I visit. Writing on my blog is always a way to connect with good people. Thank you for the coffee and this great post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
All good reasons to write and read as well. I think the passion from it stems from a fascinating with words and language. Thanks for reading.
LikeLike
Hi Antoinette.
I’m going to “me too” a couple of comments from above, especially Maria’s who suspects that the need to write might be associated with the love of reading. Wording things in ways to connect with someone’s emotions just appeals at a genetic level. There are times when I even wish I had the gift of poetry – but I’m twice crippled here in that every attempt to create poems has been embarrassing and unsatisfying and when trying to read the poetry of others, I rarely ‘get it’ and am left thinking, “there may be a decent story in there somewhere”.
LikeLike
Thank you,Gary. Yeah, good poets have a greater gift. The rest of us get to wrestles with words to create the images.
LikeLike
Hi Antoinette, Like you, I’ve always written. Some of my whys: Creativity, self-expression, clarity, reminders to me, connection with others through words. Thanks for your coffee share.
LikeLike
I love this! So simple and reflective. It’s not always easy, but writing has opened up a new way of expression for me. I’ve always said I don’t consider myself a writer but this expression has taught me just about that — to write with your mind, heart, and even through the negativity. It’s cathartic and sometimes complicated, but I love it. Your post also reminds me of something I wrote back when I started the blog. It’s entitled “The Language I Write”. https://thecoffeebeanbrain.wordpress.com/2016/08/10/the-language-i-write/
In some ways, a lot has evolved since I wrote it and so did the language of my writing. Thanks so much for this share. Have a great week.
LikeLike