Why I Write

I've written two books. Neither one of them has made much money. I've always said that if my words touch one person than I can consider myself successful. But that's harder to live by than you might think. Our society is set up for us to measure success by financial rewards or fame. 

I made a connection with the woman who owns the house where I had my retreat last week and during the course of our conversation, we discovered we were both writers. She asked if she could read my books and I agreed to send her two print copies. This morning when I woke up and checked emails, I found this:

"I just finished reading your book--Following the Whispers.  You were so courageous to write your story and share it with the world. I read it in two days--kind of unheard of for me--but I couldn't stop reading it, and I'm trying to think what the difference was between reading your book and other memoirs/novels/or even non-fiction, which I always put down, and sometimes even carelessly lose track of.  I think the difference is that I met you briefly, and everything you said about yourself in the book, made me look at you differently--in a deeper more meaningful way.  It's so interesting to get to know you this way--through your writing.

Your story is very moving.  So very deeply expressed.  Artfully expressed, and so healing to read. We have all lived such richly conflicted lives--rich in story, but the conflicted part is not so easy to live through--especially having your son taken away from you!  I think we're here on earth to find the grace and wisdom in the messy entanglements of life, and when I put your book down, I felt your grace and your wisdom wash over me.  All your complex difficulties were mine, too.

I feel like I have made a new friend!

Thank you so much for sending me your books.  I just started reading The Wishing Steps...I love that the main character listens to Source!"

I don't have words to express how this makes me feel. Maybe I should put this up in big letters where I can see it every time I doubt whether I should keep writing. Yet I don't want to write because of some external validation I might receive. I guess the bottom line is, I write because I can't NOT write. Writing helps me make sense of my world. And I guess as I share that struggle with others through my words, one or two others might make sense out of theirs as well.

Blessings
Karen