Grief and Gratitude.
Grieving is human. Grieving is a part of life because nobody is perfect and people will let you down. There will be moments in life when you're going to feel so helpless, so out of place, so lonely, so mad about everything that's going on and you find yourself desperately wishing for things to go back to the way it were. But you can't because past is past and that's it. People get sick and they die, relationships end and you suddenly have to go your separate ways, friends back-stab and friendships get ruined, people leave to be somewhere far away from you, these things are all bound to happen to some of us eventually. And when they do, you're going to want to cry a lot, eat chocolate a lot and I don't know, probably sing and dance and spend nights not sleeping a lot. But you can't go on like this forever, right?
So in the midst of all the mess, we write and we read, a lot. We write and write and write, and read and read and read, and don't stop until you finally get a hold of yourself and realize you're going to be just fine. Bruised, obviously, but it doesn't make you less than what you truly are, it doesn't make you less of a writer or less of a reader than you ever were. We are writers and writing should keep you sane (Ray Bradbury said this too in one of his speeches). Writing should (and will) be your therapy in getting back on your feet and your characters should be one of the people you find comfort in. Reading, on the other hand, should allow you to have peace. Reading should take you to places other than reality, take your mind off the mess and give you the necessary breaks you need when you feel helpless and sad and mad again.
Writers, I think, when we are faced with devastating events in life should be grateful. I don't think this applies to writers only, but to artists in general. We should be grateful because we get the chance to experience the process. I'm not saying I enjoy losing friends or I like breaking up relationships and dance over people dying, but if it did happen, if we did had to deal with those things, then I'm saying you should remember to be grateful. Be thankful that you get the chance to experience first hand from the tears, the happiness, the longing, the desperation, the exhaustion and all the raw emotions, because now you get it. Now you know how your characters feel when you kill their friends and now you understand how the grieving process is supposed to be too. People always say, experience is the best teacher, and to some extend it's true. And as writers, every moment of our lives is precious, it should be precious, including grieving, and this too should be taken as a valuable experience.
Oh, and, you're going to be okay. The storm doesn't last forever. That's for sure.
So in the midst of all the mess, we write and we read, a lot. We write and write and write, and read and read and read, and don't stop until you finally get a hold of yourself and realize you're going to be just fine. Bruised, obviously, but it doesn't make you less than what you truly are, it doesn't make you less of a writer or less of a reader than you ever were. We are writers and writing should keep you sane (Ray Bradbury said this too in one of his speeches). Writing should (and will) be your therapy in getting back on your feet and your characters should be one of the people you find comfort in. Reading, on the other hand, should allow you to have peace. Reading should take you to places other than reality, take your mind off the mess and give you the necessary breaks you need when you feel helpless and sad and mad again.
Writers, I think, when we are faced with devastating events in life should be grateful. I don't think this applies to writers only, but to artists in general. We should be grateful because we get the chance to experience the process. I'm not saying I enjoy losing friends or I like breaking up relationships and dance over people dying, but if it did happen, if we did had to deal with those things, then I'm saying you should remember to be grateful. Be thankful that you get the chance to experience first hand from the tears, the happiness, the longing, the desperation, the exhaustion and all the raw emotions, because now you get it. Now you know how your characters feel when you kill their friends and now you understand how the grieving process is supposed to be too. People always say, experience is the best teacher, and to some extend it's true. And as writers, every moment of our lives is precious, it should be precious, including grieving, and this too should be taken as a valuable experience.
Oh, and, you're going to be okay. The storm doesn't last forever. That's for sure.
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| photo credit: bookporn.tumblr.com |
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