Writing...Gift or Curse

I have been handed very few gifts in this cursed life of mine...so, to answer your question correctly, I'd have to say it's a bit of both! The earliest memory of writing was when I was about 9 or 10. I was sitting in my room looking out of my window. I wrote a poem called "A Star". It was changed a few times over the years...but, ultimately remains my very first work of art! Personally, I wouldn't want it any other way. That poem depicts the unknown, the mysterious...the questions that can never be answered. Kind of like the title of this article group!

Writing is a mental release that every person needs. There are people that draw, take pictures, eat. But, a lot of us choose to write. It's an escape from the pressures of the real world - although it's the real world we choose to write about. Feels like a crossword puzzle that never ends...a mountain that you can never reach the top of. The possibilities are endless even though sometimes we'd like them to end. And that, my friend, is a gift to you...a curse to me.

Over the years, I have published 2 books of poetry. There are 4 more books about half-way done. Two of them are poetry, one are my human rights articles, and the fourth is a daily inspirational guide. Now that I'm bored with my everyday writing of those, I decided to try my hand at a movie script. What am I thinking, you ask? Well, that's the problem...I'm not thinking! It seems the words just flow out - at the most awkward of times mostly! And while I'm busy pecking away at the keyboard, keep in mind that I also have to work and raise my boys! So, to add insult to injury, I am EXHAUSTED! I don't sleep unless I'm medicated...otherwise, I will wake up at least five times throughout the night, grab my tablet and just write...it's horrible! That went on for ten years before the doctor made the decision to prescribe me what many people consider a "crazy person" drug. Now, thanks to Xanax, my blood pressure lowered and I was getting more than 2 hours of sleep a night! If you think that sounds crazy, talk to a few writers! There are many of us out there that need to be medicated...it's just another curse of the talent.

But, on the positive side of all of it, I have the ability to give a voice on issues that may otherwise go unheard. I have a talent for the way words flow onto paper. And, most importantly (from what I've been told), I'm real...I can write in a way that anyone can understand. There is nothing that I don't enjoy writing about. My passion is endless...if there is a way to put something into words, I'm going to try to do it! Maybe it's the challenge of it all that captures me. I know it's not the fear of defeat, or I wouldn't be writing this!

Personally, I think the "gift and curse" aspect of writing is rolled into one...there is no ability to separate the two. As a writer, you take the whole world onto your shoulders at once and try to carry it with you. You try to make your words heal the sick...make the sad laugh again...make the old remember being young. I wouldn't want my life any other way. For if I am capable of carrying my own burdens in this life, I am more than capable to help another carry theirs. Through these words on the most asked question of the day...know that whether it be a gift or a curse is not to be answered. Instead, just know that there are few people out there willing to go the distance...willing to write their words - no matter what the fate may be. This is my gift to you!