Putting Yourself into Your Writing

 Our quote and painting for today really speaks to me. We often think of artists as painters, but all who create something, whether with paints, charcoal, pens and pencils, typewriters, computer keyboards, clay, or marble qualify as artists. Some quilts are works of art. Embroidery, crocheting, tatting--all are art forms.

But we writers should do exactly as Henry Ward Beecher, who was a clergyman and social reformer in the 19th century, said. We must look into our own soul and put ourselves into the words we write. That's a fine goal to set for yourself. If you can write doing those two things, you'll most likely be successful.

Hold back on putting our soul and self into our writing, and the writing will reflect that. It could turn out dull, wooden, uninteresting. As writers, we cannot hold back, we should put all we have into our writing. New writers are sometimes fearful of doing this. After all, you're baring your soul to the world through what you write. You might be putting yourself up for criticism. It's a hurdle to get over, but once you do, your writing will be much improved. 

One example is in memoir writing. Unless you look into your own soul and put something of yourself into your memoir, it will be nothing but a report. Dull, wooden, uninteresting. You'll need to open the gates and let yourself shine through what you write. 

The quote and painting today reminded me of a poem I wrote some years ago. It won third place in a theme contest. The theme was: Pen life as art. I've posted it below.

Artists All

Painting with oils,

watercolors brushed across paper,

clay molded by loving hands, 

marble chiseled to exquisite form.

Artists ply their trade

by the golden light of day,

by the velvet depths of night

passionately, joyously, ardently.

One more artist joins the ranks.

The writer brushes words over paper,

molds a story bit by glittering bit,

chisels a novel to survive the ages.

Life stories are gathered 

from country roads to city streets,

written from the depths of a heart

bursting with intensity and rapture.

Artists all, masters of creation,

be they painters, sculptors or writers,

leaving footprints on canvas, marble and paper--

heartfelt tributes embraced by mankind.

(C) 2007