Literarily Speaking

Why Do I Write?

By Dr. Mitchell Gibson

Writing is one of the greatest passions of my life. When I was eight years old, I wrote a two page short story describing the emotions that I experienced during my parents separation and divorce.  My third grade teacher read the piece and was moved to tears.  She drove to our home, read it to my mother, and insisted that she nurture my writing ability as much as possible.  We didn’t have much money at the time, but my mother took what she had and purchased a set of World Book Encyclopedias.  Those books were the greatest gift anyone had ever given me.  They opened the world up to me.  I have been under the unending influence of the writing bug ever since.

Writing is one of the most difficult fields in the world.  Most writers never publish a single piece of literature with a major publishing house.  Most of our work never sees an audience wider than a few supportive eyes that love everything we write, even the schlock that we know is bad.

Writing is a force that grabs you by the soul and shakes you until you can’t see yourself living a single moment in this world without it.

So why pursue it?

Writers are the last of an ancient breed.  In ancient times, we created plays and other productions that entertained audiences before the creation of movies, the internet, and dvds. When a writer feels an emotion, we have the capacity to capture it, focus it onto paper, and whittle it down until it shines like new money.  At least on a good day we can do that.  Without writers, movies, magazines, books, the internet, and hundreds of other forms of information and entertainment would cease to exist.  From Shakespeare to Steinbeck, writers capture the spirit of life and preserve it for future generations.  A real writer recognizes the force of the gift that burns within his/her soul, and realizes that every breath drawn in life adds fuel to the fire of the pen.

All of us would love to become New York Times Bestsellers.  All of us would love to make millions, pen the next great movie, and receive all the fruits of success that come with the acclaim and prosperity of a successful writer.  That power and energy fuels the fire to a certain extent, but it is not the reason that all of us put pen to paper.  We pursue the craft because at the end of the day, when we put the kids to bed, the television goes quiet, and your loving mate says good night, we look forward to capturing the thoughts of the day on pen and page.  Ten pages done by midnight equals a good day. If you have experienced it, there is no feeling like it in the world.  To a writer, that is nirvana.

Dr. Mitchell Gibson is one of the world’s leading authorities on the interface of science and the frontiers of human consciousness.  He is the best-selling author of Your Immortal Body of Light, Signs of Mental Illness, Signs of Psychic and Spiritual Ability, The Living Soul, Nine Insights For A Happy and Successful Life, and Ancient Teaching Stories. Dr. Gibson has been a consultant for Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood celebrities, professional athletes, A&E Network, NBC, ABC, and CBS regional affiliate television stations, newspapers, radio stations.

Visit his website at www.tybro.com

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