Why Write?

I write everyday for work.

Most of what I put into words takes less than 30 seconds to read… some even less.

Nothing is going to go down in history as great prose.

So sometimes at home, I write. Sometimes it’s journal-like, sometimes it’s a weak attempt at fiction. Always, it’s something never meant to be seen by someone else’s eyes.

I like to imagine that when I have finally moved on to the next world, my offspring, friends and professional admirers (so far I only have 1 out of 3) will dig through my old computer disks and find the amazing Lost Writings of John. They will be published posthumously and people will talk about the tragedy that I never knew how popular my words were.

Like I said, it’s my imagination.

And then a couple of months ago a friend of mine told me about a friend of hers, and the blog she’s been writing. It’s called Lemon Gloria and I’ve been in awe ever since.

She is a delightful writer. She writes the way I believe she speaks, and I believe she speaks beautifully. She’s funny too. But perhaps what I am truly in awe of is what she writes about.

Herself.

She has put out there, for all to see, her life. She writes about her ups and downs, the funny things that happen every day, her observations.

She writes the way I want to write. And often, she feels the way I have felt.

And that has inspired me to turn those personal writings that have been taking up disk space into a blog of my own. Someone could actually read this. I know there are a lot of blogs out here, and I don’t expect to be a daily destination for anyone.

But, maybe one or two people will think: “Hmm, he’s a decent writer, I want to write some more too.”

And that’s what it really comes down to for me. I love seeing words on paper, I love the process, and in Lemon Gloria’s case, I love the honesty, the fun and the hurt that well placed words can convey.

I don’t think I can put out there, out here I guess I mean, all of the things that I write for myself.

Maybe in the coming weeks and months I will, maybe not. Maybe I’ll be funny, sad, deep, shallow, all while protecting myself. I don’t know.

What I do know is this. Check out Lemon Gloria.