When I Write . . .

/ roughwighting

When I write I become a svelte, long-lashed, long-haired, long-legged young gypsy.

Well, less gypsy, more fortune teller/spiritualist.

When I write, the white-lined paper is my crystal ball. The pen is my finger hovering over the ball,

answering the question . . . What If?

When I write, I jump through a sliding door and choose fantasy over reality.

What if life is a dream, and the dream is life?

When I write I swirl my head, my long bouncing curls floating left and right.  My body feels lush,

blooming with word possibilities.

When I write, my stories are life that becomes . . .

. . . stories that are as true as the blue sky, as deep as true love, as timeless as a long nap in which fairies dance and giggle into my imagination.

When I write, my crystal ball is full of the swirls of letters

Dancing in delight.

When I write, I become the characters in my stories

male and female, loved and looking for love, confused and finding hope, and even answers, at The End.

When I write, I become a dream,

which becomes a life, 

rich in possibilities.

WHAT DO YOU BECOME, WHEN YOU WRITE?

writing, creative writing, blogging

My blogging break is over soon
I peek out like a coy shy bloom
Hoping my few words softly croon
And I’m welcomed back to your room.

 

116 thoughts on “When I Write . . .”

    • I feel exactly the same. And this is why I love to teach creative writing. I watch my students (all adults) FIND themselves through their stories. It’s exhilarating (you used the perfect word). THANK you.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Awww, what a nice thing to say, Bernadette. How’d I’d love to visit you and your kitchen in person. Yummmmmm. 🙂 And isn’t it amazing, how food can transport us to different countries? I never thought of food writing that way. Thank you! ❤

      Like

    • Thus, Jill, your characters are such fine human beings, flawed but looking for ways to love and be loved. That’s why your books are so wonderful. Yes, writing is an escape from the real world, but in a sense, you and other writers create worlds, don’t we? xo

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Thanks for the lovely tour of your imagination and writing Pam. You create dreams, fun, and fascination. I become more centered, sometimes at one with my spirit. I’d like to go on more fancies of imagination like you do!

    Liked by 2 people

  10. “When I write I become a dream”…stunning. Those few words speak to me! I love the prompt…and the first thing that came to mind was “when I write…I lose all sense of time and space”, which I suppose is a less poetic way of saying I become a dream. I like your version best! Thanks, Pam!
    xo! 🥰

    Liked by 2 people

    • Actually, I love your practical way of explaining what happens to us writers. YES – we lose all sense of time and space. Even my stomach stops grumbling and doesn’t tell me I’ve written past breakfast and lunch time. 🙂 And the space. YES, when we write, we’re in the setting we are creating, not the hardback chair our rear end is sitting on. :-0 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  13. When I write, “I become my characters.” I love that, Pam. And it’s the core of the way I write too. It’s an emotional journey first. The rest comes later. Welcome back from your blogging break. Hugs, my friend. ❤

    Liked by 2 people

  16. I love every bit of these thoughts, Pam. I’m more left-brained, but the creative part of my right brain gives me the most pleasure.

    Liked by 2 people

  17. You’ve presented us with a triumphant return to blogging. 😉 When writing I become a machine programmed to make sense of things, thus I find myself processing my thoughts/feelings into words and phrases and eventually sentences.

    Liked by 3 people

    • What a fascinating way of thinking about writing! And thus, your blog is uber successful because we readers love to see how your brain works as you try to make sense out of the (sometimes) nonsensical or at least confusing aspects of “life.” 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  20. When I write, I feel like I’m an invisible spirit in the scene. Sometimes I want to “put my oar in” but I can’t because the only part of me that is tangible is the keyboard or my pen. Great post, Pam. I hope you’re doing lots of writing.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Ohhh, I like this idea of being an invisible spirit – almost ghost-like – in a scene as we write it. And the idea of “putting your oar” in but you can’t. Makes me think of Alfred Hitchcock and how he put himself, almost hidden, in his movies….

      Like

  21. I love you when you write poetry Pam, I like to be a part of your dreams and emotions. Welcome back dear friend. I know you have many stories that have been simmering in the cauldron of your dreams. 😊

    Liked by 3 people

  23. Of course, you’ll be welcomed back to my room, Pam! What do I become when I write? I’d have to say I become an empath for my characters to the point it hurts. (Of course, I could become something else the next time I write . . . )

    Liked by 1 person

  24. You’re a true writer, Pam. You’ve fed your imagination. You’ve allowed it to grow and live free.

    When I write, often I struggle and move ahead slowly. But in the best of times, I create something new and unexpected. Those are the times I love.

    Liked by 3 people

    • I like the idea that we can “feed” our imagination and help it grow. What food do we give it? Love, energy, attention, and the ability to not listen to people who say “you can’t do/say that”!
      Writing is most pleasurable, for sure, when we don’t struggle but the pens just flows. I think it’s almost like runners who get a high as they reach mile 5 or so. Writing gives us a high!!

      Like

  25. What if life is a dream, and the dream is life? Do you realize how profound that is?
    When I write, I can float around in the “in-between”. It’s the most “real” I can be, and implicitly truthful even if I were to write a work a fiction. Writing sets me free to be who I really am. I’m a fictional character. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    • Marlene, as always, YOU say the profoundest things. Those who aren’t writers wouldn’t understand that “floating” stage where we’re not in this world, but the world of our stories. I have goosebumps as I agree with you – “it’s the most real” we can be. Such a gift, and it’s too bad so many people don’t realize that the gift is right in front of them with pen and paper.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Thank you so much for the kind words, Pam. Something about your writing moves me more than anyone else’s. I have a good friend who’s writing I just can’t read and I adore her. Not sure what that’s about. There is some kind of energy behind your words that I can’t put a name to but it’s palpable. Keep doing it.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Hi David. SUCH A PLEASURE to see you here!!! And thanks for the wide smile, envisioning you becoming a man o’ action ready to fight wrongs with diplomacy and love. Truly, you do that every day in real life. Big hug back. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  28. When I write I become fully concentrated on the sound and rhythms of the words. I live in the flow of words, see meanings I wasn’t aware of before and meanings behind meanings.
    Wishing you a happy weekend
    Klausbernd
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    • DELIGHTFUL. I’m sinking into your almost spiritual experience of connecting with your words to find meaning and as you say, meanings behind the meanings. Writing is magical that way. And I know people don’t like to use the word magic when writing, so I’ll say it’s a phenomenal adventure.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. Writing Rocks! Some of my fave quotes on the writing life:

    There is only one trait that marks the writer. He is always watching. It’s a kind of trick of the mind and he is born with it. ~ Morley Callahan

    Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money. ~ Jules Renard

    Writing is a solitary occupation. Family, friends, and society are the natural enemies of the writer. He must be alone, uninterrupted, and slightly savage if he is to sustain and complete an undertaking. ~ Lawrence Clark Powell

    HorseracingThe profession of book-writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business. ~ John Steinbeck

    I love being a writer. What I can’t stand is the paperwork. ~ Peter De Vries

    The tools I need for my work are paper, tobacco, food, and a little whisky. ~ William Faulkner

    I suppose I am a born novelist for the things I imagine are more vital and vivid to me than the things I remember. ~ Ellen Glasgow

    Write on!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Oh my gosh, Nancy, thanks so much for these great quotes. I have a pageful of quotes that I’ve used in my writing talks and classes, but most of yours I’ve never seen. Adding to my “portfolio.” 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • Glad you enjoyed. Quotes often encapsulate the essence of a subject (like writing or authenticity) in ways that are easy to remember . . . and pull from our portfolio or portmanteau.

        Liked by 1 person

  33. This is fantastic imagery, Pam! My mind’s eye could see you twirling and dancing as that gypsy/spiritualist/fortune teller. Awesome! When I write, my true voice bubbles up. I learn what matters most to me and expose gumption that my mouth rarely utters. It scares the hell out of me sometimes, if you want the truth. 😂

    Liked by 3 people

    • Ha ha. I know exactly what you’re saying. When I wrote my book The Right Wrong Man, the character, Meredith, is very different from me and I couldn’t believe the things that she said, and the things that she did. But gosh it was a lot of fun being in her world. 😍
      Here’s to our “true voice” bubbling away. Xo

      Like

  35. You and I are the gypsy together. To answer your question, I first become a conduit for all the feelings, experiences and knowledge that have been mine in this and any lifetime, right up to that very second. Then I draw on the same from so many others that I have known and not known throughout time, both human and animals. When I really get in that zone, there’s no telling what/who comes to gather at my keyboard or through my pen.
    Thank you for your thoughts on how you write. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  37. Incredible blog post here my friend. I love how creative this is and the when you write part. As for me, what I become when I write it is nothing but myself. When my hand moves with the pen, my mind is taken to a whole new dimension.

    Writing it is like reading a book, the characters and the play all unfold as you flip on the pages till the end which is the conclusion.

    Lastly, I like the example you made that when you write your paper is like your crystal ball💯. That is good and relatable🙏

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful comments. You obviously really “got into” my verse and experienced what I was trying to say. 🙂 Yes, I agree with you. In writing we become our true selves – no facade, no secrets – because to write well, we must be open and honest.

      Liked by 1 person

  38. I especially like the line “my stories are life that becomes . . . stories that are as true as the blue sky, as deep as true love, as timeless as a long nap in which fairies dance and giggle into my imagination.” This line captures the essence of what makes writing so special. When we write, we are able to create worlds that are both real and magical, worlds that can transport us to other places and times. Beautiful piece!

    Liked by 1 person

    • I’m thrilled that my post on “writing” and what we become by writing, has found wonderful writers out there, everywhere. So grateful that you are part of this writing community and another lover of writing. Your blog is impressive. May we continue to find the magic in our stories.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Pam, this is a fascinating way to look at writing, but so spot on! We create dreams, stories and possibilities from nothing more than our imagination meaning the possibilities are infinite. Creating stories is one of the great joys to those so inclined. A pain in the butt for others. I am so glad both of us are in the former group.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Haha, smiling at your last two lines. Yes, I have friends who just shake their heads at the idea that I write for hours a day, for pleasure! They find writing a horrendous chore. How sad. One of the reasons I teach creative writing “for fun” is so adults can discover the magic in their words and their stories. Seeing their eyes light up is worth a million dollars.

      Like

  41. Pam, a delight of a post and what a beautiful description of your writing! 😀 Your sense of exuberance is wonderful, I became hooked by all your writerly selves. Your students are lucky to have such a passionate teacher as yourself and we are blessed for read your work here and in your books! Writing is truly an amazing act of liberty, the freedom to become anyone, anywhere, anytime! I love the tickles within me when a piece comes together, even surprises me, when I become lost in my writing that time itself disappears into the sea mist. It is a wonder to feel that magic spark of sentences, to hear the dialogue, to feel the chill of a snowy mountain on even the hottest summer day. The occasions when the writing feels as if it has deserted me becomes a keen grief, a loss and fear, will it ever return, will I be reunited to become my full self again?! Thank you for your enjoyable creative reflections of writing and the conversation afterwards is enthralling – I had to step away a couple of days to be able to write my own reply! Happy Writing – always! Xx ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    • You always make me smile. And yes, you and I share a passion for writing, which is why we can be such good friends, so many many miles away and having never seen each other in person. Our words do all the friendship work. 😍

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.