Sunday, October 3, 2021

Writers’ Pantry #90: Why Do You Write and Share?

I have spent a lot of time, these few days, pondering the reasons why I write and share my words online, and in this community specifically. Had I been asked the same question a few years ago, I would’ve probably said that I wrote and shared my inked thoughts online in an effort to hone my craft. That used to be true, and it still is at some level. But at the moment, it would be more accurate to say that I write and share and read what others share because I enjoy the sense of community the activity brings.

Some years ago, my immune system started keeping me from going outside as often as I wanted. These days, the pandemic keeps the whole world from going outside as much as anyone might want. These facts have affected what I write and share and my reasons for doing so. I went from always sharing fiction, even in my poetry, to mostly writing poetry and prose about my daily life and my observations of the world. When I write, I feel like I am having a conversation with a room full of friends. I will always write my beloved dark stories, which I hope to publish someday. But on my blog and on Instagram, my reasons for writing and sharing involve the spreading of hope, friendship, and community.

What about you, dear poets and storytellers, why do you write and share?

Now, the Pantry is open! Share prose or poetry. Let your contributions be new or old, short or longish (if going for prose, the word count should be 369 words or fewer). One link per participant, please. Visit other writers. Comment on their words. Be community.

- for next Wednesday, Rommy would like us to take our inspiration from the quote “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers”, the word October, or from autumn in general.


photo by Shane Rounce, on Unsplash

40 comments:

  1. Thank you, Magaly. You raise interesting questions. And they are indeed two different questions for me. I write for the same reasons I always have: I can’t not (except for thankfully rare writer’s blocks, when I can get very cranky); I regard poetry as adding to the beauty of the world and therefore a supremely worthwhile thing to do (and lately have enjoyed bringing some of its qualities to the short prose pieces I also write for P&SU); and this has been my lifelong choice as to how I wanted to spend my time, i.e. my life.

    Why do I share my work here? Partly for the same reasons as I have sometimes submitted it to journals and anthologies, produced books of it, and presented it spoken aloud — because while the first impulse (I think of any art form) is to express oneself through creating a work of one’s particular art, the second is surely to communicate that. One of the things art is, is communication.

    And why here, in this community? A combination of reasons.
    * I like to read poetry and stories as well as write them. Good ones really excite me.
    * Writing is a solitary business; it’s wonderful to find other members of the tribe, whether on or offline, who understand all about it as others can’t.
    * This community has come to feel like a family.
    * I’ve always been prolific, but the prompts stop me from ever having to wonder what to write about. I find that it is still (of course) my own unconscious they activate, my own Muse they speak to, but they do give me more writing opportunities than I would otherwise have. Sometimes I wonder how to respond to some, but then it becomes fun to meet the challenge.
    * Art is essentially play, and it’s much more fun with playmates.

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    1. You have pretty much nailed why we write and why we shared it on this community. And yes, art is communication, be it the written or spoken word, visual arts, or stage performances. :)

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    2. Rosemary, you said it all so well. This bit in particular "Writing is a solitary business; it’s wonderful to find other members of the tribe, whether on or offline, who understand all about it as others can’t" is especially true. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  2. Hello dear poets and storytellers, I hope you're keeping well. I'm travelling, at present. This means I'll read you as well as respond later, with undivided attention. Because, and as Magaly puts it, I'm also here for conversations. :)

    Happy October!

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    1. Have a blast, my dearest Khaya! Then come back and tell us all about it.

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  3. Sharing came inadvertently when i bought my first computer (before retirement) and started searching haiku and surfing hobbies in yahoo groups. My writing was an item of my retirement planning menu.

    Its 5:06 AM here in St James Trinidad. (way before sun up) Wishing all a Happy Sunday

    much❤️love

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    1. Thank you, Gillena. I hope your Sunday is glorious.

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  4. I write because I have to , a genuine need to express my self . And I write here because I feel heard and I also enjoy the creative expression of other like minded

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    1. I think my muse just nodded your way, Jossina. Thank you for sharing and for reading.

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  5. Good day, Poets!

    I write because i like it. yes, very cliché, but the main reason. There are periods where not a single word was written. And then came the internet & open up opportunities to share. First it was the noisy forums, and then the communities like this friendly place. The reasons to write, and share, are back. :)

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    1. Writing because we like it is the best reason of them all, methinks.

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    2. I can't think of better reason to write! And yes, the arrival of the internet (and then of blogging) has been wonderful in that way.

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  6. I write...and share...once in a while, because poetry is medicine.

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  7. I write because I must, and it has been so for as long as I can remember. I enjoy the exchange of reading the writes of others, and receiving comments on my own. In my advanced years and inability to be out and about much, I find my community of friends here keeps me in touch with others, and mentally aware. I've developed quite a fondness for the friends I've met here. How I wish we could all meet for lunch one day!!

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    1. That's exactly how I feel, Bev! And I, too, wish we could all meet fact to face one day. What a party that would be...

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  8. I wasn't done so had to start over. I share for encouragement and inspiration and, yes, for that sense of community. It's more fun to share the good news than the depressing but sometime it helps to put that out there too. You now...get it off our backs so we can stay light on our feet! But this morning I have good news I wanted to share. Thanks!

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    1. Sharing the good and the not so great is a great sort of comfort for me, too, Yvonne. I think it's what brings us and keeps us together. Can't wait to read your good news!

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  9. Most of my writing goes to an audience of one - my Mrs, "My One", and I suppose if I didn't have her, then I would not have a purpose (for many things and not just writing.) I've written short works for years but poetry didn't really start until connecting here, (I don't remember quite how I got here, maybe google?) Although I have some poems from when I was in grade school that wasn't half bad to these old man's eyes, I don't remember writing it. Hmmm...

    This has been a chaotic ride these past few years and even more so since 2021 started. While I haven't stopped, I've ceased sharing my poetry. There's a dark cloud that needs to be lifted and I think a better expressive method for me will have to be shared someday. Give it time to germinate.

    I've been sporadic at best for my postings and not the best representative member of the community. "Life gets in the way, sometimes." I'll stick with the life at the farm for the time being and today's update with Wee Sprout is in order. With Magaly's picture of hands on a tree, it seems like the right time.

    Cheers to all!

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    1. I understand too well, Joel. My Piano Man is my first reader. He gets to feel all the ink, even the bits I don't share. I think I would still write if I didn't have him--I wouldn't know how to stop--but having him to share my words is a great gift.

      Can't wait to see how Wee Sprout is doing!

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    2. You have become part of this community anyway, Joel. As have some others who don't post so often for whatever reason (such as Brother Ollie, who's been participating now and then for a long time). We love to see what you share when you can, and the rest of the time we think kindly of you on your farm (or Brother O in his monastery).

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    3. Thank you, Rosemary. I've always felt welcomed which is what the community does best for everyone. Your kind words have been a blessing. I need to send you a private update - I'm just having trouble finding the right words. (Nothing to worry about)

      Magaly, because of my failure to give proper attribution, Wee Sprout's neighbor to the west, a sugar maple from the same parent tree, will henceforth be named Magaly's Maple. It will be a legacy tree to remind me of your kind chastisement and to get my facts straight before publishing.

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    4. Joel, I just squealed loud enough to disturb my neighbors. I've never had a tree name after me. And to know that Magaly's Maple will be a close friend of Wee Sprout makes me happy beyond believe. I can't stop grinning. Thank you so much.

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  10. A few years ago I needed the guidance and I still do now. But for me it is sharing and community and reading fellow poets. I enjoy you all and I wish my life was not so full right now with "business" as I truly feel happier when I am creating, sharing, and visiting here!

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    1. I, too, enjoy having the guidance and inspiration available, Margaret. It certainly helps. I hope life and "business" allows you more time to do the things that make you happy.

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  11. Magaly, Jim had trouble posting a comment here, so left it on my blog instead (relieved that Blogger was not blocking him out of everywhere). I thought the most useful thing I could do with it was to copy and paste it here.

    So here, from Jim:


    Here goes what I have been trying to post:
    When posed with this question, why one writes, I thought for a loooong moment as my days as an Operation Controller having console we manned at the Mission Control Center at NASA Houston during a space flight in progress. Those times we had to write a Mission Report every morning as to what had happened since our last report the day before.
    Our "wry" boss would walk through the area where the various controllers were writing, and moan, "Write faster, write faster." I think he was not serious but wanted to relieve some stress, but we didn't dare laugh at such a stupid request. We had to write for him and his superiors.
    That was writing for someone to read and though I love writing and the community I would not enjoy it nearly so much if no one were reading what I write. I am about to change my Friday blog because there are not enough readers, as counted by comments left. Our group, meme in nature, not poetry is dwindling.
    But HERE, I am also writing for family and friends who keep track of me to some extent. Some of those are children, grandchildren etc., some are relatives as in cousins and closer yet, and still another group, our church Bible Class of now 152 mixed couples. These groups are not suitable for me to write anything very risqué, I can push some limits once in a while.
    A further group is members from other writing groups, either still there, gone to Face Book, or just stopped writing themselves.
    All this really adds up to I MAINLY WRITE FOR OTHERS TO READ. I try to write what they would like, I cannot please the whole world. And the group I write for can not be too large as I cannot possible keep up with all the comments. An example would be the SIX WORD SATURDAY group, I would sometime hit over 50 reader comments to answer on their blogs. For time reasons, I hardly ever post answers to comments left on my blog. I may come to theirs, but if for felt reader needs I would answer their questions on my own blog as well.

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    1. Fascinating, Jim! How wonderful that someone is writing specifically for community – several communities in fact. It's a very valid reason, and some wonderful memoirs were first penned for the sake of the authors' families.

      I know what you mean about huge communities becoming unwieldy if they involve commitments to read and comment on many writers in a short space of time, over and over again. That's why, though we are thrilled to welcome new participants here when they turn up, we don't go out of our way to advertise this space. We prefer the warmth and intimacy of a comfortable number.

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    2. Jim, I don't write for many groups. In fact, this is the only public writing group I write for at the moment. And like Rosemary, I like that there aren't that many of us, so keeping up with the reading isn't very difficult.

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    3. Rosemary, thank you for adding Jim's comment. I wonder what's keeping him from posting here. It's very strange...

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    4. The purpose of writing is to give...to make someone feel less alone,to make someone laugh to provoke thought to delight. If a poet can do this then that is the reward in itself and it does not matter if the poet only reaches a few. It gives meaning to a life spent here on earth.I see poets as special and of great value to society. Apart from being expecially lovely interesting and talented... poets are the canaries in the mine.We are like minds scattered over the globe usually solitary and although most likely we will never do lunch...there is a connection between us that sometimes surpasses our real life encounters,I know this is politically incorrect and sounding your own trumpet but I think poets and musicians should be revered

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    5. @Rall, I think you're right. "The purpose of writing is to give... to make someone (the writer included) feel less alone."

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  12. I can shake off everything
    as i write
    My sorrows disappear
    My courage is reborn

    Anne Frank

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    1. I don't know if I can shake everything off as I write, but putting thoughts and feelings in to ink certainly adds a level of clarity.

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  13. I seem to be being blocked too (can't even follow the Linkies and read poems!). I've wondered whether this is because I've gone online from McDonald's and/or been hacked as a consequence of that.

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    1. Priscilla, you can't follow any link? or just links to Blogger blogs?

      I don't understand what is happening. Stupid question coming your way, have you tried clearing your cache/cookies? That's the only think I can think of. Since we haven't blocked you or Jim.

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  14. In case anyone is still reading here – turns out there was some widespread internet glitch yesterday (my time) according to the evening news. Apparently nothing malicious, merely technical. I missed most of it as I was way from computer most of the day; had a mysterious problem logging into sites for a short while then it righted. I guess I must have tried only shortly before it all got fixed. Anyway it would account for Priscilla's and and Jim's problems.

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    1. On our end, the problem was with Facebook and Instagram. Google and Blenza (Mister Linky) wasn't affected that I know of. Did you guys heard something different?

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