Why I Write

There is a bulletin board in the women’s bathroom at my office. It is full of the inevitable pages from those tear-off calendars, on topics like chocolate and PMS. But today a new printout caught my eye. It had a cute picture of a little boy wearing a crown, and it was titled What Are You the King Of? (It came from the internet, of course–from a blog.)

Basically, the gist is that a little kid shows up to a get-together at the author’s house wearing a crown and announces that he is the King of Pretending, which over the course of the day he proves, in fact, to be. And the take-away lesson is that we should celebrate our talents and cultivate them, rather than trying to shore up our weaknesses. The “fix the weaknesses” strategy can only lead to mediocrity, while focusing on gifts breeds greatness. (Examples: what if Tiger Woods had opted to improve his auto mechanic skills or Einstein had spent his time trying to be a pianist…)

A little sappy, perhaps, but not bad for bathroom literature.

I’d never thought of it quite this way, but this is why I write. I’m really good at writing. I like it. A lot. I love the process of fitting words together–I lose myself in it and find joy in getting it right. I’ve gotten compliments on my writing for as long as I can remember.

I hesitate to call my writing a gift or a passion–those are some pretty loaded words. But it’s the closest thing I have to either one. I started my writing business (and this blog) because I decided it was time to commit to the thing I do best. It was a good decision. Maybe someday I will be the Queen of Words.