On Being a Writer

I was listening to NPR the other day. A professor of literature was commenting on the works of some Palestinian poet. Somewhere in the discussion, this professor commented that what a writer does is never heroic, even if the story he tells is heroic. I thought about that comment. It has the ring of truth.

A writer observes the world. A writer tries to get a sense of what he is seeing... tries to understand what is going on all around... maybe sees some symbolism in the story that is unfolding before his very eyes. Then something very mysterious happens. Out of nowhere, words start spilling out of his head onto the paper and he tries to record these words before he loses them. He does not know where the words and the thoughts and the insights come from. They just come in a rush of inspiration. As a writer, I never know where a story I am writing will take me. I just follow the trail of words to see where they go.

I did not choose to be a writer. Writing sort of chose me. That just sort of happened after I realized that one of the things that I do best is put words and phrases together and paint images with words... or explore an idea to discover what it really means. Writing is just something I can do easily and well. Writing is something I have to do, every day of my life. It is just something I am driven by some inner urging to do. There is certainly nothing that is heroic about that.

But heroic or not, when I write, to me that is an important aspect of my life. I am also driven to try to make some small difference in this very troubled world. One of the few ways that I know how to do this is to spin a story that might entertain you or to get up on my soapbox and speak my mind. Or maybe to write a piece that can serve as a beacon in the night for you , when you may have taken a wrong turn in your life. Or simply to provide literary comfort food for thought when you are just a bit down.

When I am not trying to make a living or spending time with my friends and family, you will find me thinking about something to write. You will find me at the computer posting another piece to my blog or putting out the newsletter for an organization to which I belong. Like I said, writing is just something I have very little choice in doing. Hopefully, my modest literary pieces will help you to work through a tough moment or maybe just cause you to smile at what I have written.

Here is the thing I want the most. I want my words to be out there in the world for everyone to read. It is perfectly fine if what I write is maybe not to your taste. But for some of you, my writing will make a difference in how you see the world or will touch your soul. I am doing one of the few things I know how to do well to stir things up and to make things better in my world. So if you like some of my pieces, you can leave a comment... or not. Just know that you will be welcome in my world any time you want to stop by. You can rest assured that after I finish this posting to my blog, another will follow and then yet another. I will be here, just doing what I do the best... chilling out and keeping my eyes peeled for something new to write about.

Life's Endgame

My mother is 97 years old. As I have watched her over the last 10 years I have noted a phenomena that happens to people as they get older. Whatever sort of person they were in the earlier years of their lives, the people they will remain that sort of person, only to a more profound extent. My mother was always a strong-willed person and someone who was very often sn especially difficult person to be around. Now she has become an almost impossible person to be around for very long.

So that old adage, "Know thyself," begins to have special meaning for us. If we know that we have less than endearing qualities, we now have a reason to make changes in the person who we are. We have to revise our thinking about how we treat others and what we hold to be important for our lives. And this is not about things that we can buy or sell. This is referring to the fragile relationships that we form during our lives. If a particular habit or attitude or a particular way of talking to others tends to put others off and isolate us, than we need to do something about the situation. And to lose bad habits and attitudes... in short, changing some aspect of who we are as a person, is probably one of the most difficult, gut-wrenching things we may have to do. But sometimes making such changes in ourselves may be exactly what is required in the situation, if we are to grow and evolve into a better person.

I took a long look at myself about two years ago, plunked myself into psychological counselling and I simply did what I had to do to salvage my life. That stint in therapy was gut-wrenching. It is not easy to confront our fears, our anger and our own personal demons. But I did and somehow managed to survive all that. If you have never tried to do that, you would be absolutely amazed at how extraordinarily difficult it is to change some fundamental aspect of your personality or your attitudes.

However difficult that may be to do, most of us have little choice but to do exactly that. Without confronting the very issues in our lives that cause us problems and effecting the necessary changes, we may very well drive off the people who care the most about us... we may end up very lonely, disappointed and unhappy as we play out life's endgame.

Kindest regards,

Howard Fireman
Houston,Texas.

Question of the Day - November 14, 2006

What Price Glory?

A question for those of us, who live in a success-driven world, in which winning in the game of life is so highly valued, almost at any cost.

What price are you willing to pay for power, wealth, fame, professional recognition or notable personal accomplishment? What sacrifices are you willing to make for such things? And where do you draw the line beyond which you are no longer willing to pay that price?