Writing from a Place of Pain
Today I am grateful for the fresh air and open windows on my commute yesterday. I am also grateful for our dog Oliver and our morning time together, just the two of us.
I am still catching up from a busy summer, including doing some blog posts about some of the books I read. I already talked about Anna Quindlen and Katherine Rosman. You can read about them here (Katherine Rosman) and here and here (Anna Quindlen). In the next days I will add Domenica Ruta and Glennon Doyle Melton. And if you have followed me for a time, you probably already know my favorite author is Anne Lamott.
As I thought about these writers and many others, myself included, what I have often pondered is being confirmed time and again. The best writing, the most genuine and real stuff, often comes from a place of pain. Lamott's self-deprecating humor and spot-on insights stem from childhood pain and her struggles with addiction and loss. Quindlen and Rosman found writing inspiration as they grieved the deaths of their mothers.
Glennon Doyle Melton's book Carry On Warrior was recommended to me by my co-worker Mary.She thought it was my kind of book. She was right. Thanks Mary! Melton's demons include alcoholism and bulimia. I will tell you more about her writing soon.
I had not heard of Domenica Ruta until my sister recommended her book With Or Without You. Thanks again Aileen, and thanks for leaving a copy with me. Her mother was a hard-core addict as Ruta grew up and the daughter wasn't always protected from the type of people the mother hung around with. Domenica became an alcoholic and addict herself. She had plenty of pain, plenty of writing material. I will tell you more about Ruta's writing tomorrow.
My own writing began as an outlet to the pain I was feeling. Some of it was the pain of any young person heading into adolescence and unsure about pretty much everything. But some of it was the pain of not getting my emotional needs met. My older siblings called me "the screamer" because when I was little I would throw tantrums and do just that. I know now that I was just looking for attention any way I could get it. With 12 siblings, it simply wasn't possible for all of us to get the kind of attention we needed, beyond our basic needs. The roots of my alcoholism started young as well. I didn't start out liking myself and lose that. I started out hating myself for being "less than."
Writing from a place of pain allows the pain to be exposed to the light and it heals. Writing from a place of pain helps us uncover what was buried, hidden, denied; the joy of life. The writers mentioned above certainly get to the joy, the humor of life. My writing has helped me find the joy and humor as well. For that, I am truly grateful.
I am still catching up from a busy summer, including doing some blog posts about some of the books I read. I already talked about Anna Quindlen and Katherine Rosman. You can read about them here (Katherine Rosman) and here and here (Anna Quindlen). In the next days I will add Domenica Ruta and Glennon Doyle Melton. And if you have followed me for a time, you probably already know my favorite author is Anne Lamott.
As I thought about these writers and many others, myself included, what I have often pondered is being confirmed time and again. The best writing, the most genuine and real stuff, often comes from a place of pain. Lamott's self-deprecating humor and spot-on insights stem from childhood pain and her struggles with addiction and loss. Quindlen and Rosman found writing inspiration as they grieved the deaths of their mothers.
Glennon Doyle Melton's book Carry On Warrior was recommended to me by my co-worker Mary.She thought it was my kind of book. She was right. Thanks Mary! Melton's demons include alcoholism and bulimia. I will tell you more about her writing soon.
I had not heard of Domenica Ruta until my sister recommended her book With Or Without You. Thanks again Aileen, and thanks for leaving a copy with me. Her mother was a hard-core addict as Ruta grew up and the daughter wasn't always protected from the type of people the mother hung around with. Domenica became an alcoholic and addict herself. She had plenty of pain, plenty of writing material. I will tell you more about Ruta's writing tomorrow.
My own writing began as an outlet to the pain I was feeling. Some of it was the pain of any young person heading into adolescence and unsure about pretty much everything. But some of it was the pain of not getting my emotional needs met. My older siblings called me "the screamer" because when I was little I would throw tantrums and do just that. I know now that I was just looking for attention any way I could get it. With 12 siblings, it simply wasn't possible for all of us to get the kind of attention we needed, beyond our basic needs. The roots of my alcoholism started young as well. I didn't start out liking myself and lose that. I started out hating myself for being "less than."
Writing from a place of pain allows the pain to be exposed to the light and it heals. Writing from a place of pain helps us uncover what was buried, hidden, denied; the joy of life. The writers mentioned above certainly get to the joy, the humor of life. My writing has helped me find the joy and humor as well. For that, I am truly grateful.
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