The art of writing is the art of discovering what you
believe. — Gustave Flaubert
I found this quote.
Actually, Wordpress found it for me, giving me the quote as I uploaded
my latest post on A Separate Life. And
it made me stop, and smile. This has been my exact experience.
I always loved writing.
As a teenager I wrote for fun, but then university and work, and writing
theses and papers and emails and project reports and proposals used up all my writing energy for many
years. But when I had my first ectopic
pregnancy, and joined the EPT forums, I discovered the only way I was going to
get support was if I wrote. I wrote my
own posts, pouring out my heart as I went through another ectopic pregnancy and
failed IVFs and reached the end of my fertility.
And being a part of the community, of course I read what
others wrote, and responded to them, seeking to find what might comfort me and therefore them,
and in the process, figuring out what my own thoughts were. The other wonderful women who
were there with me at the time helped me enormously. They were funny, insightful, each with a unique way with words. Some of them were further on in the healing
process than I was, many had taken different routes, but we all talked
together, working things out together.
As one of my friends said, we got to know each other inside out. And as I wrote I thought deeply about what
I felt, what I was trying to say, and what that meant. I would frequently say, "I've only just figured this out" or "that's the first time I've realised this." As Gustave Flaubert said would happen, as I wrote I really did learn what I believed.
As the years past, fortified and comforted with what I'd already learnt, and knowing I was nowhere near
finished learning, I started exploring the ALI blogs, found Pamela and
Lisa and Loribeth. What a trio to find at the outset! And reading them, I realised that I
wanted to say more; that the
self-therapy of writing would only work for me if I was in fact actually writing. Hence, this blog. And just as importantly, perhaps more so, commenting on other blogs so often
prompts me to think again. Writing as
therapy. Learning what I believe. It’s not over yet. I’m glad.
I couldn't agree more. I have always written as an outlet, but its always been very personal. I think everyone has their own story to tell, regardless of similarities to other stories, and I think there's MASSIVE value in writing your own out - pretty much for similar reasons as you have posted here, but I never really had a framework for it.
ReplyDeleteWhether one comes to it as 'therapy', self-discovery, distraction, or just simple wordpleasure, doesn't matter. Its just better out than in!
I'm glad too. : ) I've always found writing to be very therapeutic in & of itself... being able to connect with others in the same situation was a huge bonus!!
ReplyDeleteSo true... I am discovering a lot about myself as I write more about my own experiences. But the real gift is in reading other people's experiences and learning how each one learns to cope with pain and sorrow. Thank you for writing.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Writing is a truly a discovery experience. I am glad to be back blogging. I am glad you started as I have loved your writing and learned a great deal through your sharing :)
ReplyDeleteWriting also helps me in terms of sorting through what is a bit of a foggy, jumbled mess in my head. Once I start writing, it cuts through the fog and really clarifies what I am thinking and feeling and let's me deal with it. This is a nice post - thanks for writing :)
ReplyDeleteThis contents of your post, Mali, and the comments are like slipping into my favorite jeans -- comfortably familiar and durable and a perfect fit. Love the Flaubert quote. Well spotted!
ReplyDelete"Learning what I believe." Thank you for this articulate post. I too find that the mixture of contemplating, writing and sharing is a powerful elixir for self revelation.
ReplyDelete