Why I Love to Write

What is it about writing that I so enjoy?

I have known I have talent as a writer since middle school, when a teacher invited me to join the school newspaper. I later worked as a public affairs and communications specialist for a large humane society and for a well-known federal agency. I'm not creative enough to be a fiction writer, but I do like to write about things I know, things I feel, and things I have experienced. 

• I love the emotional release (venting) I get from writing about things that upset me (such as the current state of politics in the United States). 
• I write to express my opinion about something, or to educate people about the ongoing slaughter of elephants and wolves. 
• I also enjoy the craftsmanship of writing. I like to revisit a sentence or paragraph or an entire piece of work and search until I find just the right word, or rearrange paragraphs until they make more sense. 
• As an introvert, writing allows me to express myself while remaining mostly anonymous and avoiding the uncomfortable feeling of interacting with a lot of people I don't know. 
• I get a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I finish writing something. And if I'm not happy with it, I can always let it sit for a while and then revisit it with fresh eyes. 
• Writing can help me articulate and organize my thoughts. 
• Writing can help me process grief. 
• Sometimes I write just to release emotions, never intending to publish or share what I wrote. 
• Writing allows me to share with others some of my wonderful travel experiences.
• Writing helps me challenge myself to improve my skill as a writer. After all, the best way to become a better writer is to ... write!
• My reward for writing comes from inside me. I don't get paid to write. I have had a few articles published in a local newspaper and in the newsletters of a few non-profit organizations. I have won awards from the Dog Writers Association of America. But my biggest reward comes from knowing that I have produced a well-written article or blog post.
• Writing produces, for me, the joy of creating something.  The subject matter may not be -- and often isn't -- unique. But my perspective, my story, is uniquely mine.
• Writing lets me indulge my creative side, just as photography does. I enjoy photography more, but for me, the two creative processes go hand in hand.
• Sometimes, I just feel a need to write something.
• I am a writer. I don't get paid for my work, and not a lot of people read what I write. But I am a writer. I startled myself a few years ago when somebody asked me what I do, and I replied "I am a writer." I am a writer because I write, and because I consider myself a writer.

So this is why I write. If you enjoy reading my blog, please let me know what you like, and don't like, about it. And I would love to have you sign up as a follower. You won't be bombarded with e-mails, but you will be notified whenever a new blog post is available. Your e-mail address won't be shared or sold to anybody.

Thanks for reading!

What Do You Think?

I am always amazed at the countries my readers represent, and how they tend to show up in groups. Right now, I'm getting a lot of visitors from the beautiful country of Ireland. For a while, it was Germany, and before then, Russia.

I should keep a list of the countries my readers call home. Most readers are from the U.S., but my blog has had visitors from France, Ukraine, Turkey, Gibraltar, Mexico, Romania, Canada, the Netherlands, Brazil, Australia, France, Moldova, Spain, Portugal, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Kenya, India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Australia. I am always curious about what brings readers to my blog posts.

I get few comments, but it would be nice to hear from readers. Who are they? Where do they live? What do they do for a living, or for fun? Where did they hear about this blog? Are they regular readers, or do they just drop by on occasion?

Sometimes I get frustrated by the lack of response to my posts. Do people like them or hate them? Are the posts interesting, inspiring, boring or informative? I really do want to know what readers think. Has a particular post prompted you to take action, or to see something in a different light? 

I write because I love to write. It is a great way for me to share my thoughts and feelings with the world, or to blow off steam. I get great pleasure from crafting a well-written sentence, and from revising a sentence until I find just the right word to use. I have no formal training in writing or journalism, although my talent for writing was first noticed by an 8th-grade English teacher. I wrote for my middle school newspaper, and I later spent eight years as the communications director for a large California humane society, followed by some 20 years as a NASA public affairs officer, writing primarily news releases according to a specific set of criteria. 

Now I write for fun. I know that may sound strange, as many people struggle with writing, but it has always come easily to me. Ideas for my blog come from a variety of sources -- personal experiences or observations, things I read about in the newspaper or online, my family and my travels.

Whatever the source of my ideas, I truly enjoy writing and I would love to hear from my readers.

So as we begin 2016, I wish you all a wonderful new year.

Happy New Year! ! 
С новым годом!  
Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!
¡Feliz año nuevo!
Frohes neues Jahr!
Mutlu Yıllar!
Щасливого Нового року!
Heri ya mwaka mpya!  
Bonne année!

Unfulfilled Dreams

I want to be a writer.

There. I have put it down in black and white. I want to be a writer. I first discovered my talent for writing in middle school, and I did a lot of writing in my careers with a large humane society and later with NASA. But there were so many limitations and restrictions on my writing that it seldom satisfied my creative side. I have had articles published in some specialty magazines and in the local newspaper while I was in grad school. And I won some writing awards from the Dog Writers' Association.

Since I retired, I have written regularly in this blog. I made a book available of my favorite blog posts, but it sold only a handful of copies. Late last year I finally finished a book about my experiences -- good and bad -- as I raised my daughter, adopted from Russia at age 11. I wrote this book at the urging of an attachment therapist, who believed that my story would be helpful and supportive to other adoptive parents. To date, it has sold only FOUR copies! It is available via the button at the upper right of this page, as well as through amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. But promoting a self-published book is not easy, and although several people have commented that they "can't wait to read" the book, few have actually followed through and ordered a copy.

So I write for the sheer pleasure of writing. I simply love to write. I don't want a writing job with daily deadlines, and I cherish the freedom to write about whatever appeals to me. I just wish that people would actually read what I write! Getting paid for my writing isn't important. But I would like to know that people read, and maybe, if I'm lucky, find some value in, my writings.

I write about many things -- nature, volunteer work, wolves, adoption, personal growth, family and many other topics. I find inspiration for my writing from many sources -- personal experiences, newspaper ads, something I see or hear about on the news or in conversations with others.

I don't have the wit of an Erma Bombeck. I don't have the imagination of a J.K. Rowling. I simply write about what I see, experience or feel passionately about. I don't have aspirations of writing the next New York Times best seller. But I do intend to keep writing. I love writing, and I love experimenting with words until I find just the right word, or phrase or sentence, to convey my thoughts. I love reading a well-written article or book and wondering whether I could ever write as well as that author. The late Albuquerque author Tony Hillerman is a favorite author, although he wrote fiction, something for which I definitely don't have the talent.

I most likely never will be considered a writer, but rather, as someone who writes. There is a huge difference in these descriptions. People have told me for years how much they enjoy my writing. But it's no fun to write post after post with no feedback or commentary. If you enjoy reading this blog, please sign up as a follower (there is a link on the right side of the page) and invite your friends to sign up, too. If you have a comment about a particular post, please use the comment function at the bottom of each post to submit your statement or question. If you have an idea for a future post, I would love to hear about it. I see the statistics. I know that people are reading this blog, from countries around the world. But please, I need some feedback.

In any event, I will continue to write and hope that some day, I truly will be considered a writer.