Writing

Few people know how to be still and find a quiet place within themselves. From that place of silence and stillness the creative forces emerge; there we find faith, hope, strength and wisdom.

Isabel Allende


I didn't sleep well last night, but this morning I realised that it was a new moon last night. And for some reason, new moons routinely keep me awake. But on to another subject...Isabel Allende. One of my foremost inspirations for penning my first novel. After I read House of the Spirits, I knew, I just knew I had to write my own novel. This 'quiet place' she talks about is something I have aspired to find for a long time. Sometimes, when I find it in short bursts, I am filled with an incredible energy, lightness and creative courage. What I strive for now is to lengthen these bursts so that they become more sustained and meaningful.

The process of writing is vital for me at the moment to help me deal with my insomnia. Writing has always been important for me: I have filled countless notebooks, journals and computer screens with my musings ever since I could write. It brings me catharsis, new understanding and hope. Not once in my life do I remember feeling more confused about a situation after having written about it. In the past week, I have been writing letters to close family members, the point being not that they should be sent or read, but rather that in the process of writing, I can unlock some dormant memories and emotions. Some interesting, buried issues have arisen through this. How and if these issues are connected to my insomnia remain to be discovered, but in the very act of writing and the subsequent symbolic burning of the letters, I am allowing myself to be fully open and receptive to healing, acceptance and forgiveness.