Thursday, December 18, 2008

Reading for Comfort in Life

http://murderati.typepad.com/murderati/toni_mcgee_causey/

If you as a writer have ever questioned the value of what you write, go read this whole article. (And have the tissue box handy.)

"Somewhere, there is a woman, sitting in a ro0m, three days past a rape.
[...]
Write a story for her.
Somewhere, there is a man, sitting in a hospital room.
[...]
Write a story for him.
[...]
Story-telling has been around for millennia for a reason--we need to connect. We need to both transport somewhere other than our own daily circumstances and to connect to others, to know that someone out there understands us. Understands our fears, our desires. We need to escape, without physically abandoning our family and friends. Stories do that. We need the hope, the connection, the dream.
Write a story for us."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was that woman twenty years ago. Having that happen to you can either break you--destroying a part of you that will never heal--or it can make you stronger. There was a nurse on the staff who had been brutally assaulted and she spent as much time with me as she could. We talk about what had happened to me that Thanksgiving morning. Instead, we discussed books. She was a big fan of Rosemary Rogers and so was I. We talked about Sweet Savage Love, our favorite of her books. In the talking, we discussed how Genny, the female character must have felt, how she coped, moved on, became stronger. Looking back on it now, I understand what the nurse was doing: she used the book to help me get over what had happened to me. Books can do a lot for you. I have a magnet on my desk that Amazon.com sent me once with an order. It says: A room without books is like a body without a soul. Sometimes, books are the only friends some people have.

Anonymous said...

What a powerful post and a powerful message. Thanks for sharing something so personal and painful.

Unknown said...

Books are so important in my life. When my DH and I were going through infertility.... when I was sick and in the hospital right before Christmas.... when my F-I-L was is hospice....books where there. I would escape the pain of the "real world" that was too real.

Anonymous, thank you for sharing your story.

Unknown said...

Book are an important part of my life. I spent a large part of my day writing and when a book is contracted then released, it's like watching the birth of your baby. It is a feeling that defies description. At times when I've been depressed, angry, hurt, or bored to tears, picking up a book and immersing myself in someone else's creativity helps to calm me. Without books, life would be dreary.

Charlee
Creator of the Reaper werewolf novels