What writing means

“A writer, out of loneliness, is like a distant star sending signals.”~John Steinbeck

This particular quote has always resonated with me from the first time I heard it and read it in college. For a writer such as myself I don’t think truer words could ever have been spoken. I know for myself a lot of times I do feel that loneliness creep in. I think all artists deal with that in one way or another, but writing is a way to reach out. I have to sit back and ask myself, “Why am I writer?” I often think about this question and I never have a problem answering this and this is honestly the truth. I’m a writer because I want to help people. I want to heal them. I think writing has that power. A lot of people feel lonely in this world. You have a lot of depressed people, but when they find someone who is not so different from them, who understands their struggles and their fight that can mean a lot. I want to let people know that they’re not alone in their fight and that can make all the difference in one person’s world. I believe from an early age I’ve always been a storyteller, but I haven’t always realized that about myself but I think it’s true. I remember being a kid in elementary school and eating lunch with my same group of friends and I would always come up with little skits using my plastic spoon and fork, completely improvised. It’s just what I did to get a laugh and then I was always writing stories….mostly love stories. I’m a sucker for a good love story. Books have always held a special place in my heart. I think I was born to have a heart like mine…full of compassion and creativity all at the same time. John Steinbeck’s words often echo in my head because I wholeheartedly agree about what writer feels that his or her purpose is. It’s like we’re begging someone to understand us, so we write hoping that someone does. We’re like that distant star signaling to someone to understand.