Friday, the hashtag #WhyIWrite trended. Today I am happy to join a Linkup “Why I Write” with the Finish the Sentence Friday gang. (Which, when I can get to it, is generally Finish the Sentence Sunday.) And also tell you about a super flash writing challenge.
The shortest answer:
#WhyIWrite I can’t seem to not.
— Mardra Sikora (@MardraSikora) October 20, 2017
Many writers love to talk and read about writing.
I’m no exception. This next piece of prose is an “oldie” for me. So it feels different. This piece stands out in my writing journey because it was acknowledged at the moment I needed a push from the universe.
Keep going. Learn more. Share.
So, Thank you to Redbubble for featuring it when I needed to be validated and Thank you to Finelines for putting it into print. One of my first accepted for publication.
Why do I write?
A cyclical addiction that I cannot deny, I am lured by the mixing of reality with hope. I binge on the emotion, wallowing in its depth. The endorphins give me the texture, enable the distorted visions, and find the purpose in tragedy. Touching the places in the soul that are held private; protected.
The motion is not graceful and feels sudden when I urgently purge all of these senses onto the canvas. Notebook after notebook of scratches, words barely legible in the intoxication of the moment. Moving the pen to the muse – allowing her to torment me, taunt me, into motion. Purging what I have not only felt, but also seen, heard, touched, tasted, believed and was betrayed.
The cycle continues with the shame. The guilt of vanity – did I really think I could do this? The fear. Failure to touch a single soul. Failure to convey what was mine and is now yours. The crash. The hangover. The editor. Swooping in to fill my head with the pounding of doubt. The sun that filled my spirit with joyous motion has turned to burn the scars and remnants of urban, modern, social, responsible realities.
Yet, the gnawing in my gut stirs again. Am I hungry? I sneak away for a taste in solitude. I am as a child in the corner, anxious and watching the world’s motion speeding by. I begin to fill up on the moment, the passion, the fear. I succumb to swim in the poetry and let the words dance about my spirit. I greedily digest every emotion without inhibition knowing I will have to throw it all up to the universe. Pay the toll. And hope to become hungry again.
Now I write and write and I write in this life and in my other life and on and on and on. I’ve learned so much about craft, selling, publication, and myself since I wrote that, well, confession.
One of the most important things I’ve learned is to both make the time/space to write and also to take the time/space whenever I can – even if it is in very small chunks. This leads me to a fun challenge I’d like to introduce you to. #TwitterFlash. Can you write a flash story on Twitter? Why yes, I venture you can. The Carrot Ranch community hosts a flash fiction contest every week. It’s great fun and can often get your juices going over even a lunch break. I’m pro-that.
#FFRodeo #TwitterFlash
Essentially, write a 99 word, flash fiction story, in 11 tweets. There are a few more details, if you want to be considered in the contest. Check out the rules of this contest here: Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest #5
I did one, just for the quick fun of it here (Open the link and read the thread for the flash piece.) Disclaimer: Mine is not eligible OR any indication of what the judges are “looking for” – simply done as a quick one off to see how it works. I had fun and suspect I will do more #TwitterFlash in the future.
Thanks for the linkup today with Finding Ninee and Kenya Johnson of Sporadically Yours.Check out what’s going on in those writing worlds. Enjoy!
I love the way you describe how the need to write feels, even though it’s rather like a torment. It’s absolutely real. I’m going to check out your twitter flash piece because I’m clueless on how to do that. Sounds fun though. I have rarely written fiction on my blog but when I did, it was prompted and very fun to see that I could do it.
Thanks! And Flash Fiction is the best – “Write in a flash; read in a flash.” It’s both challenging and exhilarating.
You really capture the multiple layers of experience in writing, the joy, doubt and hungry to do it again. Thank you for your role in making this#twitterflash possible and encouraging others! One of the reason I love flash fiction is that it’s a way to overcome the “I’m too busy to write” syndrome. I’ve committed to improving at this literary form and while I’m not eligible either, I’m doing one a day. Last night I went out with a group of people after a rousing physical theater performance of Dracula, and we talked about writing and reading. I was anxious to get home and write but we ended up at a club and I wrote “live” from the scene. Now I’m hooked on Twitterflash for it’s engaging ability to feed the writer’s natural inclinations to people watch!
Thank you and Yes! I agree, flash keeps us writing in a space we can find or make. Yea!
Flash Fiction sounds interesting. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for the tweets!
Thanks!
Ok so I both am in awe of you, love you, and sortof kinda am like wtf because how can you be this good? Also not going back to correct “both” in my original sentence, because I’m just not. WOW.
I think I’m still too hung up on these powerful words to do any flash fiction on Twitter, which I love but have little faith in for myself… I’m on NanoW…. but these “I am lured by the mixing of reality with hope. I binge on the emotion, wallowing in its depth. The endorphins give me the texture, enable the distorted visions, and find the purpose in tragedy. ”
OMG You have a gift. Gah. I’d be jealous if I didn’t adore you so much.
No You! Smooches, Ms
I love flash fiction and find myself getting sucked deeper into that world all the time. LOL. Love your description of the feeling of the need to write and how you termed it a “confession.” Not sure if I’ll jump in that Twitter Flash from Carrot Ranch, but I’ve missed too many of the other deadlines for the Rodeo due to illness and I really want to get in there. So maybe…it’s intriguing for sure! See you at the Ranch, I suppose!
The good news is – if you miss on, there’s always another deadline. Ha! Hope to see you creating and thanks for the note. 🙂
Taking the time even in very small chunks – I need to do that more. Not sure about Flash Fiction, but maybe I’ll give it a try!
I learned “the hard way” – but at least I learned eventually. Don’t wait. 🙂