Why I Write

I wrote my first published article in response to a pleading missions magazine editor's pleas. "Listening in Lebanon" described three different sounds I heard in Beirut: the mosque's call to prayers, the beating of Persian rugs that hang over balcony fences with a large bamboo paddle. The call of the kike seller walking down the hill with a huge tray of tasty, pink-spiced bread balanced on his head; The takeaway was that no matter where we are, God speaks to us. And the editor printed it! I was hooked on writing.

It's strange really. I'd never been to a writers' conference. My BA and MA are in education. I mostly taught first and second graders. Not a lot in those English lessons to shape my writing. I have strong organizing skills, and that helped me. To this day, I don't know the word count of that first article. And with typing the article I had no choice of font styles or sizes.

Where did I get the idea for the article? It just came to me. I heard the words forming in my brain and I HAD to write them down in order to get rid of them. That's what led my article, and later book and devotional writing from then on; an idea or stream of sentences or word phrases that haunts me until I write the words down.

If you want to write, this urge is a good thing. Means you'll write what your passionate about. What  you want to change. On what interests you. So if those words are flooding your brain there's jut one thing to do. Write!