Writing is Magic

Photo by Nadiia Shuran on Unsplash

I recently read a book I adored—a thriller called The Writing Retreat by Julie Bartz. It’s been on my TBR for way too long, but I finally found my way to reading it.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s the type of thriller that starts out one way, and morphs in a whole new direction I never saw coming. To pull off such a stunt takes writing chops, and I found myself shaking my head with admiration for the roller coaster ride.

But my favorite part of this book that I haven’t been able to forget?

A certain scene that only writers can appreciate.

A scene that made me laugh and cheer in my head—maybe even out loud.

The scene was a speech made by the main character and the lead-up to it was brilliant and intricate. Here’s the dialogue from the book, with no spoilers included:

“…I have this ability, to create whole worlds inside me…For so long I let other people make me feel like that wasn’t good enough,” I said. “That, in order to be a real writer, I had to get some agent or publisher to believe in me. Until then it would just be a delusion. But that’s bullshit. Because even if I never publish anything, I’m a writer.” I paused to take a breath. “I’m a writer, and no one can take that away from me.”

Hell, yes.

How often do we forget our power? That we take blank space and create people who become real? That we have the guts to say we matter enough to share our vision with the world? That we are truly the magicians surrounded by the Matrix, who try and make order and sense and shove it all in a box so it can be tolerated?

God, I loved that speech. It’s what I drill over and over in my book, Write Naked.

We are writers because we write.

Nothing more, nothing less. It is why I tell young people they are already writers when they struggle to put words on the page, hoping and praying they gain some validity.

Writing gives you all the validity you will ever need.

We have to remember. It’s so easy to forget; in a room; alone.

But the reminders and clues are there. I found one reading a fictional thriller for entertainment.

They are always there; holding our hand; our creative mentors or spirits or energy guiding us forward and helping us fight.

Writing is power. Let’s use it.