In my last two posts, I have answered this question by explaining in the first post my love of words and using them to construct sentences and paragraphs, together with the impact my father’s occupation had on my life. In the second post on writing, I shared that I write because I have to write. Blunt statement, and I confessed that. I also pointed out that, for me, a day without writing is a day without joy. Those statements are both true, and now I want to expand on the necessity of my writing.
As I said in my last post, I have a story to tell and I need to write it. Because it is my story. Mine to tell.
Will it be the truth for everyone who knows me or is family? Likely not. I’ll try to decide the facts as best I can from those who may know them, but it doesn’t mean that we’ll each one agree. Still it’s my story.
Because it is my story, the onus is on me to tell it if I want it told. No one else is going to write my story, unless I hire a ghost writer, and I’m not inclined to go that direction. So, it’s up to me to write it down.
Whether it is ever published or not, or shared with family, or perhaps friends, is not important to me now. Getting it down as a record is — I want my children and grandchildren to have the benefit of my story as the threads of our family weave together to create our family story.
I have so many questions about my father’s life. An orphan at age four, he had few and vague memories of his life. As we, his children, grew older, questions weren’t easily answered by him of his later years. Talking wasn’t something he enjoyed. His pursuits were more cerebral in nature, and so I didn’t press. Now I wish I had. I don’t want to leave my children or grandchildren with unanswered questions.
I have given you the reasons behind my attempts at chronicling the facts of my life. And I have answered the question, “why do you write?”
If you have a story to tell, I urge you to consider starting a journal to capture your memories, thoughts and facts so that at some point they will be available to younger members of your family. Add photographs as appropriate to your journal. And if the bug bites, start writing!
What’s stopping you?
Photo credits: Top right: www.fanbois.wordpress.com; Bottom: www.asp.sg
