Inspiration

Blogging has been challenging for me this semester. Although I can talk your ear off in person, I feel like I’m running out of written words. Between business writing at work, blogging, journaling for one writing class, writing poems weekly for another class, creating text responses and fiction exercises for yet another class, and working on my MFA manuscript (20 pages at a time), recently, I’ve felt like I’m running out of words. This is not a good feeling for someone who hopes to do this for a living.

Luckily, I had the pleasure of attending the YC Faculty Reading on Thursday evening. One of the coolest things about this series of readings is that in the end of the event, the students/community members/attendees get to ask questions of the writers. The faculty reading always brings the largest audience because, quite frankly, they rock. Each writer on staff is currently teaching, publishing, and still touring for readings on a regular basis. They’re a great group of role models.

It’s a funny thing, gathering a group of writers. If listened to individually, we’d undoubtedly be treated as patients of multiple personality disorders. Every writer that I’ve heard read or had a conversation with has referred to the “voices” that he or she hears. The “voices” are what make them write. The writing for the “voices” keeps them sane and balanced in life.

While I sat in the audience thinking about the readings I’d just heard and whether “voices” ever speak to me, Walt unexpectedly raised his hand to ask a question. Not only does he hate it when I drag him to literary events, he doesn’t particularly like reading, so I stared in shock at his raised hand. One of my instructors called on him and smiled at me.

Walt specifically addressed my professor who’d published one book in June and one in August of this year.

“How many things are you usually working on at once?” he asked. The panel of writers nodded, great question, especially for a book hater.

“I’m usually working on at least four different things at once,” said Laraine. “Obviously,” she said, “not all of those things I’m working on make it to completion or are even worth completing. But, I have to write them anyway.”

Instant inspiration.

I failed miserably with the juggling kit that I got for Christmas in third grade, and I can rarely read more than one book at a time. This passion of mine is going to be a challenge. But what passion isn’t worth that challenge?