Telling a story

 I think telling a story/being a writer has always been in my blood. My father, although he never wrote anything down, could spin a good yarn. He was always regaling anyone that would listen, with the stories of his youth. Like the time he wiped out a corn field with an Indian motorcycle, or when he swam across a lake that was ten miles long just to get to work! Did I mention he could spin a good yarn?

My mother on the other hand, did not tell embellished stories of life experience, but she could spin a yarn like my father as well. She wrote scripts, and even sold a few before she passed away. She never made any serious money with her writing, but when I would find her sitting at the kitchen table with a pen and a legal pad, scribbling away she always had a smile on her face. Just as my father would be smiling ear to ear having an audience, with his interactive storytelling. Both of them told stories for the sheer joy of it. Much as I do now.

Getting pleasure from writing is something I am grateful my parents instilled in me at a young age. As a writer you have to love what you are doing. You have to love words. You have to love putting those words into sentences, those sentences into paragraphs, those paragraphs into stories. You have to write every day, and do it with a smile on your face. If writing gives you pleasure, than you are already a success. This is one of the main points of my Kindle article "Inspiration for the struggling writer." The most important thing in life that we all strive for is to like what we do. And writing is no exception. As the old saying goes, "Find what you like doing, and do it well."

My mother and father were never famous writers, but they told a story with exuberance and great joy. They were story tellers. They were successful writers. It gave them pleasure to entertain people with their stories. And that is what all writers are striving for in the long run. If you’re a writer take a second not to worry about the money or fame. Instead think about the pure joy you give yourself and others just by telling a story. It really is a wonderful thing.