Write for Your Life

Novelist Quindlen (Nanaville; Alternate Side) maintains that everyone should write, no matter how informally, because “writing is power” and it connects us with ourselves and those we care about. Citing writers like Anne Frank as examples, Quindlen illustrates that recording ordinary events of everyday life can help one cope with and make sense of challenging situations. She laments the demise of letter writing in favor of email and texts, since handwritten letters provide a sense of permanence and preserve the past in a way that electronic communications cannot. She mourns the loss of cursive script, no longer taught in many schools, since handwriting tells a story in itself. Quindlen notes that because many authors now compose on the computer, they will not leave behind manuscripts of their works that provide insights into the creative process, like those artifacts from the past preserved in museums. She suggests that those new to writing simply begin putting words on paper without focusing on spelling, grammar, or mechanics. Doing so, she says, can lead to reflection, which leads to understanding, which leads to happiness.