If necessity is the mother of invention, then desperation is the mother of writing. The desperation is the need to understand our own hearts and minds. Stating things so another can understand is a key component of our own understanding. That’s the cathartic element of writing non-fiction.
The human spirit needs to create, to put our stamp on something. It’s a lovely thing to take on a writing assignment, make a cohesive story out of it, and work our way through the difficulties that arise, eventually winding up with something we are proud of. That’s the creative part of both, fiction and non-fiction.
But there is another part of writing that is frightening. That is putting the piece out there for other people to read. While we begin writing for ourselves, we come to realize that we are a representative voice to inform or entertain others.
Writing is only good if it is honest. And it’s always dangerous to be honest. Some will love it and others will hate it. The haters have it easy these days with the internet and social media.
I have blogged over several years, written two books, a newspaper column, and been a regular contributor to a magazine. It’s hasn’t been glamorous, but it has been a fun challenge. Most of it did not pay. Some of it paid a little bit. The writing life is neither easy, profitable, or glamorous, unless you are a best seller.
There are years worth of writing on glennhager.com about many topics. I have also been posting once a week here on Facebook. You’ll probably like some of it and probably wonder what I was smoking while I was writing some other posts. That’s okay.
It’s my hope that the content generally brings a little something positive to your life. Thank you for taking time to read and being a part of this community.
