She's younger than I, but was raised barely a few miles from where I got my start. Her family is dysfunctional in ways different from mine but it had the same effect on her. She had better internal guidance in her life than I. She aimed right away to satisfy the writer in her. Thick-headed Swede-Irish-Scots woman that I am I had to resist it for many years. But still she resonates with me.
Today I said YES to this line from page 60: "As writers, it is our job not only to imagine, but to witness."
That line elucidates my job both as a writer and as ordained clergy. I have always been an observer. A psychic once told me I was a "watcher" and I believe that to be true. Writing allows me to take what I have witnessed and to convey that witness to other people.
Still Writing: the Pleasures and perils of a Creative Life by Dani Shapiro (c) 2013 by Dani Shapiro, published by Atlantic Monthly Press
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