Writer

It just seemed the thing to do when you start playing an instrument. You learn the songs you like and start making up your own, or if you're lucky enough to be in a band you start jamming which becomes the basis for songs. In high school I had a creative writing class which helped, and there I met a singer who joined my band and we were soon writing songs and playing them with the band. Seems like that is the way a lot of people start. My middle son is an amazing guitarist...and I'm not just saying that because he's mine...the kid is really good! When he was in the early stages of learning, he would come to me with a new number and ask what I thought. It was always very technically accurate...almost to the point of sounding sterile, if that makes any sense to anyone...but I know what I meant, lol! Anyway, I would tell him that the song was wonderfully played and he was blessed with an impressive talent, but that I really wish I could hear a little of his heart in the music. He didn't get it...not then at least. Then, one day, he played a song for me that almost knocked me off my chair. It sounded great, but I couldn't place the tune. I asked him what the song was and he told me it was something he's written. That was it! He'd found it...how to play with his heart as much as with his hands. We both had tears in our eyes...

I have always been creative, it just happens that what I am trying to channel now is suited to sound and words. giggle, giggle... That statement sounds like something my better half might have said with pretension in his voice and a wink in his eye.

I always thought use of the silent (written) word to be an art form from my early days. I grew to be an avid reader and capable creator of mental imagery. I started playing acoustic guitar because it was another (aural) art form - much more than just music - that captivated me later on. At a time when I was falling out of my youth and tripping all over adulthood, my world was becoming a reality ready to be described. It came naturally and easily. I wrote to tell stories. These days, writing for writing's sake seems to be a strange imposter to me yet I get signals that it's the new virtue on the block. I like the way you write. I teach our children at home and have a heavy emphasis on reading and writing. All of our children love to read and tell stories...and I love hearing their stories. It saddens me that so many of my children's friends do not seem capable of expressing themselves well through writing these days. It is an art form, and a necessary one at that.

Wow jodyWayne...that is a beautiful story! After 38 years to still love someone so much and be able to express it that way is...the way it should be! My husband and I are about halfway to where you are and, so far so good! He's not written a song for me yet, but he is often singing and playing songs already written and telling me that they remind him of us. When he does that it makes this old heart feel like it's inside a school girl! Very, very cool!!!!

Matximus: That's not boring...especially that part about wanting to impress the girls. From a female perspective, I think it is awesome when someone makes an effort to impress. It shows that the 'impress-er' actually holds some sort of value for the 'impress-ee'. Maybe the value was hormone induced physical attraction at that point...but at least you were willing to go through some effort on your part. Lee Knight: Elvis Costello! Yes! Great inspiration to have.

While discussing lyrics in another thread, I remembered how it was that I started writing and I was wondering if anyone had a similar story. I think it would be interesting to know how other writers caught the 'writing bug' if any of you wouldn't mind sharing your story. Here's mine: When I was very young, my mother played a lot of classical and other instrumental music. I made up a game I called 'see the song'. I would close my eyes and try to imagine a story that went to the music, trying to see it in my mind as if I were watching a movie. (We didn't get to watch a lot of movies back then.) As I got older, I started to put lyrics to the stories. When there wasn't music playing, I started with the story and went the other way...adding my own tune. It might not be a very conventional way of writing, but that's how I started writing and still do to this day. With the big difference of adding the edit (and edit and edit) step, ha, ha... When I had my children, I taught them the game of 'see the song'. Sometimes it was a riot to hear the stories that they saw! During my teen years, writing became a way for me to say what I was feeling when I didn't think I could just come out and say it or didn't know exactly how to express my feelings. I had a very strict upbringing and would have been in a world of trouble if I said what I sometimes thought. However, for example, if I disguised my longing to spread my own wings as a song about a bird, I could say whatever I wanted...pretty sneaky, huh? tee, hee... So...who's game? Anyone?