Thank-you note to my Muse

For, whom the Muses smile upon,
And touch with soft persuasion,
His words like a storm-wind can bring
Terror and beauty on their wing;
In his every syllable
Lurketh nature veritable.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Letter to my Muse, whoever you are:

I need to thank you for giving me the gift of writing. You had all the arts to choose from, and you picked writing as my expression. Writing is the most portable of the arts - you can write anywhere. You can't paint anywhere, or play music anywhere. Writing is something that can always be done at an odd moment.

You gave me some excellent English teachers in high school, back when I still considered writing a chore. Especially Mr. Collins in eleventh grade. He payed attention to me, which I particularly needed at that moment. He is the first person who showed me that he had confidence in what I wrote. Even though it was years before I followed suit and developed my own confidence, he started me down that road. I believe that part of my love for writing has to stem from the affection I still hold for this man, who wound up being my all-time favorite teacher.

Thanks also for helping me to develop my sense of humor. There are two things I never imagined there would be a good use for. One was the exceptionally low self-esteem that I carried around as an adolescent. The other was the constant worry that not one soul on this earth liked me. Both arose from my step-father's constant verbal abuse. However, it was these very things which made me develop my sense of humor in the hope that it would help make one person like me.

Finding Writing.com could almost be considered a fluke if I didn't know that you probably turned me in the right direction. The air conditioner in my library had gone out. June in Mississippi is no joke because it is a million degrees. I sought refuge in one of the empty classrooms, the only room in the school at that time that had an Internet connection. I had taken an online creative writing class some months before, which I needed to renew my teaching certificate, so I was looking for something similar, and stumbled on WdC. Now I'm addicted.

I am not a talkative person. Talking to most people holds no appeal for me, unless I know the person really well. Once you speak a word, it cannot be taken back. But the written word can be edited before sending it out for other people to judge. Being a writer enables me to let go of long pent-up thoughts. I appreciate you giving me enough confidence in my writing ability to be able to use it as a release.

Thank you for giving me good books to read. That is not to say I spent my time reading literature, although I've read my share, especially in college. I simply never sank to the level of reading Harlequin Romances. Good writing has always been my example. I read because I was an only child. As I got older, I read as an escape. Sometimes, I read because I'm nosy, especially biographies. I read to get into someone else's life for a while. I never did read to learn how to write. It just worked out that way.

So, dear muse, all my thanks for giving me writing as my outlet. If even one person receives inspiration, entertainment, or even a new way of looking at things, it has been worth it.