Write On!

by Sandra R. Reed

This year our Markham Village Writers Group has lots to celebrate. We now have twenty- eight members and are moving forward like a locomotive, constantly picking up steam. Donna, our leader, is the engineer.

We have members from different backgrounds, with various beliefs and unique opinions and that’s what makes our meetings interesting. But what unites us all, is not our differences. It’s what we have in common. For one thing - our love of writing.

This group provides a special place for me. Only fellow writers can understand the joy of getting published or the disappointment of a rejection letter. Today, I wish to want to thank all of you who have encouraged me when my doubts were screaming: “Give it up. You’re not a writer.”

Communication is the key to world peace and of course, writing is a means of communication. The ability to express ourselves coherently is a special gift, one which writers sometimes take for granted. With our pens, we are capable of changing the world and one writer can, single-handedly, alter the course of history. Peace treaties have been written by writers no different than us. And now, with the advent of the world wide web, anything is possible. The sky’s the limit when it comes to what writers can do to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Our group has all the resources we need to reach out to anyone, anywhere in the world – a starving child in Sri Lanka or a fellow writer in the Philippines. Because of our diverse backgrounds, we have the languages to open doors around the globe. How many languages does this group write? I write three, although my Spanish leaves a lot to be desired. Within our group, we have contacts and connections all over the world and knowledge on a variety of subjects. Those are just some of the gifts we all bring to this congregation, and whatever we decide to do, we can be unstoppable.

Over the past few years, and because we believed it could happen, The Markham Village Writers Group has published a book of our collected works. Since then we have taken on an important role in the Markham Arts Council and The Cornell Crier Newspaper is in its second year. Besides our own personal projects, we are writing for other local newspapers, newsletters and businesses – offering our services wherever wordsmiths are needed. We’re out there now, putting our talents to good use, and it feels great!

But any gift comes with a lot of responsibility and writing is no different. The written word is eternal. We can’t take it back, nor can we plead ignorance of our “slip of the pen”, since we are the experts. It has been said that a good writer is not one who knows what to write but one who knows what not to write. One little thoughtless comment can hurt a thousand people in the stroke of a pen. Freedom of the press, like freedom of speech is a powerful thing when used toward peace and goodwill. When used to attack, degrade or for revenge, or when used frivolously, writing can be destructive.

Yes, there are many aspects of writing that go far beyond the written word itself. Integrity is one of them.

To quote Pope John Paul, “Words can bring people together or divide them, forge bonds of friendship or provoke hostility. Those responsible for the style and content of what is communicated have a grave duty to ensure unity and understanding.”

Most successful writers seem to have a purpose for writing - something they are committed to. That’s why many writing courses start with two questions: Who are you writing for and why are you writing? Some writers want to share experiences, like our member, Doug who writes travel articles. Some want to express beauty, some want to teach something and others write from a desire to help people in some way. That commitment is what inspires us and keeps us writing, regardless of rejection. Unfortunately some writers write solely for fame and notoriety. The problem is, no matter how famous they get, they’re never famous enough. On the other hand, a writer who has not yet figured out why he is writing is like a ship drifting at sea with no captain at the helm. However, even writing for the purpose of self- expression has been proven to be good for our health.

As writers, we can take readers to other countries, to other times and to other planets just by doing what we love. We can entertain, we can teach, and we can make people laugh. (preferably not at anyone else’s expense).

Let’s use our gift to reach out to our community, our country, and our world to make a positive difference.

While we are writing our articles, stories, poetry and books, let’s not forget that we can give so much more.

We can read our stories to our seniors and people who are shut in, we can lecture on writing at local schools and we can offer our literary services for fundraising for charities.

Everything we write tells something about us to the people who read it. Our words are forever linked to us.

I am proud to say I’m a writer and proud to say I’m a member of the Markham Village Writers Group. Every one of your successes inspires me to higher goals, because I’m part of your group. Thank you.