Write To Know!
by Monique Rider
Life is one growth experience
after another. Events are lost forever if they are not captured on paper.
Write to Grow
Since I was 10 years old I have
journaled writing on stolen time, scraps of notebook paper, or extra large
sticky notes. At times I feel like the only thing I trust in this world is the
paper I write on because it holds the secrets of my soul. I write for my own
healing and growth rather than for any audience.
Write to Release
Writing allows a release of
intense feelings. Through writing you can scrutinize and make sense of the
pain, the loneliness, the emptiness. You realize sometimes you are a square peg
society keeps trying to plug into a round hole. And you don’t want to be formed
or molded. Your experiences give you unique insights you can use to help
others.
Write to Triumph
At age seven I was sexually
abused. At age 16, I married an abusive man. Writing allows me to dump the pain
of abuse on paper, and triumph over that pain. Through the written word I name
my emotions, analyze them, and give them life. I write from the deep intense
feelings most of which I find hard to verbalize to even my closest friends.
Every tear I cry holds a thousand unspoken emotions. At times, I avoid
returning and reading what I wrote because it is too painful.
The happiness and pain of my
life are all documented. The abuse, the divorce, an ugly custody battle, a
second (non-abusive) marriage, finding spirituality, a daughter with
manic-depression, career challenges, and the trials of raising teenagers.
Write to See
You can know yourself through
writing and the growth is profound. You can see the sunlight through the dark
clouds. Each experience is a lesson in growth allowing you to release
bitterness, anger, and resentment. You can calm anxiety and wild imagination by
putting pen to paper. You can pray, laugh, and cry on paper. Your future goals
and aspirations are neatly documented. There is magic in the written word and
if it needs to come true it needs to be written first.
Write to Give
No one really knows you because
you are complex and it takes years to know yourself. As you learn from your
writing then you can embrace that knowledge and let it transform you. Then you
will feel you are prepared to offer society a wonderful gift. You can offer the
gift of yourself, a square peg, using your experiences to help others. There is
no greater journey then exploring yourself through expressive writing. And
there is no greater reward then to share those findings with others. How do I
know? I just did!
Copyright 2001 Monique Rider
Monique Rider is a life coach
and writer. She is also a contributing author to Ophelia's Mom, a hard copy
anthology written by moms of adolescent girls. Monique coaches and writes
around the philosophy that there are blessings in our struggles; adversity is
our wake up call to personal growth. Monique passes on her philosophy through
her love of writing. She reaches out to others by writing for numerous online
and hard copy publications. This has resulted in personal and professional
exposure, Media Coverage, and book signings. She has also developed an
extensive Writing Portfolio and a monthly ezine called Coach's Notes. She
writes a monthly coaching column, Building Momentum, for Australian based emag
About Achievement Magazine and her biography is featured on The Write Woman web
site. Monique lives with her husband and daughters in