Mantra: Why I Write
I write…
To turn darkness to light. Stories have the power to bring light to the shadows of the world. I write to shine light into the darkness.
To choose celebration over the grit of life. Life is chaotic, and there is always a cause for an alarm. I write in order to pause and shift perspective from stress to joy. This pause allows the words to mold everyday life into a celebration.
To discover genuine stories. Life swirls and the wisps are almost impossible to grasp — unless I put words to the page. I write to find the genuine stories — the real and raw moments of life that will slip through my grip and I lose a piece of the beauty life is meant to bring.
To document a radical faith. As the world pulls and demands, I write to defend and remember the One who is bigger than me. I write to build bits of this and that into a story that reflects Truth.
To play with words. I write because it’s fun to play with words, to make them wobble and steady by stacking them on the page.
Mostly, though, I write to inspire others to celebrate their stories, even in the midst of the muddle. Sharing stories is the best way I know to make the world a better place. We soften and learn and rise up because we share stories. We defend and encourage and love more because we share stories. I write so others will want to share their stories. I write so others will live a stronger story. I write because story changes me and him and her and you…and together, we will make the world a better place.
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You inspire me to celebrate my story. You inspire me to want to write more. To want to be the best at persevering as a writer – even if it means being cranky at the writing process some days and celebrating other days. You inspire me to allow writing to be part of my life. Thank you!
Love reading this post about why you write, especially these words: “We soften and learn and rise up because we share stories. We defend and encourage and love more because we share stories.” I'm one of the hundreds, maybe thousands that you've encouraged to share stories. Thank you, Ruth!
Put my name on the list of writers you inspired. I find that I love to play with words too. Most of mine are wobbly but sometimes they stack together and I've created something I'm proud of having written. If I had never read the words of Ruth Ayres, I would not be a writer at all. You do good work when you send stories into the world. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing. I am lucky to have seen you speak at conferences in addition to reading your writing. You help make me a better writer and teacher.
Thank you for sharing. I am lucky to have seen you speak at conferences in addition to reading your writing. You help make me a better writer and teacher.