What is the art of writing life?

2011-03-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

I am not a blogger nor do I maintain a diary. It takes me half an hour to write ten lines of a decent journal entry, and another half hour to correct whatever grammatical or spelling mistakes I can find. I can transform thoughts into pictures but not words. I am a drawer, not a writer.

And if you think there's something wrong with that last paragraph, chances are your writing skills are better than mine.

I did not take this picture but coincidentally
I have the same sketchbook and ink bottle!

What I do have is the passion to write. You might be wondering "how can someone who admits to sucking at writing also claims to be passionate about writing?" Before I answer that question, let me show you one of the definitions for the word "passion":

"intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction" - Merriam-Webster, n.d.

A nurse can be competent in practicing nursing and not have the passion for it. It should not be that way but those type of nurses do exist. They are also the same nurses who can't be bothered to learn a new trick or two.

Case #1: It is no longer hygienic to hang your stethoscope around your neck. The new practise now is to slip it in your pant pockets. Apparently this one nurse who acted as my mentor could not get around that concept.

Passion is what drives us to learn and grow not just as professionals, but also as individuals. I want to be better at writing! I want to write beyond the usual APA-style essay papers at the university. And please, don't even get me started with those reflection analysis papers I had to write every school year (which I confess to filling about 40% of it with lies for the sake of meeting the requirements)!

Because I am so eager to learn, I plan to take an upper liberal course called "the art of writing life" this summer. Here's hoping I finally make more meaningful and coherent journal entries in the near future.

The Art of Writing Life

What is the art of writing life?