Martha Graham famously said, “Because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.”
Your message that is unique, but your perspective and style of presenting the message are also gifts. The thing that makes your book worth reading (and writing) is the one-of-a-kind infusion of you to the storyline. There has never been another you, and your perspective on a topic is of immense value.
Your writing process is your gift to you. Do you need to take pen to paper? Is it a legal pad, a spiral-bound notebook, or a Post-it® note? Do you need to type in the morning or late at night? Do you enjoy music or silence? Do you write at home or in a busy café?
My favorite poet is William Carlos Williams, and my favorite poem of his is El Hombre:
It’s a strange courage
you give me ancient star:
Shine alone in the sunrise
toward which you lend no part!
Mr. Williams was not only a poet; he was a pediatrician. He wrote his poems on a pad for prescriptions he kept in the pocket of his white lab coat. What a gift his process was! By embracing it, he produced great works, no bigger than a small tablet.
If you obey Martha Graham’s direction, you must produce your work. Publishing your work, sending it out as letters, or posting it to your blog is not a selfish act; rather, it is a selfless act.
You are not feeding your ego by publishing; you are giving the gift of your perspective and your writing to another unique person who longs to hear something fresh, something inventive, something intriguing, or something motivating.
Do not deny the gift of your writing to an audience that is waiting to receive it. — Alice Bass
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