New Year - Time to Write

Dear Friends,

As a new year approaches, we find ourselves reflecting on the past with introspection while looking ahead with a mix of uncertainty and hope. This is also a moment to acknowledge the reality, freedom, and consequences of our choices.

It’s a season for reading, writing, and preserving our impressions—whether for ourselves, our friends, or our family -our history.

May you all have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

As I prepare for 2025, I’m reminded of an old list I compiled—a collection of reasons and insights about writing, intended for people like me who "can't not write." I’d like to share it with you:

Why should we write?

"We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand."

How authentic should our writing be?

"Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, and nothing else."

How can we improve our writing?

"What you want is practice, practice, practice. It doesn't matter what we write... so long as we write continually as well as we can."

Write with the ear:

"Always write (and read) with the ear, not the eye. You should hear every sentence you write as if it was being read aloud or spoken. If it does not sound nice, try again."

How clear should our writing be?

"Don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was 'terrible,' describe it so that we'll be terrified. Don't say it was 'delightful'; make us say 'delightful' when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, 'Please will you do my job for me.'”

When should we write?

"Whenever you are fed up with life, start writing — ink is the great cure for all human ills, as I have found out long ago."

Write your history—joys and sorrows:

"I thought I could describe a state; make a map of sorrow. Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process. It needs not a map but a history, and if I don't stop writing that history at some quite arbitrary point, there's no reason why I should ever stop."

Wishing you inspiration and joy as you write your own stories.

Cheers,

Paulo & Adriana

P.S. The words within quotes are from Jack Lewis.