I originally wrote a version of this post a few years ago; recently, in looking back at all 12 years (already?) of my blog posts, it really jumped out and resonated with me. I wrote it, back then, to explain one of the reasons (the best reason, I think) for why I write – a reason that has become especially vital today, in these increasingly trying, uncertain times. I am reprising it today for that same reason; simply put, I write to find the joy. And with that joy, a feeling of hopefulness. And so I write on.

Writers write for many reasons. For me, it’s all about the joy.

Writing the joy means not only writing what you know – the advice given to writers probably since the beginning of time – but writing about what makes you happy. The people, the places, the passions that fuel you. The words themselves that feel good to say and even better to write down and relive. The colors and shadings of nature, of cities, of places visible and those only dreamt about. The things that you’ve seen and heard, tasted and touched, felt with your fingertips and caressed with your soul.

Write the joy of a cerulean blue ceramic bowl filled with a pile of richly colored peaches (and enjoy, with an internal “ahh,” the use of cerulean and ceramic in a single phrase). Immerse yourself in the pleasure of finding the words to describe looking at a glass of ruby-red cabernet, glints of light captured in its depths, and seeing the world as if through a jeweled lens.

Describe the perfect cup of cocoa – write until you can see the creamy color, smell the irresistible lure of the chocolate, taste the sweetness. Until you can feel the comfortable weight of the warm mug in your hand. And until you can remember the very first time you ever tasted cocoa and all the joyful memories that evokes.

Find the words to paint autumn in New England. Leaves of scarlet and gold, amber and purple, nature’s most glorious collage. Or New York in the spring – towers of grey and silver punctuated by bodega buckets of tulips in pink and coral and bright red. Or San Francisco in October. The Golden Gate emerged from the fog in all of its rich orange grandeur, the perfect complement to the clear sapphire sky above.

Write down how you feel about the person you love most in the world – or describe his kind eyes; her gentle touch; the way he saves you the comics and the crossword from the paper each day; the way she saves you the edges of the brownies because she knows those are your favorite pieces.

I write the joy because it evokes pure elation. Because it allows me to capture, craft, and create small, exquisite moments in time through lines on a page. Because it restores my faith in the power of words to make something beautiful. And because it makes me happy.

Joy to the girl.

©2021, ©2024 Claudia Grossman