The importance of writing

I've been away from this blog for a while now. Events and circumstances in my life required me to prioritize and make tough choices on what I wanted to spend my time doing. I have been writing (though not as much as I'd like) but I haven't been blogging here. I have missed it and I'm looking forward to getting back to it on a regular basis.

This time off has made me think a lot about the importance of writing. You hear the advice out there: write every day - no matter what!; writing has to be the most important thing in your life if you're going to succeed; writers live and die with their writing. I'm afraid I just don't buy it.

Writing is important to me but it's not everything. I can certainly see how prioritizing writing (or any activity) above everything else can help lead to success. But success doesn't equal happiness. My goal is to be happy, to have a fulfilling life. I think writing will always be a necessary part of that. But my relationships are more important. The people in my life have a greater impact on my happiness, and ultimately my interactions with others have a greater impact on the world than my writing.

So I have taken a break and I've accomplished things outside of writing that have transformed my life and brought me to an entirely new position from which to write again. I'm hopeful that I will be a better writer for it and I dive back in with renewed enthusiasm and vigor. I hope you'll accompany me on the journey.