This quote resonates with me.
In my blog bio, I say something similar about the type of fiction I write for young adults and adults.
In my youth, violence, gangs, and drugs surrounded my neighborhood. During my adult career in juvenile justice and corrections, the same issues were part of my daily life, but I was on the other side.
When you live with violence, poverty, racism, fear, or trauma you can develop some coping mechanisms like acting out, repression and denial.
For many women, one of the coping strategies is silence. But when we stuff our thoughts, push the words down, stifle our voice in fear, we sometimes think we’re okay.
But we’re not.
Our feelings go somewhere deep into our muscles, into our blood, and into our soul, where we bury the pain under a facade of everything is fine, “don’t you see the smile on my face?”
That’s why I write. I tired of stuffing thoughts and reactions down into the corners of myself.
I tired of seeing others do the same thing, over and over again until their throat got so thick with unsaid words they would get sick, or develop masks, or self-medicate.
Write down your words, somewhere, anywhere. Let your pen flow with the unsaid things in your heart. Write through the fear, the terror, the uncomfortableness of the pain until you can’t breathe anymore, or the tears come and then write some more.
You will get to the other side.
That’s why I write.
Why do you write? When you leave a comment, please leave the name of your website so you can share your stories.
Thank you and enter September with an adventurous spirit.
alvaradofrazier.com 