Exploring Fear and Freedom in Writing

I am the first to admit there are subjects I might want to write about, but haven’t.

I rarely write about politics because it’s unlikely to change anyone’s mind, and today’s worries will soon be behind us.

I avoid writing about old age. Many social media and blog posts focus on illness, surgeries, or the harsh realities of getting older. Others may want to explore that, but it’s not for me. There’s no joy in it.

Other topics I don’t write about.

Giving too much information about parenting and the sacrifices I’ve made.

Writing about neighbors who have been anything but neighborly.

Reflecting on church officials who shouldn’t be preaching anymore.

Here’s something I don’t mind sharing. Sigourney Weaver, at 76 years old, looks ridiculous in another sci-fi action movie. Netflix documentaries and movies on relationships turned dangerous and deadly are so abundant that true crime is all that’s available, and it’s stupid. Then there’s the soppy stuff, too, like the movie Remarkably Bright Creatures, featuring a great actress like Sally Field as a lonely widow talking to an octopus.

Not long ago, I shared a quote from theologian Paul Tillich: “The first duty of love is to listen.” I first saw this at a writing retreat, though I can’t recall exactly when. I found the paper with Tillich’s words tucked away in a desk drawer, and they struck a chord with me, especially given everything going on in the world.

Listening is for learning and growing.  We’re all coming from different perspectives, and that’s good. Each of us has a unique voice, and so make no excuses but relish and revel in it, which is why I love Women’s Writing Circle.

Here’s what I like to write. And what I enjoy in the writing of others.

When I traveled to places like Ephesus in Turkey and Bandipur in Nepal, it was the “small moments” that I mostly remember. Mary’s hillside home overlooked the verdant valley outside Ephesus, where peach-colored roses bloomed in profusion along the ancient stone ruins and pathways from the house to the river’s edge. In Nepal, I recall a boy running with a homemade kite, wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and simple flip-flops, while the air smelled of incense and butterflies alighted on yellow and white flowers.

These are the moments that count, filled with spirituality and community. There is a bond with others and the natural world that inspires the poet within us. Deep down, we all want a spiritual life, which is often missing when caught up in cellphones, flat screen TVs, and political silos.

What makes life meaningful, especially after loss and suffering, which are inevitable? In my novel, And the Memory Returns, Ava Stuart is on this journey. Many have asked me if I’m Ava, but I say she is part of me and of other women I’ve known. I came across this description of the book online: “Ava’s journey is both personal and universal, offering readers a bittersweet yet hopeful reflection on how memory, love, and travel can shape a new life.

Each writer explores freedom and fear in her own way. She decides what she wants to say and how to listen and learn from the noise, madness, and beauty. As the great Mary Oliver wrote: “When it’s over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.”

What about you? Are there things you avoid writing out of fear? What do you love to write that offers freedom and joy?