My Thoughts On Writing

Photograph: Erhan Dayi / Alamy/Alamy

Note: This is a post that I wrote 10 years ago on writing. When I read it again, I realized that the same feelings are true 10 years later. I wouldn't change a thing. There is still power in the pen!


It is a peculiar thing… this desire to pick up the pen.

Perhaps, it is born out of the desire to interpret or create life through the people that we’ve met or people that we’ve imagined. Franz Kafka spoke of his torment in writing and how difficult it was to produce a story at times. Ralph Ellison would write for years just to produce one American classic, Invisible Man. Zora Neale Hurston continued to write long after her celebrity had faded; there were dozens of manuscripts found in her personal trunk after her death.

This congenital impulse in me was conceived through the Black oral tradition. My grandmother, Eunice, was the family griot. I would listen intently to the stories that she would tell me as a child. These were stories passed down to her by her elders and she was more than willing to pass them on to me. I was an inquisitive, bright-eyed little boy with dozens of questions about who we were and who we are. She sometimes marveled at the seriousness of my questions that involved the existence of God and the purpose of man. She would usually share these stories while cooking or while she relaxed in her favorite chair. The images that she painted on my imagination were wonderful. I could see all of the characters vividly in my mind. I imagined how they looked. I imagined their lives. I imagined their hearts. These were my people, and I loved them through the stories that I heard about them.

Eventually, I picked up the pen in college and soon realized its power to communicate. I’ve always imagined that a pen is to a writer what a paint brush is to a painter. The words represent color. Honorable mention: Toni Morrison can paint the most beautiful images that I’ve ever seen on paper. These words can evoke emotion and stir the soul to take action for change. There’s power in the pen!
Still.

It is a peculiar thing…this desire to pick up the pen.

The Giving Gift

Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness -- great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy.
Author: Jim Rohn

Wow! This weekend was really great. I must say that I have really been enjoying my weekends lately. I started off on Friday evening with a Fashion Show and music at Zanzibar on the Waterfront. It's a club here in DC. It was really fantastic. The theme was South Africa and it featured the style, dance and music of South Africa. It was great! The South African community represented well. There were people of all age groups. I also helped to host the event. It's been a very long time since I've been on stage since my radio days, but I think that I did a great job. I was so nervous that I would not represent the pageant well. Overall, I practiced a little and executed well.

Saturday was a family event. My mother's church had a picnic. My mother was proud that a great deal of her family showed up. Shew!!! She only had to mention that there will be free food! We were there! It was nice to see my older brother and nephew. We ate well and laughed the afternoon away. Afterwards, I went to visit my grandmother. We can really take our older loved ones for granted at times. We talked to my grandmother for about an hour. She talked a lot about her mother, grandmother, father and her childhood. It was like listening to a griot or exciting storyteller. She told me and my friend things that I've never known. I was especially fascinated about the information about my great-great grandmother. She showed us pictures and talked about her as a person. The moment was golden. Anyway, I could go on and on so I'll just end it here. I'll just say that it is very important to extend yourself to your family, loved ones, and people in your community. Giving is an investment in love; the return is more than you could ever imagine. Peace~