Why I Write by Cece Bodnar

Why I Write by Cece Bodnar

What do I write? I watch, listen, and dream until an idea, place or personal interaction touches me in some way that requires further exploration.  Words are precious to me—they are the only way I have to make contact with others, and sometimes with myself.

I love structuring sentences with cadence and clarity.  To do that well enough to evoke a question or insight, smile, or tears in another feels like a miracle to me. Conversations that are written have the wonderful ability to be revisited and reinterpreted over time.

What I wrote many years ago is tempered by my living since. I still recognize that it remains part of who I am today.

How do I write?  Any idea usually gets a brief note somewhere. Then, when I find it again, it calls me to put it into words. Often I start with prose. Questions arise: What is there about this that I find interesting? Would I tell a friend about it? How? Why? What would I tell?

Sometimes a poem appears. Perhaps an old traditional form with rhyming lines presents itself. Lately, I have been playing with Haiku, a Japanese syllable-driven form that demands much discipline. I find it hard, but satisfying. One day, I observed a small snake lying in the sun. Nearby was a chicken pecking. I wondered how a barefoot child might react to this:

Version 1: Snake slithers in grass.

Chicken pecks too near bare feet.

They decide to leave.

Version 2:  Bare child feet dance here

where snake slides, hen pecks

They decide to leave.

I think version 2 is more fun. Do you?  Why?  Write your own version—have fun!!