On Writing

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What are you doing tomorrow?
Do you have some time I could borrow?

That is the first line of poetry that I remember writing on my own volition. It was eighth grade and I debated the lines that should follow the opener and couldn't settle on one. I vaguely recall the possibility of

I'm not doing anything at all
You could say I'm at life's beck and call

I mention this recollection as I sit to write about writing. Writing to me is like breathing. I remember once being at someone's house for Shabbos (I won't mention names, but we were born to the same mother) and I'd forgotten my diary and asked to borrow paper. Finding writing paper in the house was an issue. I think for many people having paper around is not so urgent. But for me it is.

First I'd write on scraps and lose them. The ones that were salvaged got put in a small red box that had originally contained a sweater I'd received as a bar-mitzvah present. Then I switched to diaries. I have boxes filled with them. Then I switched to the computer. I have files filled with them. Then I took some writing classes. Non fiction. Fiction. Poetry. Then came this blog.

I am thankful to Esther Kustanowitz, whom as of this writing I have never met. I read about her blog (which I recommend - EstherKustanowitz.typepad.com) in a description in the Jewish Week. The article was about specialized Al Cheits - Confessions of Sins specifically for singles. It hit me and my friends the Klamens who were staying over at the time. So I looked at the blog. And I remembered Moshe Radinsky, my old friend from Ethiopia's comment that "a blog would really fit your style." I had never heard of or seen one at the time he made that remark. I kept away. But after I saw Esther's I felt like that singer from A Chorus Line and thought, "I can do that." And I started.

Recently I heard Nicole Krauss speak about how the inspiration of her recent book was the question, how many people is enough to write for? She didn't come out and say that the answer is one. But I think that's what she believes and I think I agree. In another context Rav Yisrael Salanter said that communication is worthwhile for one person, even if that one person is yourself, and it's true of writing too.

The world of bloggers is inhabited by people who understand what it means to need to write. It's a community of people who write for themselves and understand others who write for themselves. And we respect each other's urge to write. And we know that without people reading what you write it's about as fulfilling as selling without people buying (and if you've seen Glengarry Glen Ross or read Death of A Salesman or are a salesman, you know what I mean.) So we buy each other's wares. Actually, we want to read because there's a deep connection between people who are similarly wired.

On Friday I read the latest at seraphicpress.com. Robert Avrech brought to mind something that I've been remiss about. He described a fellow blogger as generous. The blogger he mentioned was TorontoPearl.com. One day some months ago I posted that I wonder who's reading. And Pearl piped up to let me know that she was reading and appreciating. And since then she has posted about me, unsolicited. She's told her readers about my blog, and my stand up and my play. And I know he's right. She is kind and generous in spirit. I now say thank you to Pearl and recommend her down to earth, honest blog.

I've been asked several times recently what my relationship with Mirty is. No, we're not best friends. No, there's no plan for her to post here any time soon. No, we've never met personally, I don't even know her full name. But Mirty has been very kind to me. She is a regular visitor to my blog. Her name appears as a contributor to this site because she has offered to help me with technical matters. One time when all the spaces disappeared and my blog read like one long entry and people were politely telling me that it looked fine while I freaked out, Mirty came to the rescue. In order to fix the problem she needed the privilege of entering the template, and that privilege means that she's listed as a contributor. I am grateful for her assistance.

Anyway, these are some thoughts about writing. I hope to continue this. I am always thinking about the question of how honest to be, how much to share. I'm thinking about the writer's I like, how the common theme seems to be a strong, honest, open voice. I'm thinking about anonymity VS honesty. Like Butch Cassidy, I'm always thinking...