A Writer's Life

I don't talk much about my writing--what I'm working on or my writing process. Partly, I imagine it's as exciting as hearing about how I grocery shop. (I menu plan, make a list, buy what's on my list, usually the cheapest brand except when it comes to ice cream, use recyclable grocery bags--repeat once a week).

Lots of writers have sites devoted to their daily struggles and the angst of just being who they are. Not my style. I write like I pee, regularly, in short bursts, with a fairly steady output.

See. I told you that you really didn't want to know.

I write because that's how I understand the world. If I can't put something into words, I haven't processed it fully. Whether it's the sunset, my mother's death, or planting fuchsias for the first time, I can't embrace the experience until I've found words that capture what it means to me.

I also write because I love stories. True ones, which is why I like essayists and columnists both--Barbara Kingsolver and Ellen Goodman come to mind. I also love made-up stories that feel true, or at least should be true--Marcia Willett and Marian Keyes are two current favorite authors. They capture the interior life of ordinary people in ways both poignant and funny.

My motto could be, "I write, therefore I am." The words I put on paper are a record of the life I'm living, and a testament to the world according to Claire. At the end, I will know I have lived because not only was I there, but I've got the paper to prove it and the stories I've left behind.