A Whisper in the Dark: A Writer’s Voice

It’s a raw day here in central Ohio with a brisk wind, temps in the thirties, and a few snow pellets from time to time. Wouldn’t you know the forsythia and daffodils are in bloom? It seems to happen each spring. A stretch of warm days coaxes the plants to light and air. They put on their blooms only to get hit with a cold snap. Our spirits rise only to get tamped down. We long for consistent warmth, the kind that will make winter a distant memory.

A writing life is a life of peaks and valleys. Sometimes we’re up, and sometimes we’re down. That never changes no matter how much you publish or how much acclaim you receive. The fallow periods come, and we despair. Is this it, we ask ourselves. Is this the beginning of the end? Is this the day I stop being a writer?

To my way of thinking, only we can make the decision to stop. It’s easy to believe that other people—the gatekeepers like agents, editors, contest judges, etc.—hold that power, and to an extent they do because they can always say no to us. The last time I checked, though, no agent, editor, or contest judge ever sat with me in my writing room while I worked. If they threaten to invade that sacred space via their naysaying voices from past experiences, I find a way to say no to them. No, you may not steal the joy I feel when I’m writing. No, you may not cause me to cast doubt on myself. No, you may not make me hesitant. Our writing spaces are where we can be bold, ferocious, insistent. They’re spaces in which we can practice what we love.

And yet how many times over the years have I told myself to just stop—to stop trying to figure out narrative arcs, to stop exploring characters, to stop wrestling with sentences. How many hours have I spent alone in a room imagining stories or recreating experiences? How many hours have I stolen from loved ones? How many hours have I stolen from myself? Then I realize it’s the only thing I know to do—to keep trying to give this world of contradictions and chaos some sort of artistic shape, to make it hold still for a moment, so I’ll have a chance at clarity and hope. Without that, I fear I might vanish, caught up in the chaos. I might fall into such a well of despair I’ll never find my way back to solid ground.

I write to better understand our conflicted hearts. I write to remember the humanity we share. I write to bear witness. I write to illuminate. As pretentious as it may sound, I write to try to stop myself from disappearing. For that reason alone, I imagine I’ll keep doing what I do as long as I’m able even if no one’s interested in what I write. Maybe I’ll just be whispering in the dark, but a whisper is something I can hear. A voice, no matter how quiet, is still a force. It says, “Listen.” It says, “I matter.” It says, “We’re not alone.” Each time I sit down to write, I speak from the chaos. With ink marks on a page, I engage with the world, and why would I ever want to stop doing that?

12 Comments

  1. Ellen on March 28, 2022 at 9:09 am

    Wow. You’ve added depth and dignity to what I can’t help doing, put into words what I didn’t realize I was feeling. Thank you.

    • Ellen cassidy on March 28, 2022 at 9:14 am

      Ellen, I read your comment and did a double take…did I comment twice?? lol. here’s to the writing
      Ellens!

    • Lee Martin on March 28, 2022 at 3:25 pm

      Thanks so much, Ellen! Keep pushing those words around on the page.

  2. Ellen cassidy on March 28, 2022 at 9:12 am

    lovely. i’m in a lull right now and feel the motivation seeping away. your words help!

    • Lee Martin on March 28, 2022 at 3:24 pm

      Thanks, Ellen. Keep doing the good work!

  3. Lindsay Gerano on March 28, 2022 at 10:20 am

    This might be my most favorite post yet, Lee. It is difficult sometimes and still, a privilege to write, to have the hope of being everlasting in some form. Easy to get lost in the din and the doldrums but you’re right. A collection of voices and sometimes, a singular one, has been known to set the world in shift mode. Thanks for sharing.

    • Lee Martin on March 28, 2022 at 3:24 pm

      Thanks so much, Lindsay. I love what you have to say about the privilege of writing. It really is, isn’t it? Although sometimes agonizing, it’s also a blessing to be alive to the tapestry of our living.

  4. Billy Kilgore on March 28, 2022 at 5:49 pm

    Thanks for this post! Inspiring and uplifting in these strange times. Love these lines: “Then I realize it’s the only thing I know to do—to keep trying to give this world of contradictions and chaos some sort of artistic shape, to make it hold still for a moment, so I’ll have a chance at clarity and hope. Without that, I fear I might vanish, caught up in the chaos. I might fall into such a well of despair I’ll never find my way back to solid ground.”

  5. Susan Cole on April 2, 2022 at 7:09 am

    Yes! I’m beginning a new writing project, with the excitement of snippets coming to me and glimmers of where it might go. Along with all the doubts. Thank you, Lee!

    • Lee Martin on April 2, 2022 at 1:23 pm

      Thanks for this comment, Susan! Embrace the excitement along with the doubts and just see where this new project might lead you.

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