Why I Can't Stop Writing

I'm not saying writing is easy. It isn't -- at least not for me.

I'm not saying writing is fun. Though sometimes it can be.

What I am saying is I can't stop.

I write because it's the only way I have to make sense of big overwhelming things.

If you were reading this blog while I was away in Holland for the launch of Een Andere Wereld, the Dutch language translation of my book What World Is Left, you probably sensed that I was overwhelmed by the experience of being back with my parents in the country where they came from -- and where part of the novel is set.

Every night in Holland, I had trouble falling asleep. It wasn't jet lag; it was because there was so much to think about, and process, and find a place for in my mind and in my heart.

But I fixed that on the airplane ride home. That was when I started writing about the experience I shared with my parents in Holland. And guess what? The story I wrote appeared in today's Gazette -- and I can't tell you how glad I am that I wrote it. Because it helped me process a very big, very overwhelming experience. Here's the link to the story. And here's my question for you today: Do you have a story you need to process? Have you thought about putting it into words?