A Friendly World

If you are a writer then you are also probably a reader, and somewhere in your reading past you probably discovered a writer who inspired you, not only to pursue writing, but reconnected you to life in a way you found both surprising and necessary. You love this writer and you are vaguely in awe of this writer. You describe the author as a “great writer”; you might even call this author a genius. It is understandable. To be inspired and reconnected to life is a holy experience – by which I mean an experience that offers a transcendent glimpse of life beyond our daily, physical struggles. It is a great relief to glimpse life from this vantage. I am always grateful and feel mildly in debt to anyone who can help me do so. I feel as though I owe them something, and because most are dead, it is tempting to worship them, to honor them as one would a saint.

But if I truly want to honor those writers who most inspire me, I must acknowledge our equality. To create a hierarchy of humanity is, in my mind, to fall from that transcendent perch, back to earth where this one makes more than that one, and some are stronger and some are weaker, and some are smarter and some are more talented. We call this Hell on Earth – or what pessimists refer to as “reality.”

Everything inspiring ever written was born from the awareness of our inescapable equality. This equality so contradicts the laws of the world we believe we live in, that it is often difficult to perceive. The stillness and quiet of the workroom is a great place to practice finding it again and again. If I can find it a hundred times when I am alone, perhaps I’ll find it once in the company of others – and in that holy moment, find the friendly world in which I have always lived.

Write Within Yourself: An Author's Companion.

"A book to keep nearby whenever your writer's spirit needs feeding." Deb Caletti.

You can find Bill at: williamkenower.com