on writing, reading and the power of books

This morning my daughter grabbed some books off the shelf and immersed herself in them. “These are fantastic books mum, come and see”. As I went in, I realised the books she held are books written by my good friend, Elaine Fraser.

Writing can be such an isolating exercise. Essentially it is me and my keyboard or a notepad. That is the way the craft works. It is a craft that needs silence and solitude, to extract from my head the thoughts and ideas.  Other people would interrupt my flow, and little would be achieved.

But without community I would go insane. Community grounds me in reality, it gives me a space that is outside my own brain. There are a many times that I have called Elaine to just go and write in her library, for some company and a change of scenery.

But it is a two way thing, this community. Because books touch people. Because the written word can travel far and wide. And because a book impact many lives as it gets passed from one person to another.

And so this morning, with my newly acquired  novice camera skills, I snapped this shot of my daughter reading a book written by my friend. Important words about what it is to be “beautiful”, transferring from my friend’s pen, to my daughter’s mind.

This is the power of writing. This is why I write, because someone somewhere might be helped by what I say.

Join me for the journey,

Jodie