The write stuff - they have it

A young man emulating his dog peeing up a tree masks the underlying message of waste management issues. A confused and homeless cancer ridden woman seeks conversation and help from a complete stranger during a chance encounter which forever destroys the peace and solitude many have sought at Walden Pond. A memoir of self discovery recalls a family’s flight from genocide in Armenia at the turn of the 20th century in which one and half million people were killed in the name of ethnic and religious cleansing. A successful publisher coming to terms with the reality of rising office rental forcing a rethink on business viability after 18 years and seeking a silver lining in the form of a new career. The breadth and depth of these deeply moving, emotionally charged essays, shared by email, read with passion at the Write Stuff writers group, provides ample evidence of the richness of human experience and the desire to record and share it.
We made suggestions to the authors and to each other on ways that the works could be improved. Change a sentence here, move a paragraph there, less emphasis on ideology, more emphasis on facts, less verbatim dialogue; keep verbatim dialogue. Less anger, more lessons learned. All comments were graciously given and received.
But the real lesson is that it’s not about the punctuation or grammar or the orderliness of ideas. It’s not about writing for other people to read and enjoy, though enjoy we did. It is about writing with a personal purpose. To record a family history lest they forget and time robs the mind and body of its custodian. To explain why a place that was once a sanctuary for silent thought and reflection is sullied by the guilt of helplessness and must now be avoided. To expose a hurt born of unfair treatment so that the anger may be swept away and a clear path for hope can be fashioned. And to be one with nature, on par with so called lesser animals, free from rules imposed by the wisdom of mankind.