Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write.
This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple “I must,” then build your life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour, must become a sign and witness to this impulse.Rilke, Rainer Maria. 1984. Letters to a Young Poet. Random House.
A lifetime ago, I was introduced to Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, specifically this quote. I can't remember which exact university course I read it for, but I do recall the impact the words had on me as a young writer. I still think of the question "Must I write?" and the resounding "Yes!" that has lived in my soul since I was a ten-year-old girl stapling sheets of loose-leaf paper together to make "books". What precisely I MUST write has changed over the past few decades, the level of urgency varies depending on the state of my mental health, and there have been times in my life when the idea of writing anything was absolutely terrifying, but here I am. Yes, I must write. How about you? If you too must write, what can I do to help you get that writing seen?
