Why I Write
By Dr. Jerry Flack
As I am halfway between 81 and 82 years of age, I sometimes ask myself (but am more often questioned by others!) why I still write for publications such those of the Gifted Development Center.
Should I set aside my writer’s cap? Not this month.
Firstly, I have loved to write all my adult professional life plus I had the “publish or perish” sword of university pressure dangling slightly above my neck prior to achieving university tenure. Secondly, as much as my first love was teaching both gifted children and their parents and educators, I loved to share creative teaching ideas in both articles and books.
Thirdly, while I have not been a gifted classroom for many years, I continue to love the literature that is created for youth and is often so appropriate for gifted readers. The art lover side of my emotionality particularly loves to shop for, find, and review incredibly beautiful picture books that seem to become most sumptuous with each passing year.
Further, I have developed a fondness for the research and scholarship that very often is a crucial part of the writing process. One example. The key book I am currently reviewing reminds me of further erudition. In my research for William Shakespeare’s First Folio, I recalled reading mystery writer Josephine Tey’s wonderful mystery, The Daughter of Time. Although it was time consuming, I wanted to refresh my knowledge firsthand of a book I read with delight at least three decades in the past. Writers owe it to their readers to write with authority and accuracy. That initial research caused me to engage in even further investigations about Sir Thomas More, the movie A Man for All Seasons, the War of the Roses, and much more sleuthing.
A fifth reason that I love to write has developed over time. I was the editor of both my high school newspaper and yearbook plus the writer of a weekly column of school news for the community newspaper. Writers can never start too young. My public school writing experiences made college assignments easier for me. My peers struggled with “blue book” essays that I actually enjoyed.
Early in my writing career, I loved creative writing (and brainstorming) most. Over time I have developed a love for editing. Today, I truthfully enjoy editing manuscripts more than I do composing first drafts. Trying to find the “best” word, sentence, and paragraph is a joy. I may not always succeed, but the effort of making a piece of writing soar is a thrilling experience for me.
I recently helped a great friend celebrate his 90th birthday in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I may not need to drive so far on my similar “Bucket List” item. Hopefully, I will spend the same birthday celebration by penning and editing a new book review of a dynamite book for gifted readers.
