Chasing the Elusive Word

A butterfly on a breeze, delicate, enticing, and just out of reach—that is what words sometimes feel like for me as a writer. I chase their lead only to lose track of where I started.

The best words come from that unseen, untouchable place within me. I am still learning how to access it—not an easy feat when that place feels, at times, like a fortified vault with a combination I am not privy to.

I want to connect with you. I want to convey my thoughts, ideas, and emotions. I want to find a common ground between you and me that I can breathe words of inspiration into. But on days when there is a disconnect within me, that process is labored.

How do I access the untouchable so I can touch others?

Words have a magical power to stir emotions, create imaginary worlds and characters, and provide both escape and connection.

Words—those elusive, powerful expressions of my inner self—are what I try to harness.

In magical moments, the barrier between my conscious mind and that fortified vault comes down and the words spill out onto the page faster than I can write. Usually, the barrier is broken by strong emotions.

At other times, the words are scarce. A single word may pop in my mind. That one word twists and turns, taunting me as it denies me any direction. I have learned to wait it out and trust the process, to give my thoughts time. Eventually, the vault opens and the words come drifting out.

That is when magic happens.

Words are the key to the magic. Revealing what can’t be seen and what can’t be touched. Bringing emotion to life across a page.

Maybe emotions are what I am really trying to harness.

Words are my connection to my emotions. When the emotions are raw, the words flow easily. When the emotions are unidentified, or maybe even uncomfortable to identify, the words become limited.

I still have a guide—words.

If I truly want to connect with my readers, I need to get comfortable with, or maybe just open to, letting words lead me to difficult emotions.

Emotions are what is locked in the vault.

Emotions are my connection to you.

Emotions are where the magic happens.

I am still working out the fine details of identifying emotions and using my words to express them. But it is my hope that if I stick with the process, I can learn to use my words as a magical bridge connecting my inner self to yours.

While I continue to work on this magical process, please comment with one word that evokes strong emotion within you. You never know—your single word might be the key to the vault.