In this Sunday Series, you’ll meet writers new and seasoned as they share what inspires them to put #PenToPaper. This week, welcome S.A. Snyder, memoirist and live storyteller who shares how writing is like breathing.
Photo by Pablo Orcaray on Unsplash
You may have heard the expression, “If you have to ask the question, you won’t understand the answer.” In my case, I don’t even understand the question sometimes. Why do I write? For me, it’s not a choice in the same way breathing is not a choice, which is why the question is difficult to answer. Because I have to lacks reason. So after deeper scrutiny, the following is what I came up with.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve written stories in my head. They arrived like boisterous friends, wanting to be seen and heard, unstoppable. I started keeping a journal in third grade, which really took off when Rumble, my pet mouse, died of old age in the palm of my hand. I was inconsolable. Through journaling about my grief, I discovered the remarkable power of transformation. I could now cope with and better understand troubling and perplexing experiences through writing about them.
I come from a long line of control freaks. Being the youngest in a five-pack of siblings, however, didn’t leave me much chance to control while growing up. Elder siblings were always bossing me around. Not only was transformation possible through writing, creating stories also gave me the power to govern the narrative; to make sure the underdog came out on top.
In college I studied forestry and wildlife biology, leading to work as a field biologist. Yet stories kept begging to be written, not just fiction but stories of place and people in it. I returned to school for a master’s in journalism. Marrying my two passions—writing and nature—I wrote about the environment, wildlife, and outdoor recreation. I also wrote a lot of tips-and-tricks material, called “service journalism” back then. Today we call it life hacking.
As I got older, my boisterous friends continued to visit with enthusiasm, turning their faces toward knowledge-sharing, showing up as lessons learned, wisdom gained. Now I blog about self-care and retreats. My memoir took twenty years to finish and publish, though, because I kept telling myself no one cared about wisdom I learned. Even an agent said, “You’re an outstanding writer, but no one wants to read a spiritual journeying memoir by an unknown. Call me when you have something I can sell.” A year after that harsh rejection, Eat, Pray, Love hit the shelves. Who had ever heard of Elizabeth Gilbert before? I gave up for a while, and then my soul, fueled somewhat by resentment, pushed me to write through multiple drafts of my memoir. Doing so gave me the courage to express deeply personal things, which I’ve always had difficulty talking about let alone putting on paper. Writing my story also taught me to ignore others’ judgments about whether I have an audience. I’m confident my stories will find the people who need them.
I used to compare myself a lot with others, but not so much now that I’m closer to sixty than fifty. Writing is one aspect I still play the comparison game with. Am I as good as her?Will my books ever sell as much as his? When I’m blocked or feeling low in self-confidence, or when it becomes hard—because writing is so damn hard sometimes—I wonder whether I should give it up and be satisfied with my day job. No. It would be useless to try quitting writing, because if you hold your breath long enough, you just pass out then you automatically start breathing again.
A couple of years ago I got hooked on live personal-experience storytelling. It helps me hone my writing craft and provides instant feedback. When I hear the audience gasp or laugh, see them tear up, I know I’m hitting my mark. Now others breathe my stories, too.
S.A. SNYDER has been a professional writer and editor since 1991, including newspaper columnist and reporter, technical writer, writing instructor, communications manager and consultant, blogger, and book author. She lives in Virginia, where she participates in oral storytelling and writes a blog (www.LunaRiverVoices.com) about retreating and self-care, among other random topics. She is the author of three nonfiction books and numerous newspaper and magazine articles. Her latest book, The Value of Your Soul: Rumi Verse for Life’s Annoying Moments, due in September 2020, is a spinoff of her memoir, Plant Trees, Carry Sheep: A Woman’s Spiritual Journey Among the Sufis of Scotland.
Her travel guide, Scenic Driving Montana, showcases her home state and was first published in 1995. The 4th edition will be published in 2021.