Passion: The Driving Force
I sometimes wonder what keeps me day after day, hour after hour, year after year sitting in front of a computer, working on stories. I struggle to find the right turn of phrase, the sparkling metaphor, and the witty dialogue that will make my work resonate with readers.
Before devoting full-time to writing, I was a clinical social worker for twenty-five years. Not a high income earner like a doctor or a lawyer, but it was a profession that paid well enough. And it was enjoyable and inspiring work. Yet now, I choose to spend my time playing with words. I do all of this, without any guarantee I’ll make any money off of it.
So, what drives me? It boils down to passion.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines passion as “a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object or concept.”
Yes, I’m driven. I always have been, since my early twenties. I have drawers full of journals and file folders packed with forgotten jottings. I happen to love words and how they come together to surprise me. They make me laugh, cry, and sometimes rage.
Last year, I had the pleasure of helping my grandson, Michael Stevantoni, produce his 8th film, CIPHER, about to be screened at the local theatre on Sept.28. Yesterday, he was interviewed by a local radio announcer. Although he’s only 15, he talked about filmmaking being his passion. How it was ignited when my husband and I gave him a movie camera for Christmas four years ago. Before that, he’d played with his mother’s camera, but now that he had one of his own, there was no stopping him. He says he wants to do it for the rest of his life. How wonderful to know what you want and to work towards excellence in that pursuit.
My passion for words was ignited by my father, who walked around the house quoting poems by Tennyson, Keats and Byron. He loved words and so do I. Passion is that precious commodity that seeps into your soul and energizes your entire being.
What is your passion? How did it find you?
As my favorite philosopher once put it, “Passion rebuilds the world for the youth. It makes all things alive and significant” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). Diana, your idea of passion is very similar to my own. Keep up the good writing!