Thanks, Arthur - sorry I missed seeing your response until now - I have to learn to go by the replies tab instead of just checking the replies in the actual post.

What you wrote is very profound - I often think about this. I'm occasionally bemused by people who say that someday they'll write a book about their experiences - Not that they won't try, but they underestimate what is entailed.

Someone can lead a movie script lifestyle but that doesn't mean they will be able to articulate their experience. They can, of course, hire a ghost writer but the result will simply be a grammatical rendering of their recollections. A writer does more than simply tell a story - he shows the reader - he does that in a myriad of ways drawing not just upon a facility with language but with artistry that arises from his calling and unique giftedness.

You don't 'choose' to one day write a book - you have to be called to be an artist - you can't dip into the general mire of the human condition and get a slice of life - you have to get your own pain to find your own voice - before you can be a writer, you have to become someone first - I'm sure you know those dark nights of the soul - the isolation and pain. The one redeeming factor is that despite the anguish and grief there is the joy of being able to voice these feelings, and in a way that makes it all worth it - worth the sweat and the struggle.

Thanks, my friend, for your insight.