I penned these words in 2016 as I was pulling together my first book—a collection of my columns. Now that I write for two newspapers and have published several books, these words ring truer than ever.

Simply put, I live to write–whether it’s a newspaper column, a blog, or a book. My day is not complete unless I’ve spent at least a little time writing something fresh or editing words from another day.

Said another way, “Writing completes me.” I find that putting pen to paper–or fingers to keyboard–enables me to:

• Reflect more fully on what I’ve read or experienced
• Crystalize my thoughts
• Remember stories or experiences I might otherwise have forgotten
• See the humor, or as I like to say, the magic in life

Looking back, I realize how perfectly this description captures my writing and the joy it brings me. How funny I’d forgotten what I’d written and was subsequently struck by quotes from authors Curtis Sittenfeld and Flannery O’Connor where they said the same thing:

“Frequently the way I crystallize what I think—about a course of action or another person—is by writing.” Curtis Sittenfeld

“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” Flannery O’Connor

Now, I’ve started a new chapter in my writing life and have penned two cozy animal mysteries with a third in the works. Do I still live to write? Is there any doubt?

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