Welcome to Musing Interruptus. Thank you for clicking, and thank you for listening. Writers get hired to do all sorts of interesting things. The first time I was hired to write, I was in high school. I wrote love letters. Needless to say, everything started out well, the objective was achieved, I hit that target, right between the eyes… but then something went wrong. Call it human error or human nature. The person who hired me let the cat out of the bag. Everything fell through after that. Including our friendship. Not a promising future as a hired-writer there. However, there are things you just can’t seem to shake. For me, writing has been one of them. I love writing letters. At my last job, that was one of my favorite activities. I called it: trashcan diplomacy. I would write letters expressing support for a candidate for some position in X or Y international forum. Those letters weren't signed by me, they counted as a vote of confidence, and the letters most likely were filed away or thrown out. That was part of the job. Anonymity in writing is not foreign to me. Ghostwriting can be fun. This week, a client asked me to write a love letter. It has given me a lot to think about.  Today, simplicity makes perfect and takes over with the love letter.
Expressing desire and love, two very different things, can be daunting, under even the best of circumstances. A leap into an abyss which generally if not always, is propelled by an expectation that this expression will be reciprocated, is no easy feat. The abyss can be dark. A fall into darkness is both exciting and liberating. Scary too. Ultimately, a must-have experience. There are so many ways to do it. Blurting it out, as if the feeling caught you off guard, in a moment of vulnerability, when you were thinking about something else, and this parallel feeling, racing to the moment of being liberated, beats out all the rest and stumbles out of your mouth. A nice surprise. You can also plan it, prepare the stage for what you hope will be magic. A little pomp and circumstance won’t hurt anyone, and it can make for a very nice memory. Then, there is the love letter. Timeless. Crafting it can be tricky. A few things to keep in mind: be honest, find the right words, stay away from derivative imagery and platitudes, and let your words slice through your fear, expectations, and insecurities straight to the heart of who you are, what you feel, and what you wish for and from the person receiving the letter.
A few words of caution, ego needs to be set aside when writing for someone else. Be prepared to have your work eviscerated. This doesn’t mean you aren’t appreciated, there is another, more delicate level of work that hangs in the balance. This is an exercise in expression and valor. The hired-writer becomes coach and sometimes a voice. Maybe legitimizing feelings, showing support and accompanying she or he who is pining. A veritable Cyrano de Bergerac.  Your words may be the vehicle or simply the mirror or echo. Two can seem like an army. We're talking about the stuff superheroes need to muster up to go up against their nemesis in sudden death. Do or die. Sink or swim. It is all or nothing. I know it comes easier for some- good for them. The rest need a little support, a little help from their friends. As you write, whether you are capturing someone else’s feelings, or you are writing for yourself, it will do you good to remember that the objective isn’t necessarily winning someone’s love. You either have that or don’t. Like Schrodinger's Cat. Continue Reading

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