{"id":56,"date":"2013-08-14T10:54:00","date_gmt":"2013-08-14T14:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/?p=56"},"modified":"2013-08-28T09:44:01","modified_gmt":"2013-08-28T13:44:01","slug":"what-does-good-writing-do-for-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/what-does-good-writing-do-for-us\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Good Writing do for Us?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0What does GOOD WRITING do for us?<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n
<\/div>\n

I think the most important thing a piece of writing can do is move the reader into another place in their own mind. \u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/div>\n
A visually impaired writer friend \u00a0did this for me today. \u00a0I read his latest essay. He wrote an article on “driving” for his blog. My mind moved through his words, and into my own place and time. Isn’t that what GOOD WRITING should do for us?\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n
<\/div>\n

His words made me think <\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

of my own loss of driving.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I have to say,\u00a0driving is the \u00a0thing I miss very much.\u00a0 Driving is\u00a0a physical \u00a0act, in itself. I miss the physicality of operating my hot little Z-car and the feeling of freedom I experienced. I drove wherever I wanted to go.\u00a0 Driving enabled me to get myself to airports so I could take off for trips to Europe every summer. I felt freedom when I arrived there by myself – I loved driving to the airport, leaving my car in the long-term parking lot, and getting on board for a long flight.\u00a0 <\/span><\/h6>\n
<\/h6>\n
Some days, I just took the top out of my car, and drove for a few hours, just to feel the breeze in my hair, the music surrounded me, and I was one with the road beneath us.\u00a0 Driving is a dance in time and space; it is pure enchantment.<\/span><\/h6>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The driving I miss most of all is the dance I\u00a0enjoyed \u00a0every time I\u00a0rode \u00a0my motorcycle.\u00a0 At time we screamed down the highway surrounded by traffic.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Summer days, we maneuvered on the rough and winding rural roads with other friends on bikes.\u00a0 I met the challenges of the switchbacks. I drove into\u00a0sharp hairpin curves and down into the western Pennsylvania gorges; we climbed together \u00a0up the steep thrusting curved roads.\u00a0\u00a0My eyes focused ahead for the upcoming curves and watched for oncoming traffic. The concentration\u00a0required to do the rain slicked mountain roads made my\u00a0hands sweat with pleasure inside the fingerless leather driving gloves. Each new turn captured my full attention. I was in the moment and time seemed to stand still.<\/span><\/h5>\n
<\/div>\n

\u00a0My bike \u00a0is the “Blue Dragon.”\u00a0<\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
She sets these days in my garage, covered up, and alone. My husband takes her out just to exercise her parts, but just for short rides around town. My Blue Dragon has the most fantastic paintings all over her that anyone could dream up. Wherever we went together, people would stop what they were doing to come and have a look, and smile.\u00a0 <\/span><\/h5>\n
<\/h5>\n
When a person rides a bike that they love, it’s a feeling of personal freedom. One afternoon, I rode\u00a0the “Blue Dragon” \u00a0through Amish country.\u00a0 I was alone, dressed in black leathers.\u00a0I \u00a0passed the little country school house\u00a0at a time when \u00a0the children were outside playing.\u00a0 It was a sunny day in the autumn, and the entire landscape was ablaze with vivid colors. The teacher watched me passing by the school yard. Then, the unexpected happened as she raised her arm to give me a wave. I can still see her broad smile, in my memory. I raised my arm to her in response, and we smiled at each other briefly as I passed by.\u00a0 It was a special moment, when two sisters recognized each other. For that moment, we were one with the universe.<\/span><\/h5>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Just for fun, at night, I\u00a0often did \u00a0something surprising when I\u00a0 sat at a red light in traffic. \u00a0I\u00a0 threw a switch and the Blue Dragon\u00a0suddenly \u00a0lit up the road beneath us with the bright green neon lights.\u00a0\u00a0The switch was\u00a0located just \u00a0underneath my seat. The brilliant lights were\u00a0 a surprise, and children shouted with happiness, laughed and pointed to me.\u00a0 They waved to me, as their parents laughed and nodded with approval at my little light show on the pavement. The traffic light changed \u00a0and Blue Dragon’s neon lights were switched off.\u00a0 I clutched the bike and kicked her into first gear; we drove into the darkness. <\/span><\/h5>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Occasionally,\u00a0 I still walk out to the garage and put my right leg up over her seat and place my two feet firmly on the concrete floor. I shift her weight with my hands on her handlebars and I give a\u00a0quick upwards tug\u00a0to balance her on two wheels. She feels weightless. <\/span><\/h5>\n
The long black leather solo seat holds my body erect and provides just the right amount of tension for the weight to be balanced. I sit there, and I hold onto the handlebars with my arms extended. I pull her clutch in towards the palm of my left hand.\u00a0\u00a0With the toe of my left foot, I\u00a0thrust it \u00a0upwards, kick her into gear.\u00a0 For a moment, we are about to leave for a drive once again. Only for a moment. <\/span><\/h5>\n
<\/div>\n
What do I miss the most about being visually impaired?<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0I miss my time on the dance floor <\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

with my Blue Dragon!<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0What does GOOD WRITING do for us? I think the most important thing a piece of writing can do is move the reader into another place in their own mind. \u00a0 A visually impaired writer friend \u00a0did this for me …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trusting-god"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4gbwn-U","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":638,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/journal-assignment-3-paint-a-landscape\/","url_meta":{"origin":56,"position":0},"title":"Journal Assignment #3: Paint a Landscape","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"January 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Photos by Lynda McKinney Lambert \u00a0 Winter Trees bY WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS All the complicated details of the attiring and the disattiring are completed! A liquid moon moves gently among the long branches. Thus having prepared their buds against a sure winter the wise trees stand sleeping in the cold.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"GE DIGITAL CAMERA","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/2013_March_Snowstorm-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4256,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/paint-a-winter-landscape\/","url_meta":{"origin":56,"position":1},"title":"Writing by Inner Vision Journal: Assignment #3","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"January 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Pennsylvania author and artist, Lynda McKinney Lambert give the next assignment in her series: Writing by Inner Vision, a Personal Journal. Assignment #3 - presents 2 winter poems and directions for creating your own winter poem in your personal journal.... ...We listen for the next winter\u2019s snowfall We wait for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Photo_LLambert_RedBarberrySnow_.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Photo_LLambert_RedBarberrySnow_.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Photo_LLambert_RedBarberrySnow_.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Photo_LLambert_RedBarberrySnow_.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Photo_LLambert_RedBarberrySnow_.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3543,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wyoming\/","url_meta":{"origin":56,"position":2},"title":"October Fest – #4 –","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"October 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Pennsylvania Author, Lynda McKinney Lambert, shares a poem she wrote in 1991 as she traveled by car with her husband, Bob, across the United States from western PA to California. this poem was written from her journal entries on that trip - as they crossed the state of Wyoming.","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lynda with tray of Birthday Cupcakes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/18_Lynda-57tha-3.jpg?fit=795%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/18_Lynda-57tha-3.jpg?fit=795%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/18_Lynda-57tha-3.jpg?fit=795%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/18_Lynda-57tha-3.jpg?fit=795%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6939,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/money-manaagement-shopping\/","url_meta":{"origin":56,"position":3},"title":"TMI_Tuesday – This & That","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"July 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Money management helps us to be generous and support charitable organizations. Good fiscal planning helps us learn how to budget and save and learn how to manage finances. A person who cannot control and manage $10. will be unable to manage larger amounts in the future. This is a skill\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/This-and-That-300x230.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":437,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/shelter-from-the-wind\/","url_meta":{"origin":56,"position":4},"title":"Shelter From the Wind","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"October 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Seasons change slowly in the Nevada mountains, leaving behind memories like frail tumbleweed. Dreams pass as fragments in a winter-wind, and tumbleweed blowing in the valley","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Poem_Photo_NevadaCasino","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Poem_Photo_NevadaCasino.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2909,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/write-a-bio\/","url_meta":{"origin":56,"position":5},"title":"Create Your New Bio","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"January 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"y Recommendation: Create 2 bios! Many editors want a bio that is 100 words or less. Unless an editor wants a purely academic bio, I really limit my bio to the little nuances in life that turn me on. Be creative. Give your bio a human touch. 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