A pen is my weapon of choice to take into whatever battle I feel compelled to write about at any time. This pen can create problems it will never be able to erase, but can only  write until there is a resolution. The pen is more powerful than any firearm or blade if used properly. Words can be the sole determining factor in how people perceive one another; use them eloquently regardless of intellect, and people assume genius. Use words sophomorically, and people assume asininity.

The reason it is the pen that is so powerful and not just words alone is because words can be spoken. Once a word is spoken it cannot be retracted, but when words are written they can be revised and perfected.

Writing is a craft, an art. Anyone can do it, but to do it well is laborious and time-consuming. Being a good writer doesn’t mean that other people enjoy reading your work, but it is enjoying the activity and believing that what you are writing is good and has meaning.

I’m not going to pretend that I’m a great writer. I have a thesaurus to help me find words that roll off the tongue better than the simpler ways of describing things. Robin Williams’ character in The Dead Poet’s Society had a quote that has always stuck with me through every essay I’ve ever written, every poem, every sentence.

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