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Are Your Words Like A Tornado?

February 18th, 2008 Posted in Writing tips

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Tree damaged in Feb. 17th tornado

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, around 1:30 a.m., a tornado ripped through our tiny community. I was awake, praying, and nervously preparing to wake the kids and move them into the hallway when all the noise suddenly stopped. The eery silence of the storm having passed is a sound I don’t think I’ll ever get accustomed to.

Tornados are a rarity in Louisiana. But I lived in Tennessee for over 12 years, where tornado season was a yearly affair. I hate them. Here in Louisiana, the threat of hurricanes are the norm. And hurricanes are something that can be predicted, but tornados, as you know, cannot. They are a scary and fierce child of nature.

When the kids and I left for church yesterday morning, I saw the immediate damage here at home. Thankfully our house remained untouched, but one of the huge cypress trees in the front yard was destroyed. As I walked around the tree to take photos, I realized there was a piece of crumpled siding nestled in the middle of the damaged tree. This siding, as it turns out, was ripped off a trailer just up the road from us, and tossed to and fro throughout the neighborhood.

It’s amazing what a tornado can do. It can literally rip up an entire section of homes on one side of the street and leave the other side totally undamaged. It’s a powerful force of nature.

Do Your Words Hold A Fury?

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Tree damaged in Feb. 17th tornado

Our words are a powerful force. With words, we can build someone up or tear them down. As writers, we hold a great responsibility to those who read our words.

If we aren’t careful, we take out our frustrations with our words, hurting others in the process. Have you ever been so appalled at something that you turned to the page and wrote an essay about it? Or maybe you were mad about something and turned it into a blog post.

Our words hold a power unlike any other. Your emotions seep through the words you write. Those who read what you wrote will feel those emotions years from now in the words you penned. Your words are that powerful.

Harness And Direct That Written Energy

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Tree damaged in Feb. 17th tornado

As a writer, it is your duty to ensure your words are a positive force of nature. After all, why in the world would you want to write something that does nothing but destroy others?

Like a tornado, when your words are harmful and damaging, you leave a path of destruction. Bad feelings, anger, hurt, rejection, pain, sorrow, disappointment… These will all be littered along the path your writing takes when it is filled with negative, hurtful emotions. The challenge then lies in being able to harness and direct all that written energy so that it is focused in the best and most positive direction.

First, take a look at your writing to date. What sort of message or theme does it have woven through it? Everything you write has an underlying tone. If you’re angry at the time of writing, pessimism will emerge. If you’re excited, those emotions will shine through.

As you contemplate these things, think about what theme you want your current and future writings to hold. What do you want your readers to feel and think when they walk away after having read something you wrote?

An important point to remember is that you’ll always have your up and down days. But when you know what the theme of your writing should be, you’ll be much more able to get focused and centered within yourself, then direct your negative thoughts and feelings into an appropriate piece of writing that will help others, not hurt them.

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15 Responses to “Are Your Words Like A Tornado?”

  1. Are your words a positive force of nature? | Web Writing Info Says:

    [...] Are your words like a tornado? I Love Social BookmarkingSubscribeDiggdel.icio.usStumbleUpon Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]


  2. Courtney Says:

    Terrific blog post! It’s so easy to forget that emotion comes through with writing and that it’s important to prep yourself before you write, or your writing will be at best passionless and at worst destructive.

    Courtney’s last blog post..Are your words a positive force of nature?


  3. Hope Says:

    Precisely Courtney! Thanks! :)


  4. Kristen King Says:

    Oh my word, I’m relieved you are all okay! And I’m impressed with how you used the real-life experience of a tornado as inspiration for powerful writing. :)

    Kristen

    Kristen King’s last blog post..Guest Series on Private Label Rights (PLR) Articles, by Hope Wilbanks


  5. Hope Says:

    Thanks Kristen! I try to relate almost all life experience to writing in some way. I love it when you can just make it fit. :)


  6. Posts On Writing February 2008 Says:

    [...] Are Your Words Like A Tornado? (all about having energy in your writing) [...]


  7. ebele Says:

    I’m really glad you’re ok.

    take care…


  8. Hope Says:

    Thanks ebele! :)


  9. dina@wordfeeder.com Says:

    Hi Hope,

    Glad to know that you and your family are okay… this global warming business is making some crazy things happen. We once had a mini-tornado in NJ, years ago… thankfully, everyone made it through alive. But it was still very strange!

    I’ve enjoyed our discussion over on Kristen’s blog.

    Dina


  10. Hope Says:

    Thanks Dina! :)


  11. Jenn Dize Says:

    Wow! Hope, you are amazing. To turn such an experience into a positive/helpful thing takes a great person :)
    Jenn Dize’s last blog post..Ways to Use PLR


  12. Jenn Dize Says:

    Wow! I like the comment Luv plugin :) Now I’m going to post on here all day ;) Off to add it to my blog now…

    Jenn Dize’s last blog post..Ways to Use PLR


  13. Hope Wilbanks Says:

    Thanks Jenn! The Comment Luv plugin is cool, huh? :)
    Hope Wilbanks’s last blog post..The Cost of Procrastination for Freelance Writers


  14. redhead57 Says:

    This is my first visit, and I will be back. Even if writing when angry, hurt, or frustrated I make it into a lesson for myself and my readers.


  15. Hope Wilbanks Says:

    Welcome redhead57! I love taking “life” and turning it into a learning lesson. :) Come again soon!

    Hope Wilbanks’s last blog post..Is Writing Enough?


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