"Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best."
- Henry Van Dyke

Have you ever hesitated or avoided using a talent you had because you feared you weren't "good enough" - that others had more talent than you in this area?

Reality shows like "So You Think You Can Dance" and "America's Got Talent" often make fun of those who think they have more talent than they do, but what is the message here? Than only superstars should sing or dance, only Mozarts should compose, only Shakespeares should write?

When we laugh at people who aim higher than their reach, are we mocking, maybe even killing, our own creativity?

Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.
George Washington

There is a set of religious, or rather moral, writings which teach that virtue is the certain road to happiness, and vice to misery in this world. A very wholesome and comfortable doctrine, and to which we have but one objection, namely, that it is not true.
Francois Fenelon

Which of the above quotes do you agree with? Why? Can you think of an experience in your past that led you to think this way?

For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Reflection:
What is the difference between happiness and joy? Which would you rather have if you had to choose?


Memoir Prompt:
Think of a time when you knew you were happy. Think of a time when you experienced sudden, piercing joy. Describe them in detail.

"I shall live badly if I do not write, and I shall write badly if I do not live."
- Francoise Sagan

Action and reflection, the need to experience and the need to consider - however you put it, these two work best in tandem, each one giving greater depth and meaning to the other.

How has writing made you live better? Has it made you more aware of your emotions and experiences, better able to see them in the larger picture of your life and the world around you?

How have your experiences of life made you a better writer? Is there one experience in particular that has changed or informed you as a writer?

For both of these, I would have to look at my car accident and subsequent PTSD. Being a writer helped me through that experience, helped me to give it some meaning. Experiencing it made me a better writer, with a deeper understanding of people/characters in crisis and a commitment to writing about topics that would be meaningful to readers. Writing a memoir undoubtedly framed that experience, giving it purpose and a conclusion, albeit after the fact. It  also caused a huge change for me as a writer, in genre and writing style. Change is growth.

Writing, or reflecting, helps us to live better - to learn and benefit from our experiences. But without those experiences, without living fully in the moment, our writing is dry and dull and without passion or life.

So why, as writers, do we  feel so guilty when we're out there living instead of writing? Why do we also feel guilty when we tell friends or family that we can't do something because we need time to write? I'd like to say it's all about balance, but darnitall, there is no balance - there's just this crazy, surprising and messy thing called life.

Yes, I know, September is a long way off. I've got some great ideas to make this year's challenge a little different but just as much fun as last year's. In the meantime, I'm going to post a weekly prompt here every Friday to get your (and my) blogging juices flowing!
Here's the first one:

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…’. — Isaac Asimov

Can you remember a time in your past when you said "That's funny..." ?