My friend, Lori, posted this quote on my Facebook page last week:

“We write to taste life twice.” ~Anais Nin, author

I think she posted the quote for two reasons:

1. I love quotes. Love, love, love them.
2. I am a writer who often wrestles with the why of writing. You know what I mean: Why do we willingly do all of this? The writing. The rewriting. The deadlines.

I think my friend read that quote and thought, “Beth will ‘get’ this.”

And I did.

But I did more than read the quote and think, “Good one.” I pondered the quote for a day or two … until it became this blog post.

I agree with Anais Nin that writing is a way to taste life again — to reexamine our experiences. And initially, this sounds like an opportunity to sift through all things pleasant. As I writer of contemporary romance, I can “taste twice” all those happy, fulfilling moments of my life. As I scan through my memories filled with laughter and hope, I write scenes where my characters fall in love. Or conquer obstacles. Come to know themselves better. Gain recognition — or reconciliation.

Ah, so many fulfilling life moments to relive as I write my stories and weave real life experiences — emotion — into my fiction.

But what of those other moments in my life? The struggles? The heartaches? The disappointments? The losses? There can be no true second tasting of life without those.

What is the value of “tasting life twice” if it means experiencing again those painful moments that broke my heart — or shattered a dream or strained a relationship?

As a writer, I have to choose to be brave enough to go back into my past. I choose to ask God to redeem my life — all of it — through the words I write. Only then can I also see the lessons he has taught me through the tear-soaked times. Only then can I see how I’ve changed and who I’ve become. Only then can I see more clearly who God is — instead of limiting him to who I thought he was.

How does this practically apply to us as writers?

We are tasting life twice when we write — the sweet, savory moments flavored by success and contentment, as well as the salty, bitter moments soaked in tears and regrets and loss. We write about all of it — and we risk lacing our words with real emotion — from our hearts — so that we connect with our readers’ hearts.