The Power of Words

That old saying ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ has some truth to it. It may seem unlikely if you are ever unfortunate enough to be facing someone with a gun in their hands, but negotiators are able to talk people out of ending their lives and that of others on a regular basis. But what is it that enable them to do this, if not the words they use?

Words enable us to touch others so deeply and profoundly that their lives can be changed forever. A writer has the power to transport their reader away from their everyday lives into a new adventure. They enable them to forget their troubles even if it is for but a moment and transport them on a journey to other worlds. A good one can make you feel like you are really there, make you cry with the passing of characters you only met on the pages and laugh at their jokes like you are sitting next to them in a pub. Is it because a good writer can delve into our inner selves and find that one thing we can relate to? Using the subtlest pen strokes they captivate us, willing us to turn the next page like some magic spell.

Perhaps the secret is tapping into that silent yearning to belong, somewhere, anywhere that I believe we all feel deep down and our need to escape even for a moment from reality.

Oh to be able to write like that, that would be priceless.