depth of experience

"To be a powerful writer, you need depth of experience. Live life before you try to explain it to readers." Dennis Hensley

Depth of experience. Do I have that? I think I do. My life has been rich. Not in terms of money, that's for sure. But in terms of experience. I have loved and hated. I have been hurt and healed. I have nurtured and wounded. I have seen shadow and light, good and evil. I haven't traveled far (yet) but I've had a wealth of friends and some few enemies. I think all that qualifies as depth of experience. The question remaining is do I have the skill to describe and explain that to readers in a way that will move them, that will enrich them and impact them in some way. That is the question that every writer faces as they sit down to wield the pen, or keyboard as the case may be. Not just a question to be answered, but a goal to strive towards.

"Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so the that they will be guided by it's light.
Joseph Pulitzer