As women, I think that the most powerful thing we have is our voice. All my life I struggled to vocalize my feelings and needs. Things just seemed to come more easily through writing.
Writing has been a source of empowerment for me every day. Whether it be personal or public, writing has become the best way for me to speak my mind and relate to the world around me.
When I was younger, I diligently wrote in my cat covered journals (in really bad cursive) every night before I went to bed. It was my way of grounding myself, checking in with myself that day. There is something very cathartic about putting words on a piece of paper. Now that I’ve gotten older, I still journal (although not as much as I should), but I also blog and write for a few publications where I can reach a wider audience with my voice.
Women’s voices have often been stifled in history, even some authors such as the great Louisa May Alcott (or A.M. Barnard) going as far as using male pseudonyms in order to be accepted for publication in the genres they were writing in. In contrast, today, authors like Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist) are becoming wildly popular because they are speaking (or writing) their mind.
Women should never underestimate the power their voice possesses and use it with the knowledge of that power. While I’m not sure I will be writing any award-winning novels anytime soon, I will continue to write because I love it. I love playing with words and their meanings. I love feeling like I have reached a new level of understanding with myself and others through writing and reading.
I think that any outlet a woman can use to freely express herself is a source of empowerment.
For me writing is the greatest outlet I have which empowers me to speak up, put my heart on the line and learn more about myself every day.