A fellow prisoner asked me why I write so much. I told him that by writing, I feel connected with society. My conversation may be one-sided—taking place only with my pen and paper—but since I know that others read my work, I create the illusion for myself that I’m a part of society.
“But how do you know what to write?” the prisoner persisted with his questions.
Truthfully, I don’t always know what to write. Sometimes I get ideas from others, and that opens opportunities to collaborate on writing projects and ideas. Collaborating with others helps me improve my writing.
For example, about this time last year I began writing Earning Freedom, a manuscript about my journey through more than two decades in prison. After finishing a draft of the first chapter, I gave it to my friend Justin Paperny to read. Whereas I educated myself from prison, Justin graduated from USC. He has strong writing and communication skills, and I knew that by collaborating with him, not only could I improve my writing, I could also tell the story better.
Justin read my work, then he helped me immensely by offering suggestions on how I could expand it. If it wasn’t for Justin’s feedback and collaboration, the manuscript wouldn’t have evolved into such a personal story. After Justin left Taft Camp, I found a few others with whom I could collaborate, and as a result of their collective feedback the manuscript is much stronger. I hope that a publisher will bring Earning Freedom to market after my release.
When the curious prisoner asked if I would help him develop his own writing skills, I agreed enthusiastically. He asked what I thought he should write about. To begin, I suggested he write a plan that would describe the various ways he could use his time in prison to prepare for a better life upon release. I look forward to reviewing his work, and I look forward to collaborating with him on ideas that might help him emerge from prison stronger.
I’m grateful for the help I’ve received from so many collaborators. My writing projects continue to advance through this year. After my early morning writing session today I exercised (10 miles on the track and 800 pushups), then wrote a long love letter to my wife—who is my chief collaborator.
[consecutive running log: 4,006 miles in 452 days]
[pushups in 2010: 23,800]
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
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