Sometimes I just need words. Often the words I need are informational. I need to know what things are scheduled and how they will all work. Other times I need words that are motivational. They help me to get myself moving and make myself better. Sometimes I need kind words to soothe my spirt and make me feel better. I need words of fiction to take me new places and show me new thoughts. There are even times when I need hard words that scold me and show me where I’ve gone wrong so that I can do things differently another time. Sometimes the words I need come with music. Sometimes they come in print. But the need-for-words that makes me a writer is the need for my own words. I need words to take my thoughts and give them shape. Thoughts are so slippery that they’ll be gone if I don’t pin them down. Given shape, thoughts can be useful. I need my words to express the themes inside my head. Few things give me greater joy than finding exactly the right words to wrap around my meanings.