Inspirational Author: Dave Eggers

I'll confess that one of my guilty pleasure is getting a pedi. I have happy feet today. I just had to say this because finally, in the stack of magazines to choose from at the salon, there sat quietly.... Ode Magazine, a non-tabloid magazine that doesn't portray women and young girls in a superficial manner nor are they in the business of scandalizing celebs... hallelujah sing the praises to Ode and for the nail salon for having digestible intelligent reading!

I usually stare into space and empty my mind but this time I enjoyed an inspirational article by Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. The article talked about his beliefs on youths expressing themselves through storytelling, which can make all the difference in the world.

It made a difference for me as a young girl. I was shy, very shy in school but when it came time to story time or reading out loud, my hand was one of the first to go up. I felt heard. I felt brave so it gave me a sense of confidence. It felt like magic that I could just make stuff up. That magic I called then is our imagination and creativity, something we all have that needs regular exercising and toning just like a skill we're polishing.

Here's an excerpt from the article....

"If you can learn how to write well, you can start expressing yourself," Eggers says. "You’ll be able to bring order to a chaotic world that seems beyond your control. You’ll have power when you’re able to explain clearly what you need, what your dreams are, how you can overcome the problems in your community. If you can write extremely well, many doors will be opened so you can succeed in school, in life."

Read the full article by Marco Visscher on Ode's website.