Pick Up Your Pen And Write. Your Voice Matters.

I was supposed to post our monthly YA book pick today, but in light of everything that's happened it doesn't feel right.

Some of you woke up this morning with broken hearts. Some of you woke up feeling optimistic. I am not going to tell you how you should feel or whether or not you are right or wrong. But I am going to tell you that I believe your voice matters.

If there is nothing that last night taught us, it should be that words have impact. They have the power to hurt and divide. They have the power to motivate people into action. They have the power to sway, the power to change and the power to break. And hopefully in the coming months, they have the power to heal.

You are a writer. You have a gift. It's time to pick up your pen and write.

Write what you are feeling, even if it's only for you to read. The simple act of putting your words down can give you reprieve.

Write a story with an ending that makes you happy, because as writers we have the power to see our dreams come true, even if only on the page.

Write something that has the power to transport someone to a new place, because sometimes we all need a way to escape.

Write what you are hopeful for, even if today you aren't sure what that is.

Write a new beginning. Write a new ending. Write something true. Write something made up. But whatever you do, don't stop writing.

Because you cannot motivate change if you you remain silent.

Because your voice matters.