When I first started writing, I was told that writers write because they must. The choice is not whether to write, but rather where and how.

I jumped into the deep end of the writing pool, publishing a hardbound book about survival which recounted life lessons gained though my recurrence of ovarian cancer. That book is a love story, a journey of incomprehensible loss and intense joy, a raw and touching and loving glimpse of a family's growth beyond the disease. It was written for other families experiencing the horror of cancer and has been widely endorsed. It is the kind of book we wished was on the shelf when we went looking for a roadmap out of the insanity of cancer.

Although I've journaled for years, writing for others is incredibly different. Yet, I yearn to write, obsessed with the challenge of engaging the reader while still speaking my mind. My desire with writing is to create meaningful dialogue with the reader so that the person ingesting my words will be given a new perspective and will think - for just a moment - a little deeper, a little longer, a little broader.

I've come to believe that every writer asks herself or himself: why do I do this? There are better paying jobs (if you're being paid at all), more enjoyable ways to spend late night hours, and much easier and quicker ways to be rejected. Perhaps it is because, as may writers claim, writing is an obsession, an addiction, a passion. For me, it is the outlet for that constant voice in my head, the relentless flow of thoughts that fuel my need to stay up too late rewriting and reworking a paragraph for the hundredth time, trying to get the perfect twist to the words.

And if you've ever thought of publishing, it is one of the most difficult, frustrating, insulting and demeaning efforts a writer must endure. To work so long and so hard, only to have your work rejected after a cursory review of a few pages by someone who probably has never written, is heartbreaking. (And that from someone who has been published!)

So we blog. We control our work. We have an unrestricted canvas on which to paint our story. We reach anyone with access to the Internet. And, we speak - with loud or soft voices, with unsolicited opinions, with our own ideas and experiences - right or wrong. We speak because we must write.

I blog for several sites now. Because of my medical history and my passion to help others cope with health issues, I write for www.EmpowHer.com, a site known as Strong Women Transforming Health. It's a fantastic source of information, inspiration and real life stories.

I also write, occasionally, for La Bloga at www.labloga.blogspot.com, which is a Latino culture site featuring arts, politics, family, societal issues and community news. La Bloga is repeatedly recognized for its outstanding contribution to the community and its insightful, meaningful writing.

My intention with this blog is that of a clearing house, directing readers to blogs I've posted and perhaps to house writing that has not yet found its home.

Mostly, it's here because I have to write.