Writing has been an art for centuries, and there's a good reason for that. Isn't mastering communication, story-telling and audience captivation a talent not everyone has, and therefore worth acknowledging ? However, nowadays it does seem like writing is seen as quite unfashionable. But if some people still do it as a hobby, then it must not be that insignificant. There has to be some sort of good that comes from writing.
So I decided I'd write about my experience with the art of dominating words and what writing brings me, maybe because I'm narcissistic or just maybe because I secretly wish everyone had a passion for writing, for expressing themselves through an art that is attainable only with work and reflection.
When I was 10, I saw a notebook with two puppies on the cover, needless to say I fell in love with it instantly. I had never owned such a grown up possession, and felt quite important. It made me realise that if I wanted to honor this notebook, I'd have to write something interesting, something worth keeping. This is how I decided I'd start a diary, the first one of many. There's a chance that I considered my life as of high importance in this infinite Earth. So I started writing, very irregularly, but I still did it. Kept my word. It took a few years, but eventually there was no sheet left for me to blacken with ink. And that, is what I consider as my first achievement. Writing, on my own, with my little arms and shaky handwriting, not until I couldn't think of anything, but until I had no space left.
From there, grew my love of words. Aren't they beautiful ? From the shape of the letters to their arrangement just like music, it was something I considered supreme, that teachers and clever people knew how to use. Eventually, I also ended up realising that it felt incredible to be able to concentrate on a white rectangular surface, and lay down my troubles, loves, and fights with my best friends. It was maybe better than a therapy, except I was not mature enough to realise it. All I knew was that I liked writing, and it felt good.
Along the way to my adolescence, I ended up writing only when I felt the need to tell someone how I was. To me, my diary was better than a friend, since it would never betray me, it was better than my family, since it would not judge me, it was better than anyone, because it listened without stopping me. It let me put it all out there, until I had no more ink in my pen or strength in my hand.
Writing, in general, was my answer to difficult situations. An answer. These are rare in our society. Hence came the fact that I decided to protect my answer, the only tangible one I had to every challenge encountered. This is how writing became a part of me, it did not matter if I kept it hidden.
Moreover not only did this teach me that writing was good to heal the wounds of the soul, but without knowing it, I was preparing myself for the future. Writing allowed me to expand my vocabulary, to learn how to use words the correct way, to leave an impact on the teachers' mind. It helped me get the good grades I have today and what's so extraordinary is that I only have myself to thank, and that's a big change from what I'm used to.
So, why write? Write because it feels good, write because it allows you to see yourself from the outside. When you read something you wrote, you sometimes forget that you're the origin, author, creator of what was nothing. You understand yourself. Write because it's good for you. It's good for your soul yes, but for your memory and for your abilities to persuade in the future too. Write because it's the simplest form of art, and yet, it is so complex. Write because you can.
Some people have never learnt to read or write, they have never had an education and since you have, take advantage of that. Write to honor those who wish they could, write for yourself.
Writing can never be a waste of time. It will help you develop your very own perspective on life. It helps you see clearer in this giant mess of a planet with multiple systems failing one after the other.
It's the answer. So try it.
