On Writing

this is an essay i wrote last year. on the morning of my first varsity soccer game, i present it to you, the reader, and, although i may be heavy handed, awkward and blunt in some places, i think it describes my feelings on writing very well. i hope you enjoy!

On writing and why I write

Forty minutes ago, I had a great essay planned in my mind as to why I write and the true nature of all writing. Right now, I have completely forgotten every single word of it. I sit here, hoping some muse will inspire me to write the beautiful flowing poetry I had constructed in my mind’s eye only a while ago. But for the time being, I have nothing.
I wanted to start off this essay with a quote: some well known figure telling the world that writing is a great challenge that takes years to succeed in and countless hours of dedication, but, to be honest, I can’t find anything of the sort. Instead, glancing through writing quotations, I find these, just to name a few: “Advice to writers: Sometimes you just have to stop writing. Even before you begin”; “Typos are very important to all written form. It gives the reader something to look for so they aren't distracted by the total lack of content in your writing”; “A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”; “Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards”. Exactly the kind of advice an up and coming writer like me would want to hear.
But really, now that I think about it, why do I write the things I do? What made me write for example, a story about Muslims waging war against Christian crusaders, or a poem about my experiences in the Deep South? The answer to this elusive question, I think, lies hidden, deep in the depths of my character and inner-self.
One of my goals in life is to leave an impression on the world. I’m still not sure yet if it will be a positive or negative impression, but I want to leave something that will make people in 200 or 300 years remember my name. Now, I know I may sound like a megalomaniac, but, to be frank, I don’t want to waste and throw away my one and only life like millions of people do each day. And are they remembered? Of course not. I am amazed at how whimsical and superfluous people think life is. They fritter their time away on useless pastimes, and only too late do they realize the fatal mistakes they’ve made. They desperately try to make some mark on the planet, usually with a colossal monument, but they fail to realize that buildings do not last forever. They too, like memories drift away, away, away, until they collapse and are completely forgotten for the rest of eternity. To put it in the words of Benjamin Franklin, “If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.”
The amazing thing about writing is that words are timeless: they can survive the blood of war, the sands of time, and the rise and fall of countless civilizations. In the words of Herman Hesse, “Without words, without writing and without books there would be no history, there could be no concept of humanity.” Because of this, if I write, maybe, just maybe my words and ideas may be transmitted across the vacuum of time to reach new peoples thousands of years later.
But this is all too hit-or-miss. If I write something that only I know about, what are the chances that it will survive those thousands of years, those rises and falls of civilizations and the blood of countless war? If I write something that thousands of people read, that touch and change the lives of millions, well then, what are my odds now? Significantly better.
Therefore, it is imperative that I write something of substance, something that can reach out to all different types of people and draw them in. Something that will cause a fundamental change in the way people live their lives. Something awe-inspiring. Something that will unite the people of the world under one powerful banner. But most importantly, something that discusses and provides brilliant insight into human nature.
This is what I strive for when I am writing a story: to provide an underlying theme that causes the story to work on two levels. The first level is what is directly stated on the paper: a plot with characters. It is very important to catch the casual reader with this level, but it should not be the driving force of the entire story. The second level is that of hidden meaning: symbols, themes, motifs, anything that causes the reader to gain an unprecedented view into the author’s motives for writing the story. And it is this level that is so difficult for even the most skilled writers to achieve. Yes, anyone can write a story, but can they write a story that has meaning beyond the literal words?
As I mentioned before, to the average person on the street, the most important aspect of a work of literature is the plot, or what happens in the story. I have seen many a reader throw down a book in disgust simply because they perceive that there are no interesting events occurring. If only they could see beyond the words on paper and read between the lines. But still, if one wants to write a successful story, then it must be something that will attract the public as a whole, draw them in with a pincer-like hold, and let them go only with they have finished the story. The Da Vinci Code is a perfect example of such a work. When I first started writing, I would continually write about the intricacy and natural beauty of the many diverse landscapes I have seen. I would describe each location down to the smallest detail, and I would be very satisfied with my work. But very few others were. ‘Brilliant writing’ they said, ‘but there is very little plot, no action. People need action.’ In some of my recent works and some I have yet to write, I have done just that: injected action throughout the story that interests the casual reader, but at the same time include the intricate details of the landscape that advanced readers will very much enjoy.
So the muse has inspired me! I have finally set down what I have been thinking about for the past few days. I have satisfied my urge to write and can rest easy knowing that my thoughts are on paper. Although the majority of people consider it a painful burden, I enjoy writing very much, although it is often a great challenge that takes days, if not weeks, to fulfill. I will leave the reader now with a concise quote from Vita Sackville-West, as to why I write and what my inspirations are: “It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by. How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment? For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop.”