Writing

I often say that I live in my head but in essence, it is the writer in me who does. She finds the tools for her writing in my mind and she creates scenarios and defines characters therein. As she writes fictional stories, she creates a fictional world with buildings and roads and all other mental images that help make her stories wholesome. She then puts down the ideas she has developed and in her own small way, she promotes the art of writing.

I think of writing as a form of art that is as virtual or abstract as the ideas behind it. A piece of writing most definitely begins in the mind and it often finds completion in the development of abstract ideas. In this regard, I believe that a better writer is defined by their ability to express their ideas well enough to get and maintain the attention of readers. I also think that how great a piece of writing turns out largely depends on the writer’s state of mind. It is not uncommon to find people opine differently about who a good writer is but I think ranking good writers can be very subjective. A writer may be known to write beautiful pieces sometimes while other times their words feel like they want to throw up.

I have always believed that most people can write by virtue of the fact that they took language and writing classes in school but finding reason to write after school sets a few apart. Finding time to write in the midst of tight schedules at work or school just because one enjoys it defines another class of writers. I am a member of a writing cub that consists mainly of poets and once in a while we pick an idea to write about and it is impressive to see how differently writers can develop it. I especially hold poets, prose writers and song writers in high esteem because they have ingrained in them a special ability to give meaning to words. They make ideas be more than just thought processes. With features of style like repetition and rhyme, writers make words or ideas memorable and interesting to listen to.

I am not anywhere close to being a great writer but I just want a piece of writing that helps me form mental images. I want a writer to describe a building enough for me to see it in my head and to know where to turn if I’m needed to turn left. I want to know if the floor is wooden or tiled and the colour palette in question. I am able to appreciate more a piece of writing that appeals to my senses as a reader. A description of a meal should be so vivid that I almost feel the food in my mouth. Describing noise that is loud or screeching should be so intense that I am prompted to cover my ears. Really, I just need an article that helps me appreciate writing as a form of art.