On Writing as a Way of Life

Some people get up in the morning and make their way to the kitchen in order to fix themselves breakfast. Some turn on that fitness workout tape and sweat to the oldies, or jump on a virtual trampoline with the game of their choice. Others, may actually still leave their abode and go running, or to the gym, in order to exercise. A writer on the other hand, may in fact not do any of these before sitting down at their prospective writing apparatus (some even still use a pen & paper) to pour out all the churnings that a night of dreaming has produced. A writer gets up in the morning and writes.

One who lives a life of writing does so in a manner much like an addict who is constantly craving their next fix, for they are constantly manifesting ideas in their head as to what the next piece may be. The fix for a writer is attained when they are able to sit down and transcribe these ideas into documented wordage. In doing so, a writer breathes with every letter which they pen to the page. In considering a writer’s first waking moments in a day, one can best imagine an ill patient hooked to some kind of life support machine. The machine which the writer is attached to is the creative process, which above all, gives them life. To unplug the machine, that is, to cease the process, would result in the obvious creative death of the individual, and one might argue, ultimately, the actual physical death of the once-writer as well.

If one loves what they do and they spend many hours a day working on perfecting the art of what they love to do, then there is really nothing that can stand in their way of becoming better at their first love, excelling in that very arena. The writer is no different in this respect. With each piece that is produced, the writer, though modest in nature (as the true pleasure of an artist comes in the making of the work itself, and not through any recognition which might follow), is satisfied and proud concerning what they have accomplished in a day’s work. They may see the pieces in question as part of a longer masterpiece, or simply as unconnected creative events. Either way, in such a positive course of self-analysis, the act of writing itself, unlike an unhealthy addiction, actually works as a self-esteem enhancer. It gives an individual purpose, and in posting or publishing one’s work so that the reading public can receive it, a communicative balance can be had between the writer and the reader, whereby the both of them can engage in a healthy exchange of words and ideas. What can arise from this healthy exchange is a realm of endless possibilities, ranging from future co-authorship endeavors to mutual help in further publication.

A writer who works on their craft as a way of life, or a process of existence, walks with words, sentences, metaphors and similes constantly flowing within them. They will often get great ideas at what may be the worst times, be it while they are working their day job (or night job respectively), driving, or engaging in intimacy. But for the writer, all rivers lead to the work. There is no taboo subject and no manner or style which may not be utilized in the undertaking. And when that pen hits the paper, when the fingers begin to hit the keys, time ceases to bear the meaning which it had once held, prior to the process of writing.