Why I write

[anecdata]

For a long time I have thought that writing is all about the finished product. Something that prepare for. I think most of my experiences with writing has been for someone else. This might be a common occurrence. We are told to write as a way of proving our competence. We are told to write to convey our understanding of a text or an argument. In fact, this was the same all the way up into my graduate studies. We are not compelled to write interesting or creative works (obvious exception being creative writing). Even with creative writings, we are not truly trying to capture the eyes of readers. In fact, we’re never really pushed to write things that grasp the attention of readers. No stylistic pauses. Breaks. Or varying sentences to spice your writing. Not at all. For the most part, we’re locked into writing in boring conventions because it makes the teacher’s life easier. We’re only taught to write to captive audiences. These teachers aren’t reading your writing because it’s good. I’d wager to say that my 8th grade teacher would have never read my paper on lord of the flies on her own, even though by her standards it was deserving of an A+. What I mean by that is, even an A+ paper is only that because you’re feeding it to a captive audience that has no choice but to read it. And for a long time, that is the only type of writing that I did. It was tiring. It was a chore; not enjoyable.

As an adult, no longer circumscribed by school rules, I felt free to write what I wanted to. Yet, without the captive audience that I’d always unwittingly enjoyed, I lacked the confidence to write to an audience that may or may not exist. Nothing could be larger than the shame of having written something, exposing it to the world at large, and not having it read. Or so I felt.

But as I have written (although unpublished) I have noticed that writing is not just a means of expressing thoughts but it is also a means of developing thoughts. It is a way of thinking. However, unlike our thoughts, which make arbitrary and abstract connections on a whim, the written thoughts and connections must be discrete. This limitation forces one to think in clearer terms about these connections that have so easily been made in the mind-space.

Comments

[anecdata]

Exactly, I always found outlining counterproductive. If I'm already at the state where things are that figured out, I may as well write the dang thing. When I was in HS/College and they required outlines, I'd write the paper first and then write the outline.

Thanks for the comment! I'm new to DW, so I'm still finding my bearings here.