I never thought I’d get out of bed at 2AM to start writing down my inner thoughts and emotions, yet here I am.
I think I’m in love with writing.
Literally just putting my fingers on the keys and typing is satisfying beyond measure. The gentle click from each shallow press creating a melody, one that can only arise when you’re getting into a writing groove, zipping along, forming flowing sentences. It’s exhilarating, even.
Writing has quickly allowed me to look within and bring to the surface thoughts and emotions I did not expect to be there. In a way, it allows me to remove a certain kind of mental block that I barely knew was there, but has become all too apparent in its absence.
You don’t know what you had ’til it’s gone.
Start a journal. Do it today.
I find myself constantly thinking about writing – how can I turn this into an article? Are these sources accurate? Would I be able to make this point better or more concisely? What 7 simple tricks can make your guy squirm?
It’s serendipitous in a way. Many years ago, I came across a vintage typewriter at Value Village – for $8, I couldn’t resist buying it. I played around with it for a while, clacking away with exaggerated effort and dry ink, punching meaningless words and characters just for the fun of it:
monospaced slab serif typeface
The aesthetic was awesome, but the functionality and practicality left much to be desired. Although portable, it carried a hefty weight – I also had a distinct lack of movie scripts to write. And so, it sat unused for quite some time.
I came across it last week while cleaning up my things and sorting through my life. I sold it (for $60 – take that, inflation!), but not before marvelling at just how far we’ve come since the age of the typewriter. The device I’m typing this on now is slimmer than a traditional keyboard, and packed with features that would make Johannes Gutenberg’s head spin.
Like porn.
And the ability to order pizza, and track it, from first knead to feast.
And yet, in some ways, things haven’t changed that much at all. Writers still write. Their fundamental skill of stitching and weaving together stories from ideas is medium-independent. From pen-and-paper to typewriter or touchscreen, words are still the stars of the literary show.
We may get our news and entertainment from different avenues these days, but language, and the ability to effectively communicate using it, are skills that are timeless as ever.
I hope to be able to earn the title of writer. It sure helps not having to lug a 30-pound behemoth around.
If this isn’t love, I don’t know what is.
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