The Writing Diaries: What Writing is All About

Writing is an art, and like any other art, it requires time and devotion. In order to understand the purpose of creative writing, (such as novels, poetry, and short stories) we must think of the purpose of more “familiar” art–such as painting or music.

The Feels

With art, the purpose is to make the audience feel. This is the exact same thing with creative writing. The best books are always the ones that made you laugh out loud or cry (or both). They are the ones that made your heart swell and break–taking you back in time.

The Truth (However Ugly It May Be)

However, there is more to writing than just evoking feelings. Writers are a special breed of artist because what we do is convey the truth. I know for a fact that when I am writing from deep within my heart, I cannot lie. Something about the way my pen flows or my fingers strike the keyboard causes my soul to just pour out.

To be a good writer, one must be a good observer. This includes observing the world around us and even ourselves. Sometimes I find that I don’t even know myself that well until I put on some music and just start free flowing some poetry.

Raising Awareness 

It is astounding how unaware we are about our feelings, desires, faults, and strengths. I believe that all artists are naturally pretty self-aware, and even more so if you’re an introvert. However, I am often surprised at some of the inner feelings that surface as I write.

The scary part about writing this first novel is that I find myself afraid of publishing the truth. I don’t believe for one second that I am the only one who is facing this. It’s not that I am the main character or that the plot is my life story or anything, but I find some surprising truths about me and the people in my life in unexpected ways.

Even though hardly anyone really knows what my book is about or the characters that are in it, I am always asked by people who are close to me, “which character am I? Or, “am I in there?”

To be honest, probably–they might even be more than one character! Each person my imagination creates is a woven piece of art of the different people I encounter daily–including myself. 

The same goes for the plot line. It is a tapestry of the things I have seen, experienced, or find fascinating in the world.

Expression and Discovery

So this is it. This is what writing is all about. It isn’t about money, fame, popularity, or trying to get your series made into some movie franchise (although that may be kind of cool). It’s about expressing yourself–while at the same time discovering  more about yourself and the world around you. 

Thanks for reading! Have any thoughts on this? Please comment below 🙂

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