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Ever since I was a child, there was something magical about writing. The magic persisted as I devoured my childhood books, like the Oz books and the Happy Hollisters. I was enchanted by these people who could find just the right words to describe an emotion, a story, a character. Where did their words come from?
Eventually I decided to see if I could discover the words that would allow me to express a part of myself that was usually silent. That writing was only for me. I began with writing in a diary, and I still remember the brown, leather-like cover with a gold stencil, and of course, a lock and key that went with it. The key required some mastery on my part, whether I was trying to lock or unlock the diary. I finally got the hang of it, and was relieved that no one could spy on the depths of my soul.
But I must say that during the last ten years, the magic has possessed me. I’m amazed how my life experiences, my brain, my passions, my curiosity, all seem to provide an endless supply of words to type on the page. How does that really happen? Although some of it comes from my own creativity, I believe most of it is G-d inspired. By that statement, I don’t necessarily think that G-d gives me my ideas, but he encourages me, appreciates that I write on His behalf, and I pray for His guidance. I've delighted in sharing my thoughts with others, too.
If you are a person who dislikes writing, my heart goes out to you. I know there are some people who struggle with writing—whether it’s generating ideas to write about, how to organize ideas and even how to inspire others. But I
truly believe that you can experience the magic of writing if you allow it to enter your heart and soul.
Are there things I do that help me in my writing? I’ve learned a number of steps to follow:
- I don’t worry about a title at the beginning of a project; that can be added at any time and often “shows up” near the end.
- Don’t try to write it perfectly the first time through; if you keep getting stuck over finding “just the right word,” you’ll never finish.
- Make an outline, even if it’s a crude one. That’s actually the first draft of your writing: getting down some ideas, organizing them and selecting what you want to use.
- Edit and proofread what you’ve written several times. It’s easy to miss things (I still do), and if you let others read your mistakes in your post, they may come away with an impression that you are not as adept as you think you are, or that you don’t take your writing seriously.
- For some people, it helps to read what they've written aloud. You’ll find typos, awkward sentences, dangling modifiers and other slipups.
- I have learned to love researching. I often look at controversial issues from both sides, so that I’m as objective as I can be. That is, when I actually want to be objective. Which isn’t often. Oh, well . . .
There are lots of other things you can do with or for your writing. But I think the most important thing is to Just. Do. It. You can keep your posts short and sweet. You can tell a funny story. You can write about something that has touched your heart. You can explain why a certain Founder of the country inspires you.
Over time, I’ve found that writing has become easier. That may be a result of my writing more often, or my “maturing,” or maybe even some skill development.
Whatever the reasons may be, there is one thing I know for sure:
Writing is magic.
Discussion (28)
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Very thoughtful post. Thank you.
For a couple of weeks, my audio selections on my commute was to use my Amazon Audible app to listen to a chapter of Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil then a chapter of GK Chesterton's Orthodoxy. I have no idea why I strated that but the contrast illuminated how much the persona, character and predispositions of truly virtuoso wordsmiths guide their work, much more than logic or ideology. To be bathed in genius even in disagreement is a treat. And an aid to humility.
Speaking of aids to humility, I have been made more aware of the nature and value of style with my frequent fun visits to AI. Grok sometimes seems more complete but ChatGPT may have a better sense of humor. I send love letters to my wife written Mickey Spillane or Michel Montaigne generated by AI. My poems for her are still better than AI renditions, for now, anyway.
I recently compared Grok and ChatGPT on the task of writing a review of the classic comedy Airplane! as if written by Nietzsche and then by Barrack Obama. The stylings are often uncannily good and clever.
However, an earlier prompt some months ago to get ChatGPT to write about something in the style of James Lileks came up with a pretty lame output and without the recognizable spark and connection.
Again, aiding humility, the silly moniker "Old Bathos" (everybody else in on the inside joke from which it is derived is dead) helps to remind me that the output is not the last word or the summa of some topic but just an effort to make something enjoyably readable and maybe informative while I enjoy writing it.
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I think your writing is much better than mine, OB, and I don't say that to flatter you. My own writing is "workmanlike"; a couple of years ago, @Seawriter assured me that was a good thing. But whether I admire other writers or not, I can only "do me." Fortunately, I've become more comfortable with the statement you made just above.
And thank you for your kind words!
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I've been avoiding Grok and ChatGPT. I'm glad you're enjoying using them. I worry that I might come to rely on them. I've read that by using them a lot, we reduce our brains' creativity. At my age, I want to make sure that I don't needlessly lose anything I've gained!
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Nietzsche vs Chesterton, now there is a clash of contradictory worldviews.
Orthodoxy may be the book that has had the most impact on my own way of thinking.
Have you gotten to the part where GKC wonders whether Nietzsche might be afraid of a cow?
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Everything you have written in this post is important in understanding the function and importance of writing. Writing is a very important component of the tale of human progression, but it is only one part. It might be the most important part.
The period of our lives over the past few decades when we have thought we were discovering or at least learning about some new things with such as hyperactivity and ADHD has recently, from my observations and personal experience, caused me to spend time thinking about connections in communications. Dyslexia might be another factor raising my interests.
To start way back, let's say consciousness was the starting point for human thought which then was the starting point for methods of communication. Doing things that could be observed by others would then actually provide a method of communication. Hands, arms, and feet might then be used followed by the advent of speech that results in language development.
I have zero expertise in this, I'm putting down some random thoughts, but I guess writing enters at some point, but I don't know where. It is obviously very important because it can transmit communication over time and space, a new capability beyond in person.
Then we get the technical innovations, printing, audio, telegraph, and audiovisual. Now we begin to notice the differences in individual capabilities to absorb the content provided by these different forms. We are still learning how all this works in terms of the difference between individuals. These differences don't seem to reflect intellectual capacities in many ways.
Skillful writing is a most important step for both reading and audio transmission.
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