Call me a hypocrite, because I'm typing this article into my computer right now. And my dream career currently would be one in blogging. But...
Ever since I was a little girl, soaking up knowledge through a physical book is how I've felt most alive. Fiction or non-fiction, Poetry or prose. If it was a library book, the wear and tear of it would tell me that other people had enjoyed it too. If it wasn't a library book, I could highlight my favorite parts.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I was having a conversation with my school's wellness counselor, talking about a relationship I was in. I was having a hard time getting a grasp on my morals at the time. I needed something that aligned with my moral code to point me in the right direction.
My counselor pulled out a book called "How To Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul." (I strongly recommend that any young adult, regardless of gender or sexual orientation read this, because it makes great points about what to look for in a significant other.) This was the coolest thing anyone's ever done for me.
Five years later, I look at the physical copy of this book and am reminded of the impact it had on my life.
I can't stress the ability to highlight or physically mark parts of a self-help book, or just a fiction novel, that mean a lot to me. These things I'm highlighting can help me with my writing in the future or simply help me in life. I feel like when I read things online sometimes, things get lost or forgotten because it's stimuli overload with all the colors and ads.
When it comes to writing my articles for Odyssey, a lot of my inspiration has come from what I've written in a physical journal. When you get your raw emotion down on a page, it's easy to run with it. For example, feelings of loneliness I've written down have led me to writing about how the only person I can depend on is myself. Daily struggles I've written down have led to relating them to Disney characters.
It's rare that anything I write about just comes to me out of thin air. Writing things down physically is key!
I appreciate the concept of digital reading and writing, But to me, writing or reading in digital form will never replace reading physical books that I got at the library as a child. Nor will typing on a computer replace writing on physical paper with gel pens as I did as a ten-year-old who wrote plays to perform in her garage.
Am I the kind of girl who will inevitably end up with ink on her hands and spilled coffee on the page? Most definitely. But it'll make me feel accomplished.
