For years now, I have written – writing and erasing, throwing out page after page, buying notebook after notebook until I can reach what I believe to be the version of my creation I desire.
People ask me constantly why I do this, why I push myself, why I start over and constantly create. Or, they ask how I have the patience to do so – the imagination to design characters, formulate thought and so much more. They wonder what enjoyment I could possibly have from this. And, I suppose that’s a fair question.
To me, it isn’t a question of why or how I can do such things, but rather why others do not. Words. Reading. Expression. All of these things are treasures. The gift of imagination, along with the rest, should never and could never be wasted. Yet, few realize the talent they have been blessed with or its limitless abilities.
Writing is limitless. When I write, I pour my all into what I am creating, molding it and fitting it to my imagination. Words are tools, building blocks to every place you ever wished to go, every person you ever wished to be, everything you ever wanted to do…I let my mind run wild, my emotions bleeding into each syllable. After the first line, I’m completely immersed, overtaken – lost in the expression and spellbound by the characters I brought to life, absorbed so much that I am convinced that I have somehow written a piece of myself into each one of them. Perhaps is the pitfall of writing – you have to tear yourself apart, feel and bear what your characters do, even if only in your mind.
You have to explore and think…and sometimes, it isn’t easy. But, then again, life isn’t easy. Your writing, if you’re truly writing as you should be, is going to be messy. It isn’t perfect. It is you. And, in that, you have to decide the outcome and allow yourself to imagine, to be enthralled by the possibilities. You have to put yourself in your character’s shoes, even the most despised ones. You have to be a bit of everything – a little bit hero, a little bit villain and a whole lot of biased. But isn’t that the best part?
That is why I write. It gives me the ability to escape reality, to express myself, to be myself, even if just for a moment. And, it lets me allow others to do the same.
What you create is up to you. If you can think it, you can create it. That is the simplicity of it. Write it. Trash it. Start over. Start again. And again. Then trash it and repeat. It doesn’t happen overnight. Or over a few weeks. It is ongoing. Over time, you begin to think of everything you can write about. You realize that everything can be a story. Everyone can be in a story. Everything can be changed. That is the most important thing to remember -
Writing is limitless and so are you.
Create. Imagine. Write.
