September 7, 2014 – Written by Corina Martinez Chaudhry
Who is this person that we call a writer? It is the person who creates art through words bringing forth new ideas, thoughts, fantasies, hope, horizons, and worlds to a reader’s doorstep. They do this simply with a flick of a pen or the persistent tap on a keyboard. He or she is the person who will bleed life through their pen with the desire and excitement of putting words on paper so that readers can escape on a journey that might otherwise be unattainable. So why do writers do this you ask?
It is because writers are on a love affair with ideas and thoughts to create an ecstasy of euphoria and delight as the reticular activating system (RAS) in the brain is stimulated. For the writer, it is much like having sex – the more you engage in it, the more you tend to crave it.
The average writer will usually spend their waking hours with a constant jumble of ideas circulating inside their brain trying to decipher it all. Sometimes these thoughts and ideas are written down for future use, sometimes not.
For the fiction writer it’s the excitement of taking an idea and adding plots and characters and making it come alive on paper in the hopes of transcending the reader into a place they haven’t yet been. For the non-fiction writer, it’s the relentless tugging inside their gut to get information out to the masses and somehow improve the life of a fellow human being. It is much like a frustrating rollercoaster love affair feeling of not quite knowing where you truly stand with your mate. Somehow, though, you know deep down that there is an end to all this madness. Whether you are a writer with ideas or a lover in disguise, it is the persistent mumbo jumbo going on in your head that creates excitement and drama to life and soul.
So what is the perpetual thing that drives a writer to delve into the world of convoluted ideas? It is hard to say. Sometimes it’s the end result and sometimes it’s the journey that moves a person. For some it can be a self rewarding accomplishment and yet others do this for that ever elusive fame and recognition. Which direction a writer leans is not necessarily good or bad, it is just the thing that motivates an individual.
This writing process can be compared to being in a whirlwind love affair. In a love affair most people search for the comfort of being in a potential stable relationship – an end result; pray tell, the equal of a finished book! Not only can a love affair bring an end result, but it can create an adrenaline rush as you greet your lover for that first or second time – the experience – the journey. Could this be much like the process of writing a book? Maybe.
What is it that allows a writer to tackle the writing beast for hours, days, weeks, months, or even years on end? That is hard to say as there are thousands of writers on the continual path for that ever elusive acceptance letter from an agent or editor. Most writers cling on to small glimmers of hope and encouragement, but are often turned away by publishers much like a scorned lover thrown against the wind of despair.
Thankfully for us, many writers do not give up their journey. Those that are passionate enough, will move forward searching for that acceptance letter sure to come one day. It is like a love-torn person hoping their lost lover will return, but if not, they also eventually move on. Writing and love affairs are nothing more than part of the overall seesaw of life – everyone looking for the glimmer, the hope, the wish to know that we were validated somehow, somewhere, sometime in our lives. Writers come from all walks of life. Sometimes they attain great accolades and sometimes not, but in the end we must all look to what truly feeds our soul. As a writer, it shouldn’t be just the bottom line dollar or the acceptance of the whole world that drives you, but the knowledge that you have made a mark on friends, on family, on life in general, and that you pursued your LOVE AFFAIR with writing – The thing that makes you whole!
