Writing is such large part of our culture. For that matter just about all cultures utilize a form of writing in one way or another on a global scale. But besides it being an alternate form of language as opposed to the spoken word, it has other, increasingly deeper uses. One of which is in the writing fictional and non-fictional stories. In this sense the meaning and significance of writing fluctuates between each person, and in true there is no right or wrong answer on what it is for anyone. But in some cases people can have an over exaggerated view or expectation on what writing is or should be. For instance, a teen-age Sven Birkerts argues that a writer is: “to live that particular relation of self to the world” (Birkerts, 41). He goes on to say that this ‘image over accomplished work’ is the only thing that matters. And although this is his teen-age self’s view, his current view is not anything better. As he professes that writing is all about producing work and locating outlets for it. In my regard, I believe that writing is a fine mix of these two extreme stances, new works and a healthy image. Yet, it’s also something more; it also includes a degree of pure enjoyment which I have learned from both my childhood writing experiences and my various reading experiences.
When one thinks of writing the though of reading also comes to mind; the two go hand and glove with one another. And frankly, you can not ever have good times with writing if you have never had a good time reading. The reason why I find writing so enjoying is directly correlated to the fact that I find reading enjoyable too. As I write I relate to my past writing and reading experiences, and it is because of reading that I ever wanted to write in the first place. Of course I read books when I was younger, but although pleasing their hard and strict appearance did not appeal to me that well. I loved books like: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Hobbit, and the Harry Potter series. Yet other sources of media grabbed my attention for reading much more strongly. Things like comic books and sports magazines had me appreciating reading and writing for different reasons. But, by far the most imminent source of reading material for me was in the form of video games. Not just brain dead games that teach you nothing except to have fun but invigorating masterpieces with complex plot twists and highly detailed characters and settings. For example: Paper Mario, Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door, Final Fantasy IV, Soul Caliber II, and various Pokémon games just to name a few. Along with these and the games that didn’t possess a lot in the form of text to read I usually had a guide book which I would read cover to cover over and over again. The thing that I find so amazing about these games and the reading from them is that they all have amazing stories. There are plenty of other reasons why people would play some of these games besides the plot, characters, setting, etc. but, for me this is what counted. Even games that did not hold up well technological advances like Final Fantasy IV, which I played about 15 years after its initial release, still has an amazing story that I love to relive every now and then. Playing and reading these games sparked a “fun” interest in writing that when exposed to in school made writing projects fun and highly enjoyable.
Many prefer reading over writing, yet I believe that one can find just as enthralling experiences writing a story of their own as reading an author’s rendition. There is something to be said for writing your own plotline and controlling everything that is happening, you get worked up on it as if you could not get the words spilled across the page fast enough. Your creativity is free to explode into an array of ideas just waiting to be utilized. It’s like a book that you are reading in your mind, which you are translating into English on the paper in front of you. Being in this point of euphoria is wonderful and all, but the means of getting there can be difficult at times. Birkerts probably describes it best: “I went up against the white page-the glare of it, the depth, the mocking stillness” (Birkerts, 54). Unlike movies, in which grasp your attention from the start with their convenient occipital viewing measures. Or even books that make you see reading as a chore up until something interesting hooks you. Meanwhile writing is an entirely different beast with intent to discourage you at a moment’s notice. In other words it’s difficult; at least it’s difficult to get started and take that initial leap. As you pick up speed and gain a foundation then the writing starts to breeze by.
When I was younger and was first given the opportunity to write my own story I took up on the opportunity immediately and easily came up with a plot that at the time (elementary school) I thought was the best damn thing ever. But looking back at it I can remember heavily basing my characters on those from Super Mario World. Thankfully I picked up on this overly powerful influence very quickly and had no problem at first becoming more original. But, with this change came more in depth thinking which was both fun and frustrating. Overall this was not that difficult of a feat as I have always been very creative, and would constantly be making up stories in my head. Yet some kids that had some of the same experiences with video games could not break the tendency to copy them in writing as I did in 3rd grade. I still recall in 7th grade after a kid in my class read his 10 page story aloud and I realized that it was the exact plot of a Playstation game called Zone of the Enders. After brilliantly constructing my own 10 page story by myself, I wanted to so desperately expose his fraud. In the end it was not a big deal, because I knew that my story was better than his anyhow due to the shear amount of enjoyment that I had writing it, instead of just copying another’s ideas.
Birkerts’ spark of interest in writing started at young age as well. He mentions secretly enjoying school writing assignments, and even going above and beyond on them saying: “I copied far more information than I had to” (Birkerts, 40). He tells us that his defining moment for him as viewing himself as a writer was when he won an award for his writing in Junior High. I share many similar childhood experiences with Birkerts, as I to enjoyed school writing projects as well to a degree. Not only that but I also won a writing contest that was sponsored by the American Legion in Elementary school. And as Birkerts saw himself as a writer after that award he was given, I dignified myself maybe not quite as a “writer” but definitely as someone who excelled at writing.
With all of these experiences, both in the realm of reading and writing, I have shaped the significance of writing for myself. In short writing can only be as thrilling as your reading has allowed it to. Also writing is not something that I believe you can force out. This is prevalent in Birkerts’ case, in the early parts of his writing career he either couldn’t start or finished unsatisfying work. During this time he was going though writing slumps, break-ups, and various jobs. It just never seemed like he enjoyed writing, and his expectations of becoming a writer over took him. This is not what writing is about, it should be enjoyable and an outlet for creativity, something that I have learned through my own reading and writing experiences.
Works Cited: Birkerts, Sven. The Gutenberg Elegies. 2006 Edition. New York: Faber and Faber, Inc., 1994. Print.
