The current environment of writing
Is
it so much different now?
G.E.Graves
Writing, in its many forms, is intended
to capture one’s imagination. The telling of one’s essence, the sharing in
verse is primal. Consider prehistoric cave paintings. They, without any words,
share a dramatic event, an event possessing a profound effect upon their lives.
Writing today is much the same as those ancient picture-glyphs. It remains an attempt
to express the inexpressible in words.
This, in one way or another, is
what all writing strives to accomplish. Writing is an attempt at taking what we
all possess inside and try tapping into the reader’s soul, into their
experiences, in a way that truly strikes a chord. All this may sound easy, and
actually it is, but it is not as clear-cut as it seems.
There are many different people with
vastly different experiences, but there are commonalities. We all live,
breathe, love, hate, and desire, these tie the bind us all together. Humanity,
from its earliest days, has found ways of communicating these feelings, these
emotions to others. Now though, with invent of written language, we can express
these sentiments in a consistent and considered way. This does not remove the
primal, the primitive, or the brute power of our expressions. In many ways, it
enhances how we articulate.
This is writing, the ability to
compress intense emotion and expressive thought into words that resonate with
others. Much like the cave paintings, writing strives to produce, combine, and
add to our experiences and understandings of the world.
Many other forces have played a
part in how literature has evolved. Moving forward, within the constraints of
society, writing has been shaped by the economics of our
culture into a tool. Filtered through a publisher, words have become well
crafted into what is deemed quality. Unfortunately, in many cases, what is
published is designed to fit a certain target, a certain ambition. Of course
this deliberate control is not productive. It leads to self-serving goals that
are profit, political, or idealistically driven. Only free expression, free
thinking, can advance the cause of creativity. Trying to fit expression to any
given arena hinders what we direly crave. Yet, this is the world of traditional
publishing. Where they, the publisher, for reasons all their own, decide what
will be put to press.
Now, with the computer age, print
on demand, and self-publishing
authors, the art of writing may seem to have changed, but it has not. All that
has changed is the ability to publish without imposed constraints. It has been
said, at least in the beginning, that this newly formed platform of writing
could be considered of poor quality. However, who is to judge quality? It is,
as it should be, the readers that decide what is worthy writing.
Writing continues to be an
expression, a way to put forth ideas for others to enjoy and appreciate; much
like the cave paintings of the past. However, advancements have been made.
Improvements in the method of sharing, transmitting, may have changed, but not
the actual purpose for writing.
We now live in a world lost in the
buzz of content everywhere. However, is it that different from our primitive
relatives? Let us keep in mind that essentially nothing has changed, except the
methods of communications. Now, as before, the ability to express is the true
essence of creativeness.
