Its a simple statement. In fact, its so simple that one could be argued is so simple it needn't be stated at all. But its true: Writers write. They synthesize ideas, and record them in some written, visual medium. It can be misleading, though, since writers are not the ONLY individuals that write. In fact, the vast majority of the population of any first world country can write. If writing were the ONLY activity or quality that defined a writer, then practically everyone would be a writer. This hypothesis is easily disproved as we look around to see that, while the vast majority of individuals that surround us are able to write, they are not, in fact, writers. So, given that all writers write, but not everyone who writes is necessarily a writer, some other quality or activity must separate writers from the rest of the population.
Writing is required for to interact in society, more-so now than in the past due to the "digital revolution". Therefore, we all write more frequently than we would have years ago. well, we technically type now, instead of write, but the distinction isn't meaningful in this context. Anyway, with people writing more as part of their daily routines, the line between writer and non-writer may be more blurred now than it has been in the past.
I believe that one of the things that separates the writer from the non-writer is the purpose behind the writing. Writing is required to interact with society (as noted above), but a writer writes when it is not required. If this is true, a writer writes when it is not necessary, then I suppose writing is the end unto itself.
Another possibility is that a writer writes to actively improve their ability to write. If this is the case, hopefully I am doing this for the right reasons.
My goal is to be a writer. Therefore, as we have established, I must write. Following this line of thought, I am now writing. I also find the act of writing cathartic. By writing them down, the ideas in my head can purged from my mind, leaving room for fresh ideas.
I think, in a nutshell, this is what I'm setting out to understand with this Blog. This blog will invovle other issues (e.g. personal politics, religion and opinions, technology, and science, to name a few.), but I am primarily writing these blogs to write these blogs.
And, hopefully, become a writer in the process.
Slainte!
Today's word counts:
Blogs 417
Landscape Genetics Paper 33
Dissertation Proposal 0
