Writing to Write
I got excited when I received an invitation to write for Medium. I love writing; and, Medium is a great platform for that purpose. One of the things that got me excited as part of this platform is the chance to write about the things I care about alongside some of the people I admire.
I kept a journal when I was in college to record thoughts and ideas — things that were not necessarily personal in nature. You see, one of my majors was Philosophy. Writing was a natural process for me. And, capturing thoughts into paper was rather a necessity than a hobby.
Writing was my first love.
I kept a journal until the next two years after my college graduation. Then, suddenly, I stopped writing. I fell out of love.
I felt a revived ardor for writing three years ago. I started to blog. I would write twice a week, or at least once a week. I had a great momentum. I was writing again.
But something happened.
I began to obsess with things that are not related to the craft of writing like readership, traffic, SEO, and blog stats. My focus shifted from writing-to-express to writing-to-impress. My enthusiasm for writing was dwindling.
One day, I just did not want to write anymore.
I forgot what writing was all about. Writing is an expression of what’s within. It is an idea or feeling coming alive in the form of words.
Henry Miller captured it perfectly:
“Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery. The adventure is a metaphysical one: it is a way of approaching life indirectly, of acquiring a total rather than a partial view of the universe. The writer lives between the upper and lower worlds: he takes the path in order eventually to become that path himself.”
- Henry Miller on Writing
Writing is life by and in itself. I want writing back in my life. I felt I was truly connected to this universe when I was writing. I want the same feeling now.
I want to write again. Not for any other purpose than for the love of writing.
