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"I put all my genius into my life; I put all my talent into my works" ~Oscar Wilde
"The important thing in writing is the capacity to astonish. Not shock - shock is a worn-out word - but astonish.” ~Terry Southern
I know you're scratching your head, wondering, "Just what is she getting at with this?"
The answer is quite simple. The lost art of meaningful, documented communication known as writing needs to become rediscovered.
Written communication has been used for over 8,000 years in one form or another. It had been used to record history, debts, feelings, accounting, and random thoughts. It's memory has never failed, and it's purpose has never ceased to be necessary. It doesn't need electricity, or even paper. It's permanence as record will go on as long as there is someone with the interest to read it.
In the "Digital Age" the importance of reading has been trivialized to the point that the art of the written word is rapidly becoming lost. The masterful texts that have survived for millenia are pushed aside for reality television and youtube videos. Instead of picking up a copy of a good book, we just wait for the movie, right? But so often the theatrical adaptation is so far from the author's original view, it's deplorable. Even ancient Greeks and Romans knew the importance to record their orations so that future generations could study them with ease. They knew that there was no greater way to leave their legacies with the masses than to publish them. Advances along the way, such as the printing press, the typewriter, the copy machine, e-books, etc, have given us this wonderful wealth of information and creativity in a conveniently searchable and categorizable way that is available at the touch of a button. Yet, most choose not to bother.
What writing does that speaking does not is offer a the person a chance to proof-read exactly what they are saying, and trying to convey, so that if multiple meanings are possible, they can go into more detail if necessary. It also afford the writer and the reader the opportunity to reference a point more easily. You can completely embellish a point so that it makes complete sense without having to talk in a circle. You can input and remove ideas and explanations and change the order of things so that from start to finish, they are linear and logical. For those of us who have A.D.D. and tend to jump topics frequently when in conversation, it affords us the opportunity to stay on subject, or at least easily come back to the point where we were. As you reread it, you can clarify things that might have been more ambiguous in the beginning. You can add an anecdotal story to make your point clear, or you can be pithy.
The beauty of the written word can evoke strong emotions, actions, and inspire, persuade, and reject. It can hurt as well as heal. It can show adoration and admiration in a way that speaking never could. It forces the reader to use their brain to conjure images and emotions that the author is trying to evoke. Words will always mean more when they given in a permanent record. Much like a tattoo, written words become a permanent part of our existence, whereas spoken ones only become part of those who choose to listen. Those who choose to listen can also choose to interpret an entirely different meaning than you sought to portray.
Memories fail, and ears deceive, but that which is set in stone will always remain accessible to remind.
On that note, I shall step down from my proverbial soapbox, and leave you to take from this what you choose.
Thanks for reading. Now go out and astonish.
