Most people think of writing as an expression of knowledge, instead of pursuit. They assume that a writer has ideas which she puts into words. With that assumption, writing seems no different than speech and in fact no different than an inherent talent. This is why they get swayed by bestsellers, awards, etc.
However, it’s a myth.
Writing is a tool through which a writer tries to make sense of her thoughts. An extension of thinking process. For instance, you can only dig a farm as much with your hands; or walk as much with your feet; but once you get a tool, you go places. Writing is that tool for mind.
How does it work?
As you would know, thoughts are mostly chaotic and random. It is a writer’s job to catch them, untangle them, shape them, make them visible to the world, and follow their trajectory in order to find the truth. For instance, a writer would write a romance novel not because she perfectly understands what romance is, but she wants to.
The above is not a rule, but a choice that any writer makes. So, the writer can either tell a story which is already there in her head and gain nothing out of it; or, the writer can go for an adventure, where she chases the thoughts and extract meaning out of them and contribute to the human knowledge. The latter is a painful, yet beautiful, journey towards finding the meaning in life.
Kalampedia 