by Jan Michael Yip

Created on: September 09, 2009

I Came, I Saw, I Wrote

I perceive writing as a trustworthy friend who is always ready to sit down with me and listen without judging. It has a relaxing and soothing effect on me that rivals any kind of relaxation therapy that I have experienced. I think most people feel the same way too because of the number of personal blogs that are put up and maintained daily. Most don't care if anyone reads the entries or not. What is important to them, and me, is to get a thought, a feeling or an emotion out there in the open.

Pleasure and pain can be derived from writing. I say that because a writer can have instant gratification when he is able to express his feelings and emotions clearly and unmistakably. In his book, Politics and the English Language, George Orwell said, A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? Once a writer has the right answers to these questions, you will see him with a big smile on his face merrily tapping away in front of his computer. Writing can also be a source of extreme displeasure. This is especially true when words just escapes a person who is trying to finish a simple essay or a complicated manuscript for a book.

Every writer starts out writing for themselves, but eventually the situation changes as the writer matures and essentially wants to be recognized. The only way that is going to happen is if his works gets published. There is no way for that to occur unless he makes some compromises. So, sooner or later, the writer has to take into consideration other factors, such as what is currently a popular subject so as to have some kind of a chance to be noticed.

Fortune smiles upon the writers of today. The Internet has made it possible for aspiring writers and those who are just starting out as one to have a launching pad of sorts to propel, if you will, their articles to greater heights and to a broader and wider range of audiences. For the would-be writer, the Internet offers rich ground where they can hone and improve their skills. To those who have been around and have started to make a name for themselves, they will still be able to speed up the process of being acknowledged by utilizing websites that exist mainly to receive and distribute articles, thereby giving their work the proper exposure that it deserves. This does translate into more people reading and more people recognizing the authors because of that. These sites make the writer's life a bit easier, now they only have to worry about the essential stuff, which are inspiration and the dreaded writer's block.

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