Writing by Candlelight

Last night I got done with my biology class at 6:50PM in Sturm and got a text from a friend to join her for Panhellenic study hours in the library. Having a lot to do, and already walking toward that end of campus, I reluctantly agreed to join her.

During my time at the library, I posted videos and pictures on snapchat, got coffee, and took the opportunity to say hi to anybody I knew as they passed by. I did yoga, looked up vampire bats, texted friends, got coffee, filled up my water bottle, went to the bathroom, and ate Scooby doo fruit snacks. However, I did not compose a single word of an essay and I did not read a single page of my homework while I was there.

To be completely honest, I was in the library earlier in the day too, and I did get some homework done. But I also took a nap in one of the study rooms and spent some quality time in the café.

So much of writing is finding a reason to write, finding a good time to write, and a good place. I couldn’t get anything done when I was surrounded by distractions (real or imaginary), because the library is, in theory, the best place to get work done on a college campus.

I got back to my dorm room, kicked off my shoes, made myself my third cup of coffee for the day and leaned back on my Stormtrooper pillow to finally get some work done.  

The moral of the story is that you can be given all of the tools to be successful: motivated friends, resources and materials, and a quiet, comfortable atmosphere. But if you don’t want to read or write, you still will.

You’ll post on social media, write lists, read signs and posters, and interact with people around you. You are constantly having experiences, being observant of your surroundings, and contributing as a member of a larger group of society.

I don’t think being a writer means sitting down for x hours x many days a week and composing x number of pages. I don’t think it means being published, being recognized, or being considered “great.”

Since the development of language and writing technologies, the process by which we communicate has evolved with the addition of increasingly advanced writing technologies. But whether these experiences are shared through oral storytelling, using a pen and paper, typed up on a word document, or sent using social media, each of these writing technologies helps us to make sense of the world, on both an individual and on a community level.

Fiction writing isn’t even real. Published diaries are often never meant to be published. And textbooks aren’t attributed to a single author. Writing is not “one size fits all.”

We make sense of our lives by telling stories, and by trying to figure out who we are and how we relate to other people. New models of writing embody collaboration, peer review, feedback, and revision. As a result of the current age of collaboration, fan interaction, and advanced technology, it is easier, now than ever, to be a present member of our connected world. Reading and writing has drastically improved the way that we can pass information on to each new generation and has given us the ability to become creative and reflective individuals. 

While I was at the library, I did not get any work done, but I was still communicating and I was still composing. People tend to think of writing as doing academic assignments, filling out homework, or writing essays. Writing wasn’t invented for the sole purpose of quantifying a student’s understanding, or to test them on their knowledge of a topic. Writing wasn’t invented to be scrutinized, dissected, or deemed “good” or “bad.” Writing was invented to make communicating easier, to document events, and to give people the opportunity to connect with and understand each other. Writing is arguably one of the most human inventions ever created. 

The development of writing has allowed us to simultaneously construct and record history. And our ability to construct history has, in turn, has had a dramatic influence on the way that our writing processes and technologies have changed over time. Being a writer means interacting and reflecting. Being a writer means telling a story. And most importantly, being a writer means being alive.