I'm thinking through the value of writing. Motivation in writing for most people—and I'll admit a past one of mine—was money and fame. At some point I started to think that it's not worth writing if you're not an expert. Why should people read? To learn, I'd answer. And you learn from experts. But I'm thinking through this. There's at least a joy in writing and a helpfulness to others in writing as a non-expert.
One English professor in college said the value in writing was to write information in a new way. Bring old information to today's readers in a way that they like to read it, or new information to understand better what’s current. I like this description but it hasn’t been very motivating to me. The reason is that I still read authors like Dickens and Dostoevsky, authors who wrote in the 1800s that are worth reading in their older style and world. I also wonder how new a lot of what we experience is. It seems like humanity struggles and rejoices in the same type of things since the beginning of history.
My guess is that a value in writing as a non-expert is that there is beauty in writing. Something about it that makes the writer and reader think in a different, better way. Something that points to something beautiful. Something that helps people who wouldn't have a chance otherwise to grow. A gift and showing of love to others you haven't met.
Some evidence that this might be true comes in a recent CT article about my favorite band, Owl City. The article quotes Adam Young as saying about his motivation to write and sing: "I started writing for myself, wanting to create the kind of music I always wished I could walk into a record store and find on the shelf."
He’s attained that goal and his music is an example to me of what is more quality art in writing. Adam's music is different in a good way. Instead of lyrics and music focusing on break-ups, which is what I hear mostly on the radio these days, it's all about imagination, interesting things in life, and humor. I'd love to bring that to writing in some way too. I know it most likely won’t be as good or successful as Adam's, but I'm not in it for the success or to see how good I am. I'm more interested in finding joy in expressing a gift I've been given--the joy I see in some dancers on So You Think You Can Dance when they experience for themselves the freeing aspect of dance and share their gift with everyone watching.
I know that my writing style/motivation may simply just be the result of reading and thinking about issues, and then thinking of interesting ways to share ways I've grown and learned—to rejoice in how God gives us such a capacity to continue to learn and grow for years and years, no matter how much we learn.
That seems fitting and relaxing to me. One reason is that everything should be for God's glory. Another reason is that I feel like if God gives you a gift, it's very rewarding and good to grow in that gift. Writing simply will help me grow in writing. Also, at work, when I've been given a writing assignment a deadline is always looming over my head, and I feel the pressure of needing to be perfect or like my writing will be chopped and moved around because an editor has a different style of writing they prefer over mine.
This is a place to write in my free time and to not worry about those pressures. Maybe if I write here for a while, then when I do write for work, I’ll be so used to writing that I won’t think about the pressures. I also like the thought of possibly sharing my experiences and thoughts with others for their benefit too. I wouldn't mind if people wanted to tell me their experiences and thoughts too. Feel free to if you happen to stumble upon this blog, and have any thoughts on the merits of writing as a non-expert.
