Sunday, November 27, 2011

Writing From a Writer's Perspective


By Mike AKA the Professor

The ability to get behind a keyboard and hit the right keys to create a coherent piece of text is, for some very easy, for others it is a task of monumental difficulty. Beyond the mastery of the keys themselves comes the thought processes that dictate what will result as the final product. This is where the true writer becomes apparent.


This is true whether it be a resume, an advertisement, a review of a book, a show or a motion picture.
The hardest part is to create something when you are not sure what you want to write about. Stories, be they articles, opinion pieces, exposes or rants must make sense if one is to be seen as a credible source in the topic written about.

So why do writers write? Writers are those who use the written words and their respective meanings to present a piece of literature that they believe their audience will want to read about. It is the need to communicate with as many as possible. It is the social interaction that started with the cave dwellers as they told and retold the stories of their days.

Of the great beasts they saw, the great hunts , the mighty triumphs or the terrible defeats. It was these tales that the artists made their cave drawings about. Pictographs were the human race's first attempts at writing. It was from these crude drawings that the symbols, letters and numbers were born. Yes these writings were stories that were read not heard.

Throughout the ages stories were recorded The cave walls became the stone tablets which later became the papyrus scrolls on which things deemed important to be shared and remember were proclaimed Knowledge. Things of value like mathematics, religious writings and ways of governing such as laws were inscribed.

It was in these times that writers or scribes were deemed of value. Some learned souls were so vain that they saw themselves as the definitive authority on whatever topic they wrote about. Be they, the sorcerers, sorceresses , the High Priests, Priestesses, Oracles, Prophets, Magi (Magicians) and soothsayers, all held positions of authority.

This wasn't lost on the rulers of the times who made full use of the scribes for their own purposes. If it was written then it was of great importance so such works were highly prized. Those educated enough to write were the brightest and most knowledgeable considered seers , wizards and viziers or advisers to the monarchs.

Only those of privilege would be taught the arts of reading and writing. By keeping the masses illiterate they could be controlled much easier. But with the advancement of education some saw the benefits of having their men able to read and write as it made them better soldiers. Being able to read gave a general more ability to maneuver his troops on the battle field.


With Religious schools came more scholars for the propagation of the faiths The monks in the abbeys were trained to write and developed great books for future generations to marvel at. These also had religious theologians whose works were taught to the peasantry. It was now that Others simply wish to present a point of view which may or may not find favour with the masses.

Still others having found the truth about this or that which has been previously been suppressed, felt then compelled to have it seen by as many as they can. Writing has always been the great engine of change. Today is no different. Writers are found everywhere as are the styles employed. Lyrics are used in the songs, prose and poetry, where timing and structure compliment the musical, oration and or speech.

Writing is the result of our search for enlightenment! Every essays, stories, news articles, treatises and novels is the evidence of the writers imprint. Writers categorize, report and publish every bit of recorded history. They can and are the foundation of civilization itself. Every subject is written about and all knowledge is here because someone somewhere wrote about it.

So are writers important? Yes They are! Writing is the way that everything gets proposed, planned, organized and done. A writer is required to turn Ideas into an Image which can be visualized from start to finish. Whether it be the Holy books of all Religious Faiths,. all the charters of every country in the world, all the languages from every nations or every piece of literature ever written, a writer writes it.

Writing as defined by the Oxford Dictionary is as follows noun
[mass noun]
  • 1 the activity or skill of writing:parents want schools to concentrate on reading, writing, and arithmetic
  • a sequence of letters, words, or symbols marked on a surface : a leather product with gold writing on it : he asked them to put their complaints in writing
  • handwriting : his writing looked crabbed
  • 2 the activity or occupation of composing text for publication: she made a decent living from writing
  • written work , especially with regard to its style or quality: the writing is straightforward and accessible
  • (writings) books, stories, or other written works: the writings of Gertrude Stein
  • (the Writings)the Hagiographa.

Phrases

the writing (or North American handwriting) is on the wall


there are clear signs that something unpleasant or unwelcome is going to happen:the writing was on the wall for the old system[with biblical allusion to Dan. 5:5, 25–8]
For those wishing to check it for themselves here is the link http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/writing

According to Wikipedia
Writing, more particularly, refers to two things: writing as a noun, the thing that is written; and writing as a verb, which designates the activity of writing. It refers to the inscription of characters on a medium, thereby forming words, and larger units of language, known as texts. It also refers to the creation of meaning and the information thereby generated. In that regard, linguistics (and related sciences) distinguishes between the written language and the spoken language. The significance of the medium by which meaning and information is conveyed is indicated by the distinction made in the arts and sciences. For example, while public speaking and poetry reading are both types of speech, the former is governed by the rules of rhetoric and the latter by poetics.
A person who composes a message or story in the form of text is generally known as a writer or an author. However, more specific designations exist which are dictated by the particular nature of the text such as that of poetessayistnovelistplaywrightjournalist, and more. A translator is a specialized multilingual writer who must fully understand a message written by somebody else in one language; the translator's job is to produce a document of faithfully equivalent message in a completely different language. A person who transcribes or produces text to deliver a message authored by another person is known as a scribetypist or typesetter. A person who produces text with emphasis on the aesthetics of glyphs is known as a calligrapher or graphic designer.
Writing is also a distinctly human activity. Such writing has been speculatively designated as coincidental. At this point in time, the only confirmed writing in existence is of human origin.
The Complete entry for Writing is found at this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing


So in conclusion my friends, my opinion is that Writing and Writers are always going to be a key component of Human Development. The need to communicate will be its motivation and that it as should be. People can only learn through social interaction, exchange of ideas and writing is the best source of obtaining such interaction at a distance. Writing is the glue that holds civilization together!

Thanks for reading and as always the best way to tell me what you think is “Write” me your comment below! Regards Mike AKA the Professor

Copyright November 27th 2011 

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