The Paradox Of Writing
Posted by Evan Bailyn on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with 0 comments
I write for you. With every sentence I type, I pass my words through a filter of how I think you’ll react. If your opinion didn’t matter, I wouldn’t be distributing my writing; I would keep to journals, in which I could scribble and dabble and review every few years to see how my identity had evolved. Or, I wouldn’t write at all. Yet there is an excitement which I believe all writers feel in the prospect of creating something that translates an emotion so well that it can reach the quick of another person.
Still, the very foundation of writing is honesty. If I were to write solely for other people’s benefit, my work would be inauthentic, noticeably lacking in that glimmer of originality that gives a piece its impact.
Therein lies the paradox of writing – remaining true to your feelings within the boundaries of your audience’s tastes. In life, too, we adapt our behavior to the people and situations we encounter, which is why writing often tells us so much about who we are.
