Paper and Ink (Article)

  According to the encyclopedic definition of writing: it is only “a form of human communication, by means of a set of visible marks that are related, by convention, to some particular structural level of language”. Although it is undeniably that, it is also much more. Writing is to pour your heart and soul out into an audience, to embed in their minds the will to listen and to create an impact – no matter whether that impact is life-changing or just a trivial change of opinion – in the lives of the readers. A good writer is one who can provide readers with a means of escapism and transport them into another world. When I pick up a well-written piece of literature and start reading, it's like I can hear the author's voice and vividly imagine every scene in my mind. To me, I feel like that is the most enjoyable part of reading, being able to go on a voyage outside the premises of this world.

As a writer, the most fulfilling part is taking countless readers along on that voyage. So many people, that would otherwise remain strangers; but now share a bond of this cultural heritage of literature. When I imagine writing, I imagine words engraved into the paper voicing themselves to life. Like a butterfly springing itself into action to convey a message or a mindset to the thousands across the globe. Quoting the very famous Latin adage– “Cave ab homine unius libri” translating to “Beware of anyone who has just one book.” And History agrees. It has been audience to so many legendary writers who have led and inspired countless revolutions just with their words. Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, comte dwhose writings have shaped the world as we know it today.e Mirabeau, Georges Danton, Leo Tolstoy, Maxim Gorky are all faces of revolutions.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that these are people whose writings have shaped the world to as it is now. Their works have been the bricks to the architectural building of politics, war and society as we see it now. So much so, that English literature has been divided into eras depending on the style of literature and ongoing events. From the Classical, Homeric, and Anglo-Saxon periods, progressing toward the Golden Age of literature also known as The Elizabethan age governed by Shakespeare, Christopher Marlow, John Milton, to name a few; and finally, now, to the postmodern period. Although, most of these eras are long gone, the works of these authors remain and it's like a piece of the world back then has been left for us to discover and unearth. However, even the best of them, often must have faced what is commonly called as a writer's block. So, go for a little distraction, take a walk or even use up a change of setting but always return to your writing. Build the habit of writing daily, even if it's just a few lines.

A common misconception is that literature only constitutes of typical fictional books but it goes beyond that, really. Ranging from novels, poems, research papers, diary entries, letters to news articles, biographies; one could fill in pages with all that it constitutes. To write is to let the paper share your burdens, it is a coping mechanism as well. This little activity should mean something personal to each individual. Even when one's writing isn't flawless, one should write just for the sake of it and improve their ways up to the top. Even when, and let's face it, not all of us are meant to be the next Dickens or Shakespeare of our generation, but that in no way means that we cannot enjoy the simple art of writing, especially when it can bring about a positive change in society. Which is why, through this article, instead of taking up the more expository point of view, I wish to motivate the avid readers to write something of their own. I wish this to serve as an encouragement to write today, even if it is the simplest of poems. So, write. Traverse the dimensions that can only be discovered with the attachment of paper and ink.

“After all, every great revolution of thought began with nothing more than paper and ink.”