What Writing Means to Me

South African novelist and 1991 Nobel Prize Winner Nadine Gordimer once said of writing, “Writing is making sense of life. You work your whole life and perhaps you've made sense of one small area.” This short quote completely embodies the meaning of writing in my life. I have never understood those of my peers who complain about professors who assign papers or struggle to produce just 5 pages of material for an assignment. For me, writing is not a chore; it is a way to explore.


When I am working on a piece of writing, the act of putting words to paper forces me to scrutinize exactly what I am saying. Do I feel more or less passionately then I thought I did? Why do I feel this way? Writing is an outlet for investigation of not only the world around me, but additionally of myself. Since I started keeping a journal sometime during my freshman year of college (though I don't faithfully write in it, nor is every thought coherent) I have found it a very therapeutic experience. Putting my thoughts in writing helps me to get a handle on so many issues in my life, and make decisions regarding those issues.


To me, writing is essential. It is communication in its highest form. Ideally, we would all articulate as well as we write, unfortunately this is not the case. That is why whenever anyone has anything really important to convey orally, (a political ideal, a sermon, a song, etc.) 99% of the time it is written down first. Though I rarely have an issue with public speaking, or addressing a large group of people, I always find myself to be much more confident and communicate a much clearer message if I write out what I plan to say first.


In short, writing to me is absolutely vital. Not only does it provide me with a creative, reflective and educational outlet, but it aids in the conveying of my most important thoughts to those around me. Without writing, I would be just another person struggling not only to articulate my point of view, but also struggling just to make sense of what goes on in my life. With writing, I am on the right path to becoming a successful and memorable individual.