To write anything, especially fictitious, is something that comes naturally for humans. The expressions may vary from person to person but it still remains an innate art form or skill that can be developed over time. However, a person faces many obstacles in the process of writing, including mindsets such as:
- "I'm not a writer".
- "I'm neither eligible to write nor do I have experience".
- "Where do I start?"
- "What do I write about?"
- "What would someone think of my writings?".
There are common reasons like 'no time', 'no opportunity', and a hundred other reasons why one may choose not to write. However, there is one powerful reason why one should write – to explore and examine one's own thoughts. In the process of testing what they have studied, students are expected to write during their examinations.
Figure 1: Students writing intently during an examination.
Growth of Writing
An interesting fact about the human brain is that however complex the thoughts may be, the brain is able to process them better when they are written by hand and not typed digitally. A thought has more clarity when it is written down – it may be a subconscious question, or a solution to a question asked by someone or a creative story. If the writing dwells majorly towards the questioning side, it may take shape as a research style of writing. Such research papers can be collaborated with others because of the development and ease of understanding further, providing more answers to the research. Sometimes the process of writing will try to give a simple explanation by clearing the complexities initially created by thoughts by applying real world logic. Our ancestors have exemplified this form of passing messages down for the future generation through writing. In olden days, it is not like someone chose something online and started writing, there was a need to record experiences of activities, the hardships, and struggle. Some writings were upfront, and some were told in creative exaggeration so it was easy to understand for younger people. The intention was clear, it was to ensure the person in future reads it with clarity.
Aristotle views speech not merely as communication, but as a uniquely human capacity tied to rationality and moral judgment, fundamentally superior to writing. However, Jacques Derrida (1930–2004) revolutionised philosophy by dismantling the hierarchy that placed speech above writing. Derrida argued that écriture (writing) is not a secondary representation of speech, but a fundamental, structural aspect of all meaning, language, and thought.
Deflated Motivation
For some, the motivation to write on Day 1 will fade off by Day 3 like how a balloon bursts when poked. One should wonder why that happens. A person should attempt writing with the intention of completing it, and that also boosts motivation. These days motivation and enthusiasm is not within self. There is a need for external validation like someone saying "Wow, amazing" with such a positive mindset when one begins to write. Motivation decreases because the power of validation and acknowledgement is with the outside world, and there is often paucity of such encouragement.
A friend of mine and I tried an experiment though the former had never written anything. The idea was to write something random every day. As the days passed by, we were able to understand the difference in our thoughts, and how our day-to-day life shaped our thoughts. It was reflected in our writings. On the first day, the write-up my friend wrote was about social issues, it was written in detail. The issues he faces in his profession, and how things could be different were reflected. On the second day, he wrote about how he would govern the state if he were a leader, in a completely fictional manner. On the third day, he wrote a romantic fictional story. On the fourth day, the number of words was reduced. I asked him why, to which he said he is not able to think much, that thoughts are literally not there. His motivation was not reduced but he started feeling "Why should I write", and "What is the purpose of writing?" On the fourth day, he wrote about a mobile phone advertisement that he saw on TV earlier that day. Here, the point is not to criticise if the writing was good or bad, but to show the thought process of how the motivation to write slowly fades. Not everyone will have the same experience as him, yet one can understand how deeply embedded thoughts slowly start vanishing as soon as one starts writing.
The purpose
A professional writer from the industry may expect prize and money for what one has written by asking questions like "What is the purpose of writing?". If a writer is able to take responsibility for what is being written then negative criticism will not deflate one's motivation to write further. If observed on the global spectrum, everyone who uses mobile phones and chats on a regular basis is a writer. It is just that we do it digitally and mindlessly. Nobody says "Wow, your English is amazing, the way you construct your texts are unique"; so we don't value the time and mental energy put into texting. The same applies to writing on paper.
Mindset
New things arise out of writing when one decides to read and give feedback or comments on what's written, but lately there is an increase in people who do not appreciate reading in large numbers because of the rise of AI generated content (probably using software such as ChatGPT and Perplexity AI). People do not easily trust or identify the difference between hand-written ideas or AI generated. It is now a requirement to be self supportive and give a tap on shoulder for the motivation to be intact. Such an act is usually considered as a narcissistic behaviour from society's perspective, but such narcissism is currently required for motivation to be extracted from self and does not seem wrong. In spite of everything it is still more effective to expect someone to criticise one's writing than self-criticism that allows more space to create and correct one's own writing. This mindset is a trait of a remarkable writer.
I have tried my best to avoid the term "AI" but yet it keeps seeping into my words as it is unavoidable now. A mindset that AI will refine my writing is a grave mistake a writer makes while writing; such a mindset is equal to installing a virus voluntarily into the personal system.
a formulated a four-step method from my experience to improve my writing
Dump - analyse - rewrite - beautify
- Dump: Even if there is no topic or out of topic, one has to write whatever one thinks. Throw the thoughts onto the paper. Write for self and not for anyone else.
- Analyse: Understand what has been written, see the patterns, see if there are repetitive ideas. Is it an idea? Or a question? Reason with self, or discuss this idea with someone else.
- Rewrite: Rewrite the idea the way it was initially intended, stick to the topic, and remove unnecessary elements or exaggerations. AI/Computer can be used for reference but one cannot fully depend on it.
- Beautify: Replace certain words and add more interesting words to beautify the language that is being written in. Every language has its own quirks, and the readers will feel it while they read.
Another simple mistake writers make is that they write everyday. In a corporate setting, there may be a need to do such writing that does not require emotional attachments. Personal writing needs breaks at least once in two days, just like how one takes breaks during heavy workouts. This break is usually for the thoughts and brain to rest down and gather thoughts before writing again. This is very true of writing a film script.
Summing up
The idea this article tries to convey is about writing and its long-term benefits. The motivation which one has during his/her school and college days slowly fades away. The illusion is created that one can never achieve creativity and falsely live the remaining life thinking that way. Your story of writing can be of guidance to someone else. At the ICAT College of Design and Media, we encourage our students to write down their thoughts in Reflective Visual Journals as part of ideation and mind maps, and train them to write documentary/film scripts. Thus, the process of writing enhances design thinking too.
