~Written by Danielle N. Bilski ~
No one understands better and is more aware than a person who makes their living as a writer, of the fact that anything that has been written is only of any value once it has been read. Writing remains a major form of communication however it doesn’t matter what type of equipment or technology is used to do it, everyone who writes is initially writing with clear ink until someone else acknowledges its existence and then ink appears.
So it is interesting to think about what happens to writing that no one reads and what does it mean for the person who has written it? Depending on its importance, subjectively speaking, there could be positive or negative consequences for the writer and/or the intended reader. This is one interesting possibility to think about.
Perhaps what is more intriguing is what happens to the writing once it has been read? Is it kept and used for future reference, shared, amended, forwarded on to others, replied to, deleted or destroyed, critiqued or praised, returned, copied and/or cited?
Human existence relies to a certain extent upon acknowledgment and appreciation for it to achieve longevity. Writing is not dissimilar in the sense that its existence is justified when it has been read enough times by enough people, giving the ink time to dry and to resonate and the time to realise its potential by making a significant and meaningful contribution to the lives of those it enters.
Having spent an extensive, varied and recently increasing amount of time with written words throughout my life, I have come to realise and appreciate that every piece of writing does have a life of its own. Every piece is subject to the possibility of a premature death as mentioned earlier or perhaps the gift of eternal life. Take Shakespeare’s words that have survived more than 400 years and the obvious example of literary longevity; the Christian Bible. According to Wikipedia, “The Old Testament consists of a collection of writings believed to have been composed at various times from the twelfth to the second century B.C.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible, accessed 31/8/2010)
Ultimately, none of us know precisely when our time will end. For this reason, it is important to make sure that we are not leaving a clear trail behind us when we walk or perhaps run along our own life path. That doesn’t mean everything you do must be seen. Instead we need to work out which parts of our story we want to be read and be remembered for.
In the consumer society in which we live, we have all been somewhat desensitised by others’ stories; true, fictitious and everything in between. We all want to be loved, admired, praised and appreciated for who we are and what we do. It’s human nature.
Having said that, it is vital for all of us to understand that in the end it is up to us to take responsibility for the way we live our lives and the one person that must acknowledge and appreciate the story that we have written is ourselves.
Writers know there will always be an alternative way to write something, but as long as we are able to read what we have written and be proud of it, every other person who reads it is a bonus.
Privileged to be writing a story that I am excited to read with you,
My Time with You ©2010 Danielle N. Bilski