Throwing aside sarcasm and despondance for a moment, I feel
motivated to discuss a phenomenon vital to my life, and a
great many others. To some this will seem like so much sentimental
drivel, and I confess not everyone is built to appreciate
art. Where some find majesty and wonder in paintings, sculpture,
or whatever it may be, others are doomed to the firm "realities"
of the world around them. My own appreciation of art in all
its forms has grown a great deal over the past few years,
but nothing surpasses the gripping glory the written word
has on my soul.
There
is magic to be found in an author's ramblings (I know I'm
using a cliche, but it works...) and the writer is a magician.
We are not held firm to the world we live in. We can travel
to the Mountain of Doom in Mordor, visit the young wizard's
school of Hogwarts, or watch as the future of humanity is
rebuilt from a small foundation on the edge of the galaxy.
In the writer's mind are an infinite number of doors, and
within words can be found every key. Chances are a lot of
those doors are waiting inside you this very moment, if you
choose to look for them. Be careful though, they aren't meant
for everyone, and sometimes you might not like what you find
behind them...
But for those who it sparks an interest, I encourage you to
go as far as your mind will take you. A lot of people have
this odd notion of what "good writing" is. These are the types
of people that stick their nose up at Stephen King and call
him a hack, or snort disdainfully at the Harry Potter books.
But nuts to them, they don't matter. What's important is the
STORY. Most of us don't read because we think it makes us
"sophisticated", we read because we like for someone to spin
a good yarn for us. Maybe you're worried your vocabulary isn't
sufficient, or that there's no "theme" behind what you do,
but all that is secondary to the story being worth reading.
It's a simple pleasure that some would try to turn into a
guilty one, which in my mind is a heinous crime.
Not everyone's cut out to be a magician of course, but that
doens't mean you can't enjoy the show. I think there's a book
out there for almost everyone, if they take the time to look.
You could do worse things then spend an occaisonal afternoon
sitting back and reading. Walk through the dreary halls of
Orwell's world for a change, or visualize poor Doctor Watson
as he tries to keep up with the prodigal Holmes. Find a wave
you can surf and ride it out, the reward is often worth it.
I
have chosen to primarily write random brief articles on the
Yeti that are more or less dripping with sarcasm and directed
towards aspects of life that catch my interest, but fiction
is my true passion and calling. I'm not really sure why I
wrote this, perhaps to inspire someone else to embrace writing,
maybe just to demonstrate that I'm not purely some jerk with
bad opinions. But regardless of my motivations, remember that
words are magic, and can be awesome to behold in the hands
of a master spellweaver.
-Ritz
