For many people writing is a labour, an unpleasant, time-consuming task that they would much rather leave to others. This is not surprising as writing is the one language skill that is unnatural. Listening and speaking come naturally to us and following on from our ability to copy the language of those around us and use it in our own way, reading develops as we first copy how others interpret the symbols on the page and then the innate ability of visual recognition allows us to read those symbols for ourselves. Writers however, do not have the luxury of copying others. Writers are expected to be creative, innovative and independent in their productions, if they wish to call them their own.
For the writer, each creative act is both a tax and a blessing. It is a draining experience to find the words to express the thoughts that demand written attention, but it is also a thrill to get those thoughts out in the open where they can no longer insistently clang against the iron bars of the writer's mind. The process, however, is an arduous one, during which words, structure and content are negotiated and renegotiated.
Should a certain word be repeated later in the text, or is it better to use a synonym instead? Should words be repeated when synonyms might add a fresher sense to the text? With such a range of vocabulary to choose from, should writers restrict themselves to a limited set of words or explore all the different options available to them? How should a particular sentence be constructed so that its meaning fully conveys the sense of the writer's thoughts? How should the writer construct the sentences so that the full meaning of his thoughts is conveyed? How should writers construct sentences so that the full meaning of their thoughts are conveyed? Is it "is conveyed", or "are conveyed"?
The struggle to convey meaning is followed by a break in the action as the writer pauses (or should I write "stops"), to consider what has been written and what should follow. It is time consuming (I've already used this expression in the first paragraph - should I change to something else?) ... pause to think ... It is a process that readers don't get to see as they follow the writer's directions in the text and are carried along by the text without giving thought to the process that has led them. It is one of the pleasures of reading that it is a relaxing pursuit that doesn't demand of the reader to consider the process. (Reread the last two sentences to make sure that they make sense.) (Too many "that"s and repeated "process", but it should be ok.)
There is sweet relief as the final full stop is printed on the page, but it is a fleeting moment. Almost immediately the thought arises, "What's next?" and the clanging begins again.
Dion Marc Delport
2 February 2009