By Will Swift
Writing is the natural and sophisticated expression of civilized society.
Writing is a form we consume on a daily basis: in books, newspapers, websites and social media. Writing nowadays is also instant. 140 characters is enough to influence the world. This is the power a good writer possesses. Ironically, it is challenging to express why writing is so important to me but I can at least try.
Writers develop ideas that shape new generations of people, be it through criticism, opinion, or other creative outputs. Those who can write well are able to articulate their thought process, their analytic ability and their understanding of different subject. These are people I admire greatly.
I want to develop all aspects of the way I write and learn how to succinctly convey my thoughts, improve my (currently abysmal!) academic vocabulary and develop a real writing style that I can be proud of both critically and artistically.
I also write because writing is important.
For 18 months I worked in a traditional, local pub. Educational stimuli was difficult to encounter in that environment. After leaving university the first time I was never challenged in this sense, I developed other abilities and was focused more on work ethics than creative improvement.
This has left me with an overwhelming need to write and learn and understand.
I was left in a limbo between wanting to write and needing to write. Before starting this Liberal Arts course I had no need to write. As a result, I dulled the part of my education of which I was once most proud.
It is not a necessity in the life I was leading before university therefore I have the urge once again to improve and develop myself as a writer. Having lost the drive that pushed me forward, I am looking to motivate and captivate myself more than anything else and hopefully this will come with the time I spend at university.
Self-improvement is the overall objective. I need to be a better version of myself. I want to write as both recreational and profession activity. At university I have this opportunity: peers, tutors and lecturers that share a common interest and often a common goal.
The need to articulate my understanding or opinion even without publication is important to me, to have a researched and eloquent response to the world in which I stand. This is unequivocally the reason that I write.
On the module ‘Argufying: Rhetoric, Reason and Reflection’, students are encourage do read George Orwell’s essay ‘Why I Write‘. Will took Orwell’s essay as inspiration for this post.
