28/09/2011

Writing is like riding a bike

I thought it would be hard to write again, but after such a long time it has not been as difficult as I expected. Facing a blank space, for lack of a better name, is actually a lot of fun. A virtual keyboard is another challenge: it works well for short things but makes sustained writing a little awkward. Even so, as these few lines keep flowing, I realise that although the physical act of typing is something you never quite forget, making the words mean something—and keeping them from becoming boring to read—gets harder with time. The elaborate adjectives do not come to mind as easily, nor does a good metaphor that draws a reader in and makes them want to see how the tangle will be resolved. It is also strange to remember that quiet inner voice narrating what you want to write. Especially when, as here, the subject is so general and the words are simply an escape for a poor writer like me.

I have practised writing without a goal in mind, just letting the words out. I have never been entirely happy with my own texts, and I do not usually show them to people who might give me an opinion. Today, obligations await: another day to live, and I have to get up early to face it and enjoy it as much as I can. Knowing in advance that a day will be difficult can give you plenty to think about. It is also a good reminder that even a particularly hard day will pass, and other days will make up for the effort. “A couple of laps and then home”—a phrase I think we all repeated when we first pedalled a bicycle, once we had learned to keep moving and could start enjoying the speed and all those new sensations.