My good friend and fellow writer Sydney did me the favor of writing a guest post. You can find her blog here: Let's Be Adventurers. The following prose is written by her and most excellent, in my humble opinion.
“When words are scarce they are seldom spent in vain.” - William Shakespeare
If the above statement is true, then if words are plentiful, then can they be made and used and wasted? Or is that dreams… Either way, words.
I believe words are the support of humanity. Every word has a meaning. They express how we feel and think. They communicate ideas and emotions. Words are pure expression that you can see and hear and, best of all, write! Ah yes, writing. As Matt has already mentioned, writers are insane. I believe it’s because, writers are lovers of words. And look how many words exist in the English language alone! There’s just too many to remember. But, that is what makes the writer crazy. Though there are too many words, and most people are satisfied with just using enough to get their point across, writers try and squeeze every possible word they can into their memories. Especially large interesting words, those are always the hardest to use, and yet the ones we always want to remember. Why are writers so infatuated with words? Well really, writers are obsessed equally with words and people. To a writer, the two are synonymous. See, if words are the support of humanity, then being obsessed with words leads to an obsession with people. You discover that certain people can be described by certain words, or that a word reminds you of a person. You start writing just because you like words but then you start making people out of your words. You begin to create worlds and life and… you can manipulate and sculpt things with your words. And then, you begin to discover new words! You realize the words you’ve been using are rubbish in comparison with these new ones and the power they hold. These new words are more expressive. They communicate the meaning of your old words, but on a whole different level! And eventually you end up with so many words in your vocabulary that you just love to use that whenever you write or talk you end up rambling because you want to fit in as many words as possible… It’s true. I tend to ramble anyways, and since I make a point of expanding my vocabulary, I ramble every time I talk it seems.
If you can ignore the above rambling, this is where it gets serious. I really do believe that words are the support of humanity, but I also believe they could be humanity’s downfall. Words are expression and meaning, right? Well, not all words have a good meaning. And not all words are used kindly. Words can build people up, or they can tear them down. Words can be used to lie. They can hurt people or infuriate them. But the good and bad thing about words is that they stick with you. You can give someone a compliment, and they may remember the words you spoke for forever. Or you could tear them down with your words, and they may end up in therapy because they never really got over what you said. Words always carry meaning and power, whether you think they do or not. So, be careful of what you say. Sometimes this is hard. I know I struggle with it. I’m a communicator (it’s my top strength) so when something comes into my mind, I just say it. I don’t think about what I’m saying or how it will sound, it’ just comes out. I have to be very careful most times, and oftentimes end up apologizing for things that I say.
Writers are infatuated with words. And if they’re smart, writers are also very careful people, because they understand that words are powerful. But let’s face it, most of us are not all that smart either that or we don’t care. So if you ever find yourself talking to someone who either, A) makes animated facial expressions as if talking to themselves, B) consistently contradicts themselves, C) uses words you’ve never heard before and probably never will again (also consistently) or D) who has no problem dropping whatever they’re doing to write down an idea, chances are good that yes they’re insane because they’re a writer! Insane because, with a head full of so much meaning and power that is words, you sacrifice your sanity for the sake of your obsession: words.
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