The Beauty of the Written Word
Sound travels through the air when referring to colloquial speech. And when it pierces another’s ear, there is always some connotation associated with the vibration. Was the person happy, angry, sarcastic, bored, or intense? There is a wide array of emotions that go into verbalizing words and combinations of words. And when you add body language, messages can become interesting, exciting, alarming, even disarming. This is what makes movies and plays enticing. How do people interpreting what someone else imagined and penned?
In the movies or a play, the vibrations of music or explosive events can travel to our bodies quicker than the spoken words. That is because sound travels faster through solids. We have all been to a movie theater where the sound of an explosion or thunderclap sends vibrations up our spines before we hear the words and understand precisely what is transpiring in the movie.
The beauty of the written word is that it opens each reader’s mind to creativity. One can imagine what the scene might look like and how they would act out or live the story, what sounds and events would be occurring around each event.
I imagine that most of us have had the experience of reading a great book, and then going to the movie and the film does not match up with the vision manifested in our mind. I always read a book first, and then go to see the movie or play. If I am honest, my imagination is almost always better than what I experience with the film version.
There are many types of writing:
- Poetry – a type of literature that uses many artistic elements to enhance the work’s creative nature. Things like rhyme, rhythms, assonance, alliteration, and even typographical elements. This is my favorite form of the written word. And in my opinion, it bolsters the maximum potential to get one’s creative syrup flowing.
- Prose uses far fewer aesthetic qualities and generally has paragraph formation. The fictional novel, novella, and short story are typically penned in prose using specific rules for documentation. The writer imagined the story and the scene, and the reader’s mind brings the settings to life as they absorb the story. Creativity abounds here.
- Nonfiction writing depicts individuals’ interpretations of real-life events and how they see or experience the universe around them. Works including biography, travel writing, historical accounts, and technical writing. Technical writing, by nature, opens fewer creative doors than a biography would.
- There are many other writing types, including digital writing, drama writing, and letter writing, to name a few. All have varying opportunities for creativity. Often it depends on the author. But I believe the written word sparks imagination regardless of the type.
My Work:
My writing to date has primarily been poetry and memoir. I plan to explore some of these other writing types in the near future to keep my creativity syrup flowing.
The written word removes so many suggestions that society and the universe place on us. So, crack open a good book, and let your imagination run wild. Or write a good book and inspire others to get their creativity syrup flowing.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash