Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Red Balloon


Some say that writing is a muscle; it needs to be exercised. However, to me, writing is more of a reflex; it demands to be exercised. (Please excuse the somewhat contorted TFiOS reference.) I do not write for the fear of losing my ability, I write for the fear of losing myself. I write for the fear of losing my thoughts. It genuinely terrifies me when I think about all of the beautiful images I’ve seen and all of the wonderful thoughts I’ve had, and how I can’t remember the majority of them. Those moments, lost into an infinite space somewhere in my mind. Kind of like when you were a kid and you accidentally let your little red balloon slip out of your hand. That swift feeling of panic and loss, as you watched it float up into nothingness.

Life is my metaphorical red balloon. I don’t want to watch it float away, getting smaller and smaller, until I can’t even remember what it looked like. So, I write. And when I get nostalgic and sad, I look back on the things I’ve written and discover those lost memories. They make me happy and thankful, and soon I start to see that little red balloon come back to me.

2 comments:

  1. Hey, just found your blog and it's a great read :). I love the red balloon metaphor - I write so I don't forget thoughts and experiences but also so that other people can read what's happened in my life. Everyone is important and I guess writers write largely so they can immortalise themselves in their writing, would you agree?

    Madie

    (http://athinkinggirl.blogspot.co.uk/)

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    1. Well, thank you for reading my blog. I'm very glad you enjoyed it. And I would say that, yes, I do agree. I feel as a writer, my work is simply another embodiment of myself, and that's important.

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