When I think of becoming a writer I remember subconsciously hearing the howl of the wind as the fresh smell of summer came rolling through my window. I lay submerged in the soft canyon formed in my sheets as a proud but seasoned spine stubbornly cracked open to release the secrets locked within. I anxiously anticipated how the story would come to a close in the book I had been working on for a few months now. The literature in this book, Game of Thrones, and the numerous other novels that came before and after, are the reasons that I became the writer I am today. From the stories I heard as a child or the first book that I was finally able to finish in 5th grade, reading has inarguably sculpted my ability to write. While I love reading, even if finding the free time to do so can be difficult, it was not always something that was appealing to me. The endeavor of lying down for three hours on my sheets staring at a cluster of stapled paper would never have occurred to me as enjoyable; yet in hindsight I have done it dozens of times within the past few summers of my life.
In the beginning of last summer I realized that I had developed a passion for literature as I concluded the first chapter in Game of Thrones; with the conclusion of the chapter a brisk slap broke the silence in the room as the page was lifted up into the air and fell back in position on the opposing side. With every new page came a new piece in the story line. Every word having an impactful meaning on the plot that expressed the joy of a character, sound of a battle, or the comforting touch of an empathetic mother, lending itself to show the reader everything that the character or story was progressing towards. I finished another page and quickly swiped my hand from my side, turning the page, to enter into the next adventure, constantly envisioning the movie inside my head and being almost fed the film one word at a time. Consciously I took a moment to realize how lost in the pages I had become. The author in this novel, George R. R. Martin, had entrapped me again to the current piece of art I was gazing upon. I could not stop reading and honestly I did not want to. I concluded that this is the type of writer I wanted to be; I did not want readers to read my work. I wanted them to envision it, just as I had envisioned the dozens of books in my mind.
I came to realize the power of a writer as I envisioned the pounding footsteps of thousands of men, horses and wagons blanketing the ground beneath their feet as they dutifully went rushing towards their ultimate end; the leaders in their ranks usher them forward faster than they ever thought possible. George R. R. Martin was demonstrating again the amazing empowerment that a writer had as he manifested this battle scene of clan fighting against clan. One would usually identify the construction of whole planets, races, and omniscient sight of everything created as the result of a god, yet writers make use of this power every day with a simple stroke of a pencil or the press of a button. By use of writing, a person can be sent to any place in the world that they can imagine. They can be with a person they desire and can go on any adventure or walk any path they strive to embark on. This idea is one of my core beliefs as to why I love to study and write literature.
Cumulatively in my study of literature I understood that reading had shown me that writing is not something that limited you but rather something that empowered you. The books I have read instilled upon me values and intriguing new ways to look at the world around me. They have taken me on journeys that have shown me the depth of love friendship can offer or the amount of courage one can possess. I witnessed another aspect of courage as I learned from another author, my stepmom, who has written a book herself on wellness and nutrition. I never knew the complex thought process and routine a writer had to go through to write their book with the desired effect in mind. While reading the books I have grown to love for entertainment, I never considered how much work had gone into them. I first experienced this phenomenon though when I wrote my essays for my Army ROTC scholarship.
As I began writing my essays for my Army ROTC Scholarship, I would come to appreciate the application and usefulness that reading gave to me. I think on this subject as I contemplate the experiences I have had and the way they have prepared me to be a leader for the Army and yet I cannot seem to place my feelings or thoughts on the blank screen. It seems to be staring back at me in silent mockery. I try and refer back to the how authors grabbed my attention in the books I have read and what made me want to continue reading. Nothing was coming to my mind, and if it had, it was definitely not formulating itself into anything meaningful. I would not give up. An idea soon struck me as to how I was going to complete this mountain of work that lay before me.
My solution was creativity, the ultimate key to success in writing and in reading, a full-proof solution to either failing or succeeding. I knew this inexplicable power could be utilized because I had seen it on countless occasions in the novel, Game of Thrones. I was going to have to get creative in my writing as well if I wanted to vocalize everything that needed to be said. Luckily, the experiences I had as a reader had shaped my mind to think in ways I would have never considered before. I began using words that were connecting my ideas rather than separating them and crafting an overall theme to my writing rather than a group of scattered ideas. Writing in the end was the key factor in obtaining my scholarship that would directly affect the outcome of the rest of my life.
To reach this outcome of becoming a writer a person needs to first find a passion and reason to enjoy literature so that they themselves can see how it is connected with creativity and then perfected. Through hard work and time one will soon grasp the ability and power of a writer. In the end they will exploit its usefulness in all areas of life. Ironically, finally becoming a writer outspokenly shaped and molded the way I saw books. Being able to realize and appreciate both ends of the spectrum had greatly uplifted my ability as a producer and consumer of literature. The beginning of the masterpiece directly reflected the end, and both needed to be stringently analyzed to appreciate their separate, but intertwined beauty.