Take A Leap

Writing, to me, is about taking a leap from tumultuous and interrupted fantasies into a convincing set of words that can shock and change the world. Writing (a second language) is one of the hardest and also hard-earned skills that stubborn people keep pursuing. After years of practice, some people create a masterpiece and can claim a "writer's status" while others are still shy and struggle to find sophisticated words, perhaps until his or her final breath.

I am stubborn and will put myself into the latter group.

Writing, to me, is therapeutic, and it fills the empty spaces with the sacred and lonely world of words. Words often follow me, but good thoughts or great ideas often sleep or take a sabbatical, somewhere. On a lucky and happy day, I can manage to match random words with brilliant ideas well. The truth is that the majority of my days, recently, don't always allow me to achieve at least a bit of what I would like to be able to write.

Writing, to me, is another form of communication to the world outside me. Whether the communication is successful or not is another subject to be discussed. This form of communication takes a quantum leap of faith to be successful. I stumble and stagger when writing, as my words, sometimes unclear, jump up and down like little kids bouncing on a trampoline. I don't know whether switching to write in my native language (Thai) would solve this puzzle. I am not sure whether my second language command is sharper than my native tongue. I have to find ways to communicate this mystery.

Writing, to me, is about taking a great leap, starting from an undisclosed and unscrutinized set of words in my crazy mind to set up a stage or pattern, a stage where those words are organized to become a new surprisingly good discourse when it is well done. (and I must admit, two shots of a dark Espresso really helps).

I think of writing as taking a great leap because it takes me years and years to finally decide to write. To sit down and work my way, putting all of those naughty words into a sentence, like layering each brick to build a mud house.

TAN