There is an interesting phenomenon in the virtual world I observed these days. As somebody who counts on technology to keep in touch with her old mates but not geeky enough to keep up with it and be the pioneer in inventing new ways, I check my Facebook at least once a day. Lately, unusually high “Note” posts bombarded my News Feed. Apparently a LOT of my friends wrote similar notes to what I have written before, a supposedly “25 random things about myself“.
This is quite amazing to me. Not only because I’m a rather constant hungry reader and always love to read about people, but also because I never knew these people have such talent. Some of the stuffs I read were really good that I found myself amused reading them to the end. It seemed as if a lot of promising writers suddenly emerged, when I’m pretty convinced some of them have never written anything before, maybe except project reports. And as a big time nerd, while the trend made me happy, it also forced me to think WHY.
These are some of what I have in mind:
- People love to talk about themselves. There is always a narcissistic side of us. We are fond of attention, we take pleasure from recalling and retelling stories about ourselves. And guess what. People LOVE controversy. That’s why we write 1 or 2 things about what others least expected from us. (Yeap, that includes me
) - Writing random things is easier than creating a composition that has to have a start, an end, and a plot. It tends to be more fun too, for both the writer and the reader, because of the freshness and variety it offers. Unfortunately, writing this kind of stuff can’t really make money, unless you are already a big shot.
- To produce a good article/story, we have to believe in whatever we write, even when it is the most ridiculous thing we have ever come up with. That’s why we are much better when writing about ourselves. Because it is believable.
- What makes a good writer? Talent may be one, but it has been proven wrong in many occasions. And as Edison said, genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. It all comes down to hard work and commitment. So for those of you aspiring to be a writer, it may not be impossible after all. Just start.
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ps: Yeah, I write this more for myself than anyone else
You are real writer if you can show the truth to people with words.
drtombibey.wordpress.com
@Dr. B: Very nicely said!
@Cisca: Thanks for dropping by, girl
@Tom: Yeap. And the “truth” itself, just like what donttakeitliterally has mentioned, is something that we are deeply convinced.
For me, what I like the most is to write about my opinions pertaining an issue. To be able to share and discuss them with others, that’s thrilling.
& you’re a great leader if you can show the truth by actions.
Getting philosophical eh, my dear friend?
Writing random things is easier. Damn rite! Thats why I write more FS’ bulletin boards than multiply blog post.
Hahahah… You should stop playing FS too much and start your own magazine!
absolutely true about what you have written that there is always narcissistic side of us :p but this primal emotion will make our life more colorful at the end. we love telling and reading stories, especially those which have connection with us or at least touch our subconscious dream or thoughts. A good writer is the one who can make his/her readers think that the stories are actually their own stories due to similarity they have found. Generalized story with personalized touch….
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Waduh, ada 3 biji yang namanya Richard Prayogo… Coba message gua email lo