THE FLUIDITY OF WRITING

"Creative juices flowing."

"Awash in inspiration."

“Prose that flows smoothly.”

“A sea of words.”

These are but a few of the terms used to describe the craft of scribes. The association between writers and water is quite telling; water is an essential part of life and growth. It wakes up the sleeping, replenishes the thirsty, and sustains life. Cities were built around bodies of it. 

To those who engage in wordcraft, writing is like water, because to them, writing is life. It is the very purpose and reason for living. It is what sustains them emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically. For an author, writing can ease inconsolable sadness, elevate feelings of personal accomplishment, and bring untold personal satisfaction. It helps to germinate and transform. Even a mild or shy individual can become a teacher, a judge, a comedian, or a critic influencing their audience without ever seeing them. Writing can restore old memories by adding to or stripping away the patina of history. Like water, writing also purifies, cleanses, and replenishes.

Just as water takes on the shape of the vessel that carries it, true success is achieved when an author’s words become a part of the reader. Separately, a glass of water is simply a glass and a puddle; it is not until the two are joined together that they are both defined as something unique and purposeful. Without this union, the glass, like the reader, will remain empty and dry, while the puddle, like the writer, will evaporate.

Of all the elements, water is the most powerful, but for it to be strong it must flow. Fluid water is healthy water while stagnant water is unhealthy and corrupted by its own its own inactivity. Writers must continue to flow as well; they must always be working and moving toward the next idea, refining their last sentence, or developing their next paragraph. It is through this fluidity that they too become strong.

The earth can nurture the seed, but without water, the seed cannot grow. While a fire burns bright, it eventually consumes itself, and if left unchecked, can be destructive. Wind knows but two emotions: anger and calm. Water, however, allows the seed to grow, controls the fire, and enhances the mood of the wind. In much the same way, writing also promotes growth, dictates the intensity of emotions, and enhances the reader. The world cannot live without water or writers.