I HAVE NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT?

I had a professor, in my creative writing class, who told me that, there is no such thing as “writers block”. I don’t know how much of that is true, but I do see what he meant. He kept explaining how we all have something to write about, like writing about the day, about ourselves, write about how we feel because we don’t have anything to write about. I personally like to go outside, take a bus and describe in writing everything I am seeing. Sometimes, when I look at my Facebook, I see so many things, that anyone can immediately find something to write about, but also lots of things which can piss you off. I never had writers block in my life, and I never used it as an excuse not to want to write. The reason I never had writers block was because I am not a writer, well, at least I don’t think of myself as one, writing is an art that does not come easy to me, but I never give up trying, but I can admit, I am lazy at times though. I do find myself getting lost. I get lost in words and I get caught up in my emotions. I wonder how many people out there, had felt something so strong, after watching it on TV, in the internet, on the radio or on social media, to then be pondering about it, all day on your mind. Social media has giving us an opportunity to write a response as soon as we feel it. That’s writing at its best, when you see a pissed off comment about someone disagreeing with someone else’s opinion on the matter, hilarious!

What is this all about anyways, why is writing so important? It is though, through writing we have learn so much about different eras, civilizations and great people, who used to walk this earth because of the power that writing has left behind. Manuscripts and scrolls, journals and diaries, masterfully written work about things we never saw and people who we never met. If writing is such an important part of our lives and our legacy, why is it so disregarded?

Cursive writing has been taught in schools for many years, my grandmother learned it, my mother learned it and many schools still teaches to its young student’s the art of Cursive writing.  My generation was probably the last generation to learn Cursive writing. It’s said that the majority of schools in the US are not teaching students this format of writing, they teaching them typing. Why is cursive writing important? It is imperative to our cognitive response. I’m not making these things up, look it up.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/04/30/should-schools-require-children-to-learn-cursive/the-benefits-of-cursive-go-beyond-writing

In a vast technological society/world, we are more likely to leave no trace behind of who we were, and no trace of what we went through or our legacies, because soon the idea of writing or real penmanship will disappear. No more will someone pick up a note book and write on a sheet of paper.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/04/30/should-schools-require-children-to-learn-cursive/cursive-handwriting-is-a-cultural-tradition-worth-preserving

We are constantly being smothered with tons of information, and therefore we are not really focusing on our response to things. We are not thinking because, a simple thing as writing, listening and reading, requires focus. Media does not focus because its images repeats at 24/30 frames per seconds, for hours, that is as much as we can handle without completely overloading our brain and shutting down. It is hard to focus when there is so much around us we forget about the human anatomy, the person, and our selves. Writing is thinking, reasoning and most importantly it is discipline. If our cognitive response slows down, we are more likely incapable of writing or having anything to write about at all.

Many are debating that Cursive writing should not be used in schools and should die out, but I want to quote someone that made a strong point:

“We are not all going to be artists, but most people agree that art is a legitimate subject for grade schoolers. Cursive is another way for a person to express himself… You have to teach cursive for at least one year. A good hand can come naturally to some people and can be a source of pride for them. Refusing to give them the chance is just not right.”

I’m on the side that believes Cursive writing should continue to be taught in schools, we are losing our art and music classes in most schools, it will be a misfortune to remove completely the discipline and the skill that can benefit a child in the future. Why not teach our children to be free? Let’s teach the new generation to express themselves, to think for themselves. Why not teach our children the benefit of a good penmanship and the art of thinking without constraints. Please continue to write, because it’s a beautiful and substantial skill to have. Not just in typing but in handwriting, we can all learn to master a coherent sentence and believe that there is always something to write about, in which will always be worth preserving for generations to come.