I swear my jacket is an Invisibility Cloak!

Tut tut. I see that my failure to post random unworthy stories on this blog has brought some disturbance to Cynic. I apologize and thank you for your helpfulness in posting the stuff on my behalf, except the part that I was missing in action.

The Idealist is never, I repeat, NEVER missing in action.

Okay, enough rantings.

Now let's write something- in case my lack of posts causes more distress.

Well. We are. Writers. In the sense that we write. Well actually, we blog...

But what makes a writer?

I believe that everyone has a hidden flair for writing, waiting to be revealed. Then why isn't everyone a professional writer, you may ask. Many discover their talent far too late, when they are already set on a career path...

Then, what distincts an interesting and a boring writer?

The most basic requirement is that the writer has imagination, perspective, then language.

Well actually, it can be simplified to two things. Attitude and Character.

Good writers are usually... sick in the head. Their imagination is what sets them apart from their peers. So much so that when something bad happens, it hits them doubly as hard, precisely for the fact that they are capable of imagining the very worst, and it's so real to them that sometimes, they are not be able to differentiate between reality and imagination.

Next, writers are usually... freaky. The beautiful words and phrases never seem to be able to be used in everyday life, and normal earthlings just cannot understand the peril of not being able to communicate their heart's desires. Writers, true ones, are probably reserved in speech. Well, they must have experienced their friends slumping on their seats and dozing off as they rattle on lost in their imagination. A pretty sad thing I suppose.

The most defining thing of a writer is that they have to be cynical. Most readers love perspective. Perfect. The author gives them a whole new way to look at stuff. Many readers accept the author's view without bothering to refer to it any longer, some book nerds who can barely survive in the working world learn to quote, while even fewer question. (Now didn't I say that the Cynic would make a better writer?)

Of course, there's the whole issue of language and grammar. Speaking of grammar, I've been really conscious of all my punctuation after reading 'Eats,Shoots and Leaves', written by Lynne Truss. Now, writers have the tendency to look at a sentence or a paragraph for ages trying to paraphrase it, kicking off useless words. (well at least I do o.0) Useless words are striked off, sent to the depths of 'word prison', waiting to be used again by yet another author. Writers write, and correct, then write more. Perfectionists, that's what they are. Philip Marlowe would have never come across as such a stylish character (with awesome conversations that show his character) , if Chandler had not been meticulous in his every word.

Now, those aspiring to be writers... Well I suppose that imagination must come first. If you don't have an inborn tendency to imagine, I guess a painful experience which will make your feelings come alive (Is that right? oh well) will do the trick. Writers either have crazy inborn imagination and weird character, or require many experiences to overcome this defect. Those that require many experiences are really observant creatures... But I do not mean the occasional gossiping neighbor who gives you the shivers that you're under surveillance.

Well this haphazard, unplanned writing has been tragic.

See you all then.

Signing off,

Idealist