Thoughts

The Romance of Writing

~ Sarrah Hakim ~ 7 Comments

I swear one of my new year’s resolutions is to update my blog more. It’s just that these past two weeks I’ve been on winter break, and sometimes, the most wonderful feeling in the world is the feeling of doing nothing at all.

I will admit, however, that I have spent (at least the last half of) winter break struggling to plot my manuscript. It seems that everything I think of is too cliché, or it doesn’t make sense, or no one would ever want to read it.

I did write two new poems though, which you can read here. One of them describes my situation as “the tortured writer.”

I wish I could say that writing is just soft pretty flakes of inspiration fluttering onto the page, the romantic unleashing of all that lies in one’s heart. But it’s not, although the very best authors do make it seem that way.

But you know something? Tonight, we dimmed the lights in the family room and played Frank Sinatra songs on my dad’s old record player. And I sat by the fireplace with my notebook and wrote my story as the flickering flames warmed my face. And that was pretty darn romantic. Sometimes I feel as though I were born in the wrong time period! It’s like that movie, Midnight in Paris.

There’s also something more romantic about physically writing on a sheet of paper in a notebook as opposed to typing on a computer. I read somewhere that writing on paper accesses the creative part of your brain and so the writing flows better. It seems to be true, at least for me. I think a sheet of notebook paper is also less intimidating than a blank white page on Microsoft Word.

I don’t know if I’ll actually end up writing my entire manuscript longhand. One advantage of using a computer is being able to edit so easily. Also, if I do end up writing out my manuscript, I’ll have a whole lot of typing to do by the end of it.

As I was struggling to write over break (and also after I watched Midnight in Paris), I wondered what famous authors would tell me if I asked them for advice. I googled it, and I found this very helpful page:

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2009/11/17/words-of-wisdom-101-tips-from-the-worlds-most-famous-authors/

It’s called Words of Wisdom: 101 Tips From the World’s Most Famous Authors, and it’s really nice. I enjoyed reading the quotes, and I also felt much more motivated and inspired to write my own story.

I would definitely recommend checking it out. You may find yourself inspired, if not to write, than at least in some other aspect of your life. Because that’s what’s beautiful about writing; it inspires you in more than one way.

Learning to Breathe

~ Sarrah Hakim ~ 4 Comments

There are many times when I feel so ridiculously caught up in work and school and stress and whatnot that I drown.

I drown in the sea of homework, tests, quizzes, obligations, extracurricular activities, etc. I even drown in my own writing – because all of a sudden even the things I love to do, like reading and writing poetry, seem like work.

I’m sure I’m not the only one in the world who feels this way. But I think I’ve figured out a sort of solution.

You have to learn to breathe underwater.

It’s not easy to do (it’s anything but easy!), though it’s very easy to say. But there are different ways of doing it, and I think if you can find what’s right for you, it really helps. A lot.

I started this thing a while back that I like to call my Journal of Inspiration. It’s basically a collection of things that inspire me or brighten my mood – pictures, poems, Dove wrappers with inspirational messages, etc. Any little scrap of motivation goes in my Journal.

On the very first page is my oath:

The Oath

1. No worry or fear is to enter this notebook.

2. This notebook is meant solely for non-academic purposes.

3. I am not allowed to use pencil in this notebook because I should be AM unafraid of making mistakes.

4. I promise to write what resides in the very depths of my heart.

It might seem silly, but this is what lets me breathe underwater. Today I sat at the kitchen table and taped a picture of a flying baby in my Journal. Underneath I wrote, “If a flying baby isn’t inspirational, I don’t know what is.”

I have poems by Shel Silverstein and Rudyard Kipling in there, along with some of my own poems. I even taped Halls cough drop wrappers in there – because there’s “a pep talk in every drop.”

I guess learning to breathe means finding something that you really love to do and that makes you smile. For me, it’s taping things into my Journal and flipping through it on gloomy days – days when I don’t feel motivated to work on my manuscript or start hacking away at that mountain of homework.

Obviously none of the work I have to do is going to go away. But I think motivation is important – and my Journal serves not only to motivate me, but to remind me why I work so hard for the things I love. I work on my manuscript because writing is my passion. I work hard in school because I value education and want to be more knowledgeable.

And I think sometimes we ignore that little voice that screams “Don’t give up! You can do it!” But if we can find something that makes us smile, that allows us to breathe underwater when we’re drowning in work, we’ll be much happier. And I think we’ll find more meaning in the things we work so hard for in life.

The Old Man and the Sea

~ Sarrah Hakim ~ 24 Comments

I couldn’t sleep last night because of this book. Which is strange, because I read it last December. I can’t tell you why it rushed back to me all of a sudden. But I can tell you how it made me feel.

I couldn’t sleep because each time I closed my eyes all I could see were the vast rolling waves. It wasn’t just a dark ocean; it was a menacing one. I was scared.

I was scared of that black, endless ocean. And the sharks. Oh man, the sharks! They were enough to strike terror in one’s heart.

I know I put this in the Book Reviews category, but it isn’t really a book review. It’s more of a “this book made me feel something and I want to share it” sort of thing. Certain books leave an imprint on my mind, and this book is one of them.

When a book doesn’t let me sleep at night, I know it’s good. When it doesn’t let me sleep almost a year after I’ve read it, I know it’s really good. And when I can see the ocean every time I close my eyes, and I can feel myself moving because of the waves tossing and turning and pitching below me, and I can feel the strength of that marlin, I know it’s really really  good. Actually, no – it’s more than that. It’s powerful.

I guess what I’m trying to say here in a sort of roundabout way is that a book doesn’t necessarily have to be long and fancy to be good. The Old Man and the Sea is 127 pages long. It’s not even really a novel. It’s a novella.

But I don’t think I will ever forget it.

Because it made me realize that there are things like this in the ocean:

I’m not saying that I didn’t know sharks existed before I read the book. But… they just didn’t seem real. It was like, “Oh yeah, sharks. No big deal.” Not like, “SHARKS!”

Hmm. I don’t think this is coming across the right way. I’m not trying to show that I’m afraid of sharks. I guess I’m trying to show that I’m in awe. In awe of the ocean, and all the creatures that live there.

And I didn’t really realize that until I read The Old Man and the Sea.

It wasn’t a perfect book (no book is – gasp!), but it was beautiful. And it made an impact.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I’m doing the ocean or the book justice right now. I feel like I’m just rambling and none of this actually makes sense.

So I’ll stop. Right now. And hope that you take away something meaningful from this post.

The Beauty of Procrastination

~ Sarrah Hakim ~ 7 Comments

I have this love-hate relationship with procrastination. Here’s the thing: I don’t like it for the reason that teachers tell you not to do it – it causes more stress because work piles up over time.

But… we all do it. Procrastination seems to be the one mistake from which we never learn. The world’s greatest people have procrastinated at one point or another – probably more often than not. Is it because we’re human? Because our brains are programmed to forget the pain we felt when attempting to write that forty-page paper the morning it was due?

I honestly can’t answer that question. I don’t know why we do it. But I can tell you something your teachers probably won’t ever mention:

Procrastination is beautiful.

Have you ever overslept? Woken up at 7:10 or 7:15… and miraculously made it out of the house by 7:20?

Well there’s the beauty I’m talking about. When you procrastinate, you discover that you have an ability (more like a magic power, really) to do things fast.

If I have an essay to write over the weekend, and I start it on Friday, I’m likely to spend all weekend writing that essay. But if I start Sunday night… hey, what do you know? I’m forced to finish it in a couple of hours. More importantly, I realize I have the ability to finish it in a couple of hours. It’s beautiful.

People at school do homework during lunch on the day it’s due.

Or they do it during other classes.

Or five minutes before class starts.

BUT WAIT. I am not advocating procrastination. Really. It’s not something you should do on a daily basis. I don’t necessarily admire procrastinators.

The people I admire are the ones who are efficient. The people who prioritize and figure out the best strategies for managing their time. They don’t wait until the last minute – but they also don’t spend too much time on one thing. This is the type of person I strive to be. Living a balanced life takes skill.

But even a balanced life is allowed a hint of procrastination, right? Just to keep us human. And just to show us what we’re truly capable of now and then.

At any rate, I guess I’d better get started on that math homework. 😛

 

Each Word Carefully Chosen

~ Sarrah Hakim ~ 4 Comments

I read this poem once, and I wish I could remember what it was called, or at least who wrote it. I can’t even remember how it went exactly. But the reason I bring it up is that one thing stood out, and that one thing is something I’ll never forget, something that I’ll keep in mind for the rest of my life. Whether I’m giving a speech, talking to my friend, or writing an email. It doesn’t matter. That poem had a beautiful way of saying it, and it was something to the extent of this:

 Every word that comes out of your mouth is like an arrow shot through the air. You don’t know where it will land, and it could easily pierce someone’s heart.

Sometimes we say things too quickly, without bothering to think about how someone will feel. You could carelessly toss a word away, thinking nothing of it, but to someone else it might mean a great deal. Maybe you say something, thinking it’s a joke, but your friend doesn’t feel that way at all.

I’m not saying that you have to think carefully about every single word that comes out of your mouth. But just be aware that what you say might affect someone, even if you don’t think much of it.

I was taught in elementary school – and I’m sure you’ve heard it at some point in your life – the golden rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

But here’s the thing: what might not affect you might affect someone else. Maybe you wouldn’t mind if someone made a joke about the way you look or speak or act, but maybe someone else would mind. But… how the heck are you supposed to know what the other person is thinking? You can’t read minds. How do you know if what you say will make someone feel bad or not?

Obviously no one is perfect. No one expects you to be. But as you talk to people, as you talk to your friends… you notice what people’s personalities are like. Especially among people you know really well or are close to – you know if someone is more sensitive than you are, you know if someone will be able to handle the joke or not. And if you’re not sure… then maybe it’s best not to say it.

Choose your words carefully… try to anticipate where the arrow will land.

But you know something? It’s true the other way around, too. Maybe you say “hello” to someone, just to be polite, but to that person, it means a lot more than just “hello.” I know for a fact that my friends have done seemingly small favors for me, but those favors have meant a lot to me.

A birthday gift, a letter, a small handwritten note… they all mean a lot. A kind word from someone can mean a lot too.

I think you have a choice with your words: either you can shoot arrows, or you can bestow unexpected gifts. It’s up to you.