AND SO I WRITE….

In a world that seems to have moved on to writing assistants and artificial intelligence, I still can't get over my obsession with pens and typewriters. I also know people like me who are just as obsessed with the natural pen-to-paper process and are furious about the growing number of bots and technologies taking over. I am still thrilled every time I hold my pen to write, like the first time I switched over from pencil to pen in school. Holding my pen fills me with a strange sense of euphoria that matches only that of my scalpel. It all started as a harmless way to express my thoughts and display my creativity because I wasn't anything but a nerd. I did not stop even when everyone said what does a doctor have to do with writing so much? Not even when the online appointment system took over, and we had to switch over to no writing days.  

As much as writing became easily a habit to me, the words did not come that effortlessly. But I don't mind sitting cluelessly for hours staring into oblivion because the process yields much more than just words on paper. It takes me on a mind tour whenever I think of what I need to jot down. It starts at one place where a sailor is staring down the deep blue sea, unaware of the depths that lie beneath him and ends somewhere in a magical land filled with stardust and moon waves. I love letting my mind wander across all the landscapes and timelines, and I would never trade that experience for want of writing quicker and the easier way.

If I let my writing become effortless with AIs, then how will I magically wander across the blue seas, the purple skies, the green meadows and the cracked draught lands? And what would I do with the extra free hours anyway, which will be me having to deal with reality? There is no denying that writing assistants make our lives and jobs mess-free, but the euphoria that comes with writing is irreplaceable. Writing fills in the crevices of my heart, activates the sleepiest part of my brain and tends to my wounded soul. No matter how many AI tools take over, writing will always remain immortal. 

I want to sail across oceans from the cabin of my workspace, fly across the deep blue skies while pondering on my couch, touch the sun and paint the moon blue with the ink of my pen and dive among the glittery small fishes while sipping on my piping hot tea. I want to doodle on the canvas of the emptiness beyond the skies and use the palette of colours from around the world to create words. And so I write and will continue to do so. 

This is a part of Blogchatter’s half marathon 2023 

#penbooksandscalpel