Wednesday, November 11, 2015 // The Statement 
7B

Personal Statement: Getting it on paper

by Mayank Mathur, Daily Arts Writer

W

riting isn’t easy. Hell, I’ve been writing this 
piece for over an hour now. I might have 
been staring into empty space for most of 

that time, but it’s all part of the process, isn’t it?

It’s not.
It’s funny how I find myself in the same position 

almost every time I sit down to write something. It’s 
not like I don’t have ideas — they hit me so often during 
the day that I can’t keep count. In the shower, on the 
bus, in class, before I fall asleep … the opportunities 
are endless, but none are taken. I’ve always thought 
that college students take a certain amount of pride in 
procrastinating. It makes us feel kind of cool.

“Dude, I had a totally unproductive day today.”
“My week has been so unproductive.”
“I should have started this assignment five hours 

ago, but then I opened Netflix…”

How many times have these statements been made, 

and how many times have we actually felt a little good 
saying them, instead of feeling a great deal of regret? 
I’ve done it a few times. And so have you — don’t lie. 
The fact of the matter is that procrastination is wrong. 
It’s a horrible thing to do, we should be glad we have 
the time to do anything, really, and we should make 
the best possible use of it. Carpe diem the shit out of 
everything.

This is pretty rich coming from a guy who’s basically 

been sitting around for the better part of the day 
thinking of something to write about. I guess what’s 
making me regret it now is that I’ve actually had ideas, 
things I want to write about … it’s just that I get too 
comfortable too quickly. Dreaming out the perfect 
idea is so satisfying I forget to actually write the idea 
down. And really, what good is thinking of everything 

within your head if you don’t have anything to show 
for it in terms of tangible creative output?

I’ve always thought that writing is a two-part 

process. Writers have to be good thinkers, and they 
have to be good writers. Surprising, isn’t it? For an 
idea to be worth writing, it has to be well thought out, 
original, and interesting. That is the job of the thinker 
within the writer. The writer half is responsible for 
effectively translating thoughts into word. Crafting 
out the sentiment that you carry within you is what 
makes you a writer. Without it, you’re just a dreamer. 
That’s obviously not a bad thing; it’s just not what most 
writers want to be.

Writing is a skill that needs to be nourished and 

polished over time. And what’s the best way to do 
that? It’s to actually write. It’s absolutely essential for 
writers to devote time and energy to their craft and let 
it blossom over time.

Again, I realize this is priceless coming from me, 

someone who’s literally writing about how he cannot 
write, but I’m preaching to myself. I’m writing down 
what’s on my mind at this very instant, and after all — 
didn’t I just say that’s what I’m supposed to do? (Wow, 
talk about a self-serving piece.)

I remember watching a TED Talk a few years ago, 

which connects directly to this moment and this 
piece. I don’t remember who the speaker was, but it 
was a really successful and famous author. She spoke 
about how every writer, or every aspiring writer, has 
a “friend” that helps him or her write. She referred 
to this “friend” as a creative genie. Now this genie 
is a funny little guy. At random points in the day, 
whenever he chooses, he’ll climb into your ear and 
whisper brilliant ideas that you’re supposed to turn 

into brilliant stories. Technically, the only real job of a 
writer is to listen to the genie and write. But the catch 
is that if you don’t listen to your genie instantly, it’ll 
run away with its idea and you’ll never get a hold of 
that idea again.

I thought that this was the most ridiculous TED talk 

ever. I couldn’t believe I had wasted fifteen minutes of 
the time I usually wasted on PlayStation listening to 
this.

Fast forward a few years and I’m sitting here, 

writing this, to tell you that the genie is real. I’m 
serious. And he’s a slimy little bugger. Every time I 
was hit with an idea in the shower, bus or wherever, 
I really should have been writing it down. Writing 
isn’t easy. An idea might seem brilliant at one moment 
and ridiculous after a while, but that’s because in that 
moment, you’re able to really see the idea for what it is. 
You’ll be able to plan it out perfectly in your head and 
really feel it. It’s then that you should put pen to paper 
and write something, anything. Once the moment’s 
gone, it’s gone forever and you’re probably never going 
to feel it again.

The reason I’m talking about this is because I’ve 

just realized how many times I’ve been struck by 
something seemingly inspirational, but I just get so 
content with the idea itself that I forget to write it 
down. The thinker within me effectively lulls the 
writer into a false sense of security and subdues him, 
and the idea gets lost within my head. It’s a wonder 
that my genie keeps coming back to me because, really, 
I’m not a good friend to it. But I’m done messing 
around now, I’m ready for a serious commitment and 
I’ll be waiting for my genie with a pen and paper in 
hand. (As long as I’m not in the shower.)

ILLUSTRATION BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES

