The Value of Writing Griselda Sukmoro   © Copyright 2018 by Griselda Sukmoro

A man types on his keyboard, moving at a speed that produces a rushing sound. The screen in front of him glows with black letters filling an empty canvas. He is a writer. He dives deep into his world and composes a litany of epic stories. Does this remind you of someone? He could be any of us right now or in the past or in the future. We have become writers in our lives. We offer information to our readers based on collected data. Alphabets hunch together to create a syllable, that in turns becoming a word. Words become sentences and sentences soon become a paragraph. These stories we make piled up in the universe over the past centuries. What if writing is a measurement of a thriving economy? This essay evaluates writing beyond its physical activity. Let us explore the possibility of writing as a measurement tool of a good life.

Humans longed for good lives. We compare performances between countries, between past to present, and between stories. There are tools to measure country’s development. We are adept at the concept of Gross Domestic Production (GDP). It ranks that indicates how a country is growing. A country with the highest GDP should have a good standard of living. Then we look into ourselves and think about happiness and mindfulness. Studies show that those who live in happiness lives to the fullest. Many people pursue this happiness to grasp the ideal everlasting good life. Then, we have literature with people who survive the worst or those who achieve the most. We compare their biographies and fictitious characters. We look for traits and decisions we ought to make should we deal the same problem. Nothing defeats our desire to make the most of our lives.

Science fiction is one genre that thinks about human’s well being. The authors look no further than current situations to develop their worlds. George Orwell in 1984 focuses on social justice. Humans didn't have the rights to freedom in the dystopian world. Science fiction writer often creates a dystopian or a utopian universe. The first talks about an apocalyptic world. While the later look through the positive lens of the world. No matter which world they choose to make, the author introduces a problem to the characters. Then, we engage in the adventures to bring the world into salvation. Writers of science fiction often scrutinize over the technical details. They want to convince readers that technology would work the wonders of the story. Whoever writes a science fiction is conscientious to the economy and social justice. They have a keen eye for technology and world building.

In general, fiction works are directly related to culture and history. Homer’s The Illiad is the oldest war book based on poems originally dated in 8th century BC. The story begins in the middle of the war between Greek and Troy. The crafted tale woven Greek mythology, heroism, and moral values. Fantasy stories like the 21st-century Harry Potter series engage readers with otherworldly stories. The author refers to mythology beyond the magic and mythical creatures. Readers identify with the cultural roots of their knowledge. They become convinced that the fantasy fiction could exist in real life. Fiction works describe how a story relates to its culture and history. The creator uses both critical and creative thinking for the prose woven. Thus, encouraging fiction writers mean to cultivate critical and creative minds.

Finally, personal development often discusses the importance of writing in our lives. Memoirs from victims and refugees tell how a person survives through a tragic event. We see their courage to fight for their lives even on this day. This brings hope about humanity and ignites the will to thrive in our lives. Meanwhile, essays focus on creating a movement. They think about writing from both personal and collective individual’s perspective. The writer often sees the need for change in the society. Non-fiction writers leverage the value of writing based on their information.

What we must not forget is the importance of writing in a country. Any writing, no matter how short addresses an issue to further develop humanity. Distributing writing means increasing the literacy and education demand. The reading activity indicates a person’s literacy and education level. Hence distributed writing encourages improved education level. Finally, writing indicates a country’s long-term investment to the future generation. Writing is a measurement of a thriving economy.