In an age where technology, constant stimulation and dopamine hits are prevalent in our everyday lives, it can be tough to disengage for the betterment of one’s writing ability. I lost the art of writing for many years because of it, so I can attest to the brain rot that inevitably follows. Fast information that one will not remember as we spend our lives scrolling on social media apps and forming para-social relationships with our friends, families and strangers alike became a part of daily life. Conversations, when we are not diving head first into our phones, are minuscule and meaningless. For a writer, this can be a hard adjustment but it should not be difficult to let go of.
I remember when I started my move of disconnecting once Elon Musk acquired Twitter, I was already overstimulated from the realization that people are not meant to know everyone’s thoughts and opinions at every moment of the day. I am certain it didn’t happen overnight, but it seemed once Twitter was under a new regime, thoughts and opinions got more idiotic. This is where Stephen King’s advice of eliminating distractions began to ring loudly in the back of my mind. Twitter was a great place to write and engage, but it was also becoming a cesspool of distraction for me. I had to let it go.
In doing so, my mind became clear and I was able to separate my thoughts from other people’s and that is when my love of writing began again. The love for writing did not start off as such, the spark to read, read, read ignited this desire. I often speak about Toni Morrison because it is she that continues to keep me motivated and inspired. The Bluest Eye opened the door once again for my voracious appetite for new and colorful stories and in this, I decided to give up my TV. I texted my mother and asked her if she wanted it for her home and I learned to keep my head buried in books when I am home, instead of mindlessly scrolling and bids for connection with viral videos and memes. I began to write short stories again; poetry again and then made the easy decision to go back to school to push past any limitations that might hinder me from my craft. Even if my writing was shitty, it was mine to perfect, one word at a time. My stories and poems were mine first, they were nurtured, poured into and created with me in mind. The magic inside of me was developing into something I can feel again, reading and writing was bringing me a joy that no TikTok ever could. I was becoming a writer again.
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