TO WRITE

"To Write, first of all, is not to be seen," relays the narrator of The Possession, Annie Ernaux's 62-page novel, written like a journal entry, on the subject of jealousy.

Someone else I am reading wrote that it's best to write in secret, as if no one will ever read one's thoughts. Or maybe this was Ernaux's protagonist, who is a writer, earlier on, while in the initial throes of her obsession. 

Most writers I've known treat their craft like an obsession. How often have I heard, even out of my own mouth, "I have to write. If I don't, I'll go crazy." Well it's true, even if it's equally true that everything we set down is not necessarily fit for public consumption, or even publication through Amazon. 

It is a noble endeavor to commit to the act of writing, regardless of outcomes. The process inevitably leads to truths, and so it's a brave act too. The arts are not just an exercise for the ego, they are one of the few ways we can leave an imprint on this earth, and they are a way to pass on our legacy.

The search for the female lover for whom the protagonist's lover, a male, in Ernaux's story has left her, is an all-consuming journey akin to the writing process in The Possession. For Ernaux's narrator, writing is the interloper, the disruptor to love and relationships in general because it is all-consuming.

Writing can be all-consuming. And during that time, it can be a delicious experience, full of ups and downs, ecstasy and abandon, much like newly discovered passion during the initial stages of a love affair.  To cast oneself wholeheartedly into exploration of one's obsession and its minutiae is the writer's choice. To become obsessed is also a matter of choice. Whether or not we meet our goals should not matter. Therefore, be sure to enjoy the ride, even if it leads nowhere.

To write is to write is to write.