Growing up, I always wanted to be a writer. I pictured myself as a famous author of fiction, maybe even as famous as J.K. Rowling or Stephen King.
However, as much as I wanted that when I was younger, I knew it wasn’t plausible. Instead, I turned my attention to journalism and put those aspirations on the back burner.
I still tried to write, although as school picked up it became more difficult. I began to think about how anyone kept at creative writing, and why so many people stop.
Of course, the obvious answer is a lack of time and motivation, like me. Another answer might be a decrease in creativity.
According to a Newsweek article titled “The Creativity Crisis,” creativity scores in the United States are declining. The report states it could be due to the fact that children spend more time watching television or playing video games. It also could be linked to the fact that there is a lack of creative development in schools.
The article goes on to speculate whether or not creativity is something that can be taught. According to the article, training the brain to shift between divergent thinking, generating many ideas, and convergent thinking, combining those ideas into the best result, can result in increased creativity.
“University of New Mexico neuroscientist Rex Jung has concluded that those who diligently practice creative activities learn to recruit their brains’ creative networks quicker and better,” Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman said in the article. “A lifetime of consistent habits gradually changes the neurological pattern.”
Certainly, there is more than one reason why people give up on writing. A general decline in reading might also contribute to people’s unwillingness to continue writing.
According to a Washington Post article on the topic, 43 percent of adults read a work of fiction in 2015. This is the lowest the reading rate has been in three decades.
I was always told that reading helps improve writing. It seems as though this causation would also suggest that if people aren’t reading, they likely aren’t writing either. Also, bringing back the point of decreasing creativity, children will not be likely to write creatively if they feel less creative overall.
While I have already discussed the lack of reading in a previous column, a lack of writing is just as important. Without new generations of writers, the decline in reading will only continue.
That’s why I will keep reading, even if it’s only for my enjoyment. My work will likely never see the light of day, and I won’t always find the time to write, but I plan to keep at it.
I’m not the only one who will continue this habit. As reading becomes more of a niche hobby in today’s society, I am optimistic that there will always be an opportunity for writers to express themselves.
Maybe schools will find a way to foster creativity in children. Maybe the written word will somehow not become obsolete. No matter what, I plan to keep writing.
kchrisco@ius.edu
