I Write. But I Really Have To Start Writing

If writing is therapeutic, I must tear up the scientific rulebook and really write.

Source: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/writing

I lost count on the number of reports, grant proposals, manuscripts and book chapters I have written and published. I journeyed from the biology of plant disease to the development of the bacterial bum (cell polarity). I also studied the molecular basis of strawberry fruit ripening. Yes, I learned a lot. For example, use the ‘safe search’ option when trying to learn about strawberry biology. In the absence of said ‘safe search’ option, do not use the deputy department head’s computer. It’s far from good practice when you start your career. But that’s a story for another day.

I write as part of my work and it is good. Scientists receive an awful lot of formal training and scrutiny. We learn to formulate hypotheses, design the experiments that test your concepts, and critically interpret results. To cap it off, we have to synthesise and release our ideas to the broader audience. The scientific community then must scrutinise, criticise and find consensus upon discovery of your holy grail. Therefore, and per definition, scientific training engrains protocol, standards into what it considers good practice. All of these things are good if you do science. I must write because it is my job.

I am writing but I am not really writing.

What do I mean to say by that?

Scientific writing comes with demands on form, style and structure. In other words, academics are skilled in a highly constrained writing form that deals with fact, not fiction. Freeing myself from those shackles is not easy but required if I wish to leave the realms of science and explore my life.

I am a creative soul trapped in a body with deficiencies. I can’t sing; my fine motor skills and coordination are poor. Therefore, I better stay away from instruments (of any kind) and paintbrushes. Writing is a different matter, though. Skills? Check. Creativity or ideas? Yes!. I really must start to write.

I have stories to tell — extraordinary accounts of adventure, victory, loss, delight and disappointment. Tales that require me to toy with style, structure and conventions. I wish to capture my inner thoughts, emotions and by doing so, touch and inspire those that I hold so dear.

Posted using Partiko iOS