Why I Write
Aspiring Socio-Political Commentator
As a non-specialist, I thought it was important to immerse myself in reading works by experts that go into greater detail than a tweet, a FB status, or a blog post. This is especially of urgency seeing that I am not currently taking courses and my day job as a behavior specialist assistant does not allow me to spend long periods going through detailed material. Activities of that nature can best be done when one is away from work and (if you want to be honest) friends.
As an aspiring writer and one who loves to read, it was important for me to understand that everyone around me does not necessarily care for what I am trying to do or the methods that I am using to go about it. For instance, setting out on an ambitious reading plan, as I will lay out below, or even drafting detailed and well-researched articles, requires a lot of concentration. It involves being rigid with personal time. The most critical period where it all comes together may warrant the shutting off of surrounding noise.
Why a commentator? Why write blogs? I do not think those are questions that I could answer in a way that I would be satisfied with. For some time now the goal has been to ultimately end up with a Ph.D. teaching at some prestigious university. The idea being to make something of one’s self. You know, fulfill some grand goal in life. I still want the doctorate but for a different reason. Instead of the classroom, I much prefer the world of highly educated commentators that may occasionally give a talk or guest lecture a class or two. I no longer crave the confines of academia.
I want to gather data and formulate new and creative ways to look at and talk about the world. I love what I have seen done with language and words. Writing can be a very technical and dry experience if what is being written warrants that sort of stuff. But if not, if one is free to explore then there are millions of voices that can discuss the same issues but with distinguish tones. That is what I’m hoping to contribute as a writer. If I don’t get the chance to do so professionally, I’m excited that there is an opportunity for me to do so independently.
Distractions
This is not true for everyone. There are writers, researchers, and readers who love the chaos that can come from a cacophony of music, television, and periodic extended conversations with friends. In some instances, and in various parts of my reading and writing, I too can engage and function well in such an environment. However, when it is time for me to get down and intuned with complex theories and wording that require more than the occasional dictionary search, I can only do so with as minimal distraction as possible.
Do not get me wrong, distractions can be beneficial at times. Being pulled here and there may cause you to be introduced to or put concepts together that either did not exist or were not aligned in the same way before in the mind. Distractions and interruptions can be catalysts that propel you forward towards new adventures. For example, the fact that I’m not a parent meant that back-to-school-related reflections weren’t in my periphery. Sure I knew that the new school year was fast approaching and may have had a brief excursive talk here and there. But it took a single mom’s insistent in engaging me on the topic that eventually caused me to give some mental energy towards writing on the concerns in that area.
Ultimately, I want to get to the project that I am currently working on. I will discuss my journey as a writer in other forthcoming posts. Here, I simply wanted to introduce readers to why I’m engaged in all of this activity. I can’t help it.
The Books
The following list was actually my reading list for the month of August. I originally posted them as such on my Instagram page. But life happened. I had events that came up that caused me to spend considerable time working on preparation for fast-approaching speaking engagements. I’m hoping to make some significant early morning sacrifices that will help me get through these books.
Have you read any of these books? Which ones are you interested in reading? What books have you set apart to read for the month of September? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
