The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

I've given up reading "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Though it has an awesome title, and I'm sure it's written awesomely (is that even a word?), it just wasn't my taste. I did buy the book "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson at my school book fair and read it in a matter of hours. "Speak" is an amazing book that I feel everyone can relate to on some level or another. It really makes you think, and ponder how you live your very own life.

I spent three entire English class periods at the school book fair before finally making my selections. I had heard raving reviews about "Speak" about two years ago, and I actually thought I might have read it already (I hadn't), but on a whim I picked it up from the table without even reading the summary. When I was finished making my purchases I was shocked, I had never been able to do that, never been able to just pick up a book and buy it. I always spend hours reading and re-reading the summaries, the reviews, analyzing what type of book I want to read at any given moment.

Throughout the three class periods I spent agonizing over which books to buy I determined that I wanted a relatable book, and not a book that was all sunshine and rose. I wanted something realistic, and something that wasn't an easy read, so I tended to avoid any of the books that looked too short. Now, "Speak" is not a long book by any means, but I never found myself bored. It was exactly what I was looking for, and I didn't even read the description.

A realization that I had while at the book fair, though, is that the book I've been looking to read for months has not been written yet. Though "Speak" definitely was amazing, and turned out to be perfect, it wasn't the exact book that I had been describing in my mind. I was looking for something that was mostly realistic (but maybe not completely), something that really challenged a person, something that was a higher reading level. A book where the main character has something that they need to overcome, or discover about themselves, a book that isn't necessarily happy the entire time, but a book that leaves you feeling empowered at the end of it. A book that I haven't been able to find.

So with this realization I set to work on my computer. I opened a blank Word document, iTunes, and babynamesworld.com in Internet Explorer. Clicking the shuffle button on iTunes I listened to the lyrics of each of the different songs, and hoped that inspiration would strike. I wasted about a half hour just sitting in front of the computer staring blankly, before giving up for the day. The next day I did the same thing, only this time, I actually came up with an idea.

Sometimes I like to write detailed outlines of a story out, other times I don't like to do any planning. This was one of the times in between. I planned out the two main characters, and had a pretty good idea of what the plot would be in my head, but other than that, there wasn't much planning that I did. I barely have a beginning, just under five pages, double spaced, but I have great plans for this story, and someday hopefully it'll be published.

I've always loved to read and write, but for some reason I had fallen out of touch with them for a while. When I finally read "Speak" and began writing this new story I remembered how much peace I find with words.

"The pen is mightier than the sword"

Words can do so much for someone. They can change a person's opinion, they have the ability to make a person happy or sad, they can empower or demolish someone. Reading and writing can be an escape, if you need them to be, they can be an alternate world to lose yourself in. Let literature scoop you up and entangle you within it's wonders.

Always remember what words can achieve, no matter what.