Saturday, April 14, 2012

What is Essential is Invisible to the Eye






"je n'aime pas qu'on lise mon livre à la légère" 
- Antoine de St Exupery


A treasured feeling for a writer is the moment when their words are truly 
understood;  the moment where deeper meanings and subtexts that were once weaved so artfully into the narrative are finally revealed to a reader. It is the moment when the reader is finally touched and inspired, and perhaps muses forever more, often quoting passages at various moments in his or her life, whether for strength or reflection.

I think at that moment, the essence of the writer's soul vibrates in harmony with the reader's heart and mind. It is a beautiful moment of understanding, when the word ceases to become mere expression or artifice and instead, ascends to the profound. Depth of meaning is what makes writing profound.

Meaning is found with the revelation of a writer's true nature; it is the sum of the writer's lifelong influences, their dreams and vision. Meaning is found when the words encourage self-reflection; a mirror for the reader's buried memories, their experiences, their joys or even their regrets. Meaning, when the words bring to light a universal truth, one that soothes the soul and lights a beacon of hope.

I think when he wrote The Little Prince, Antoine de St Exupery was able to achieve meaning. He had no need to play with words to try impressing his reader. Yet readers all over the world and in numerous languages have found the depth of The Little Prince and just as this book's meaning has been revealed to generations, so too, the essence of the writer was laid bare in all its beauty.


I think this is true joy in writing.

Writing this way is only possible if one remembers the Little Prince's famous words, "it is only with the heart that one sees rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." 

This is the writing I aspire to. 





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