A Second World

I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn. ―  by Anne Frank

Everybody has something they do whenever they need a break, a break from school, work, or maybe just a much needed break in general. That pause is always considered to be an interruption of continuity of events or, as I call it, an escape from reality. I see it as a way of going to a new world altogether. Whenever you are there, you just become engulfed in it as if nothing else exists. Are you not wondering what such a break activity, capable of positively turning my normal world upside down, might be?

I always enter my second world whenever I am writing. As soon as I pick up the pencil and grab the paper, my journey begins, and my mind seems to get transported to a different dimension. Those around me see me there, but I am somewhat gone. At that moment, writing dominates over my whole being, controls my feelings, tests and develops my abilities.

In my second world, I enjoy every word I put down on the paper. As Virginia Woolf states, “So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.” I write chapter books and comics, and both genres excite me. Although both are stories, they always give a different experience in that world, either a sensation of being in a movie act or a painting session.

Whenever I am writing a chapter book, it is compared to producing a movie in my mind. All the scenes come and follow each other as though I am a director for a generational act. If I do not like the way something is written, I “CUT!” meaning erase or delete. As soon as the cast and I know what we are doing, the act starts to flow like a river in a magical rainforest. Once I put the pencil down, I “END SCENE”, and the generational act is concluded. As a director, I am so relieved when the act is a success, because it is sometimes a miracle to succeed when you have a lousy cast.

What happens when I write comics is different. I compare my experience for comics writing as doing an enormous painting where I start off with one object, the main character, then surround it with other drawings. These drawings will help the whole painting come together as part of the complete plan.

Marcus Fabius Quintilianus once said, “Write quickly and you will never write well; write well, and you will soon write quickly.” In this second world, challenges are inevitable. Somewhere along the process, the act may not go as intended or the painting may get ruined. The adversity that delays me in this experience always improves the work and evolves the main object toward something better and more enhanced. Despite any obstacle in my second world, I still cannot resist the urge to write, to create acts or paintings, or to go back a step in order to jump successfully and ensure my subsequent fast performance.

My feeling in the second world is amazing, but unfortunately, it is not endless. When I put down my pencil, I return to reality, and my vacation comes to a close. I consider what my mind goes through when I am writing as the creativeness flowing from my head into my hand to create the ultimate masterpiece. Although it might be possible to sigh and feel sad after leaving the second world, the fun in that dimension brings a smile. My word to all writers: In real time, grab a bunch of papers and pencils, but once in the writing dimension, head towards paradise.