The New Breed

They say the best way to improve your writing, aside from of course writing a lot, is to read more. But to someone who belongs to the generation of microchips and computers, the writings of Chekhov, Shakespeare, and Hugo seem so indecipherable. The words are beautiful as always, but who has the time (and patience) to delve into those writings as people did before?

I hate to admit it, but I am one of those people who want things in an instant. Hungry? There’s fast food. Horny? There’s porn. Bored? Watch a DVD or download a video. Instant gratification. Few people would actually pick up and read The Lord of the Rings to appreciate Tolkien’s imagination. No thank you, Peter Jackson’s movie version would do fine. Now, where’s that instant microwaveable popcorn?

I’m not trying to use technology as an excuse, but rather try to elucidate the new mind-set that has emerged with its birth. Our culture is changing. How many of us would still appreciate a good book on a lazy afternoon? Or a quiet night lost in the world of a classic writer instead of a loud TV game show?

Keeping this blog is the only practice I get in writing. A few jumbled thoughts, silly anecdotes, and some attempts at fiction- that’s hardly literature. But maybe I’m saying that because I keep comparing it with classic works. That generation is long lost, kept alive only by the pages of those books. Literature is changing, and that is because people have begun to crave a new style of writing. Novels are out, blogs are in.

Once, after class, I had asked a classmate (who was known to be quite an internet connoisseur) what she thought of Neruda’s poems. She merely responded with a shrug, and turned away.