Not being a writer, I do find when i write a letter (email) commenting on an article I may be sharing, the act of writing helps me to think through, clarify and analyse my thoughts and conclusions about subject in question. It forces a discipline on one’s brain to think through ideas that, while floating in one’s head, seem to make sense, until you try to explain them to another person. It’s a good exercise - can be frustrating, head scratching, yet liberating when a clear shape forms from the various thought dots. It’s a learning experience which helps bring true(r) understanding - but if we skip the hard part by relying uncritically on AI - eventually we may lose the art of thinking at all.
Great read! I especially enjoyed Orwell's comment on his writing being lifeless because it lacked political purpose - so many people nowadays claim that reading can be separated from politics, while it is exactly what gives writing meaning.
If Orwell’s first motive for writing was “sheer egoism,” mine is different. I write because I need to be heard. My work is in a narrow niche—one that few pay attention to. The Punan people, a minority on the island of Borneo, have been written about almost entirely by outsiders. Dig through the literature, and you’ll find the same old narratives: Punan as “nomads,” as people who, long ago, were even said to have tails—an absurd myth, of course. But the nomad label persists, and it distorts who we truly are.
That’s why I write. To offer a firsthand account. To tell our story from our own perspective. My English may not be perfect, but that doesn’t matter. A linguist friend once told me, “It’s about communication. As long as people understand you, that’s enough.” I’m not trying to earn a doctorate in English—I’m trying to document history.
And that’s the other reason I write: to bear witness. Few Punan have the chance to write, let alone in English. That makes it feel urgent, almost like a responsibility. Fifty, a hundred years from now, someone might come across my words and learn something real about the Punan.
So no, my writing isn’t about ego. At least, I’d like to think it isn’t. It’s about making sure there’s at least one Punan voice out there, however small, for someone—anyone—to read and maybe even appreciate.
And lastly, I’m grateful. You’ve given an obscure voice like mine space in your Substack. That means more than you know.
The point of writing isn’t communication—pandas, lions, seagulls, after all, communicate—nor is it information, of which we have more than a surfeit. The point of writing is discovery.
Joseph Epstein, “Mr. Epstein Regrets,” in Word Sprints
The great art of writing is the art of making people real to themselves with words.
Number 1 sounded horrifying at first. But after thinking about it, I found it to be fundamental. We want others to hear OUR voice. And now thinking further, this might be the reason why AI can never match human writers. AI don't have a voice or a motive like we do.
If you are interested in Orwell I would recommend reading “Wifedom”. It really opened my eyes to who he was as a person and how he was able to write what he wrote.
My best way to communicate is through the written word and I have found myself admitting that I do love the language; there are so many ways to express an idea....as there are many facets to a cut gem. Our unique perspectives allow us to bring nuances and new aspects to a given discussion. The act of writing my thoughts gives me the opportunity to ask myself what it is that I really want to say. That becomes a continual sifting, rearranging, and refining in the process. Writing is a skill that has been largely abandoned in recent years.
I’ve been listening to Sebastian Junger’s book “Freedom” and your article has really made something click for me. Junger lays out three forms of freedom: running, fighting, and thinking. Historically nomadic people have always been more capable of evading larger powers than agrarian peoples, hence why being mobile and having few possessions was a deep form of freedom. Fighting was also a form of freedom but not in a sheer might makes right sense: again mobile, nomadic people often had an edge against larger powers. But these forms of freedom are largely unattainable to us in modern societies where big brother is everywhere and our lives are so utterly dependent on the system. So what form of freedom remains? Thinking. This is the deepest freedom. It is what the nomadic people sought to protect through their mobility and geurilla tactics: the freedom to retain their own thoughts, culture, and identity. In a world where we are essentially trapped in a highly interconnected and rigid society, all we can do to be free is to think for ourselves. How do we do this? By stepping out of the role of passive consumption and into the role of creating. Writing is just the act of speaking made permanent with pen and paper. You lay out very clearly the importance of writing and I’m sure George Orwell would agree that it is indeed one of the most important freedoms. Thank you for your great article, it’s always insightful to read your thoughts.
Orwell didn’t just explain why we write — he gave us permission to care deeply, to witness, to shape truth with words. This piece is a quiet reminder that writing is both act and anchor. Beautifully done.
This is a rare piece that actually does Orwell justice. I love that you didn’t just quote Why I Write—you metabolized it. Especially that closing point about writing as an act of “asserting a vision of reality.” That’s the line that made me pause.
To add: I think many modern writers forget that Orwell saw writing not just as communication, but as resistance. In a world saturated with euphemism, vagueness, and corporate speak, to write clearly is a political act. It’s reclaiming language from those who seek to dull it. (See: Politics and the English Language—still the most useful essay I’ve ever read.)
Christmas 1945 - George Orwell, recently widowed, arrives with his baby son to stay with his friend Arthur Koestler at a remote cottage, Bwlch Ocyn, in North Wales.
Orwell has just published ‘Animal Farm’ and mulls ideas with Koestler for his next novel. Koestler had written the acclaimed novel, ‘Darkness at Noon,’ about the Stalin show trials and also spent time in a Nazi prison. Both Orwell and Koestler supported the Republican government during the civil war in Spain and were dedicated to democratic Left causes.
Here for the first time are their imagined conversations in wintry Wales, based on true events, which produced one of the 20th Century’s greatest and darkest books, ‘1984.’
I'm the author of two books with a third on the way and I COMPLETELY write for reason No. 1. Just wanna put that out there. (Because I'm hoping that maybe this too will be remembered?)
Not being a writer, I do find when i write a letter (email) commenting on an article I may be sharing, the act of writing helps me to think through, clarify and analyse my thoughts and conclusions about subject in question. It forces a discipline on one’s brain to think through ideas that, while floating in one’s head, seem to make sense, until you try to explain them to another person. It’s a good exercise - can be frustrating, head scratching, yet liberating when a clear shape forms from the various thought dots. It’s a learning experience which helps bring true(r) understanding - but if we skip the hard part by relying uncritically on AI - eventually we may lose the art of thinking at all.
Precisely — well said.
Thank you
YES!
Great read! I especially enjoyed Orwell's comment on his writing being lifeless because it lacked political purpose - so many people nowadays claim that reading can be separated from politics, while it is exactly what gives writing meaning.
If Orwell’s first motive for writing was “sheer egoism,” mine is different. I write because I need to be heard. My work is in a narrow niche—one that few pay attention to. The Punan people, a minority on the island of Borneo, have been written about almost entirely by outsiders. Dig through the literature, and you’ll find the same old narratives: Punan as “nomads,” as people who, long ago, were even said to have tails—an absurd myth, of course. But the nomad label persists, and it distorts who we truly are.
That’s why I write. To offer a firsthand account. To tell our story from our own perspective. My English may not be perfect, but that doesn’t matter. A linguist friend once told me, “It’s about communication. As long as people understand you, that’s enough.” I’m not trying to earn a doctorate in English—I’m trying to document history.
And that’s the other reason I write: to bear witness. Few Punan have the chance to write, let alone in English. That makes it feel urgent, almost like a responsibility. Fifty, a hundred years from now, someone might come across my words and learn something real about the Punan.
So no, my writing isn’t about ego. At least, I’d like to think it isn’t. It’s about making sure there’s at least one Punan voice out there, however small, for someone—anyone—to read and maybe even appreciate.
And lastly, I’m grateful. You’ve given an obscure voice like mine space in your Substack. That means more than you know.
three quotes on “Why Write?”
The point of writing isn’t communication—pandas, lions, seagulls, after all, communicate—nor is it information, of which we have more than a surfeit. The point of writing is discovery.
Joseph Epstein, “Mr. Epstein Regrets,” in Word Sprints
The great art of writing is the art of making people real to themselves with words.
Logan Pearsall Smith, Afterthoughts
Writing is our finest implement of inquiry
Guy Davenport, The Hunter Gracchus
Number 1 sounded horrifying at first. But after thinking about it, I found it to be fundamental. We want others to hear OUR voice. And now thinking further, this might be the reason why AI can never match human writers. AI don't have a voice or a motive like we do.
But, I think it's trying to do just that.....
I write every day. I've written three books, a good amount of reviews and articles. All the reasons Orwell lists resonate with my deeply.
If you are interested in Orwell I would recommend reading “Wifedom”. It really opened my eyes to who he was as a person and how he was able to write what he wrote.
I think about that book once every few months.
the pencil is the tool of the mind
Very interesting and thoughtful article....
My best way to communicate is through the written word and I have found myself admitting that I do love the language; there are so many ways to express an idea....as there are many facets to a cut gem. Our unique perspectives allow us to bring nuances and new aspects to a given discussion. The act of writing my thoughts gives me the opportunity to ask myself what it is that I really want to say. That becomes a continual sifting, rearranging, and refining in the process. Writing is a skill that has been largely abandoned in recent years.
I’ve been listening to Sebastian Junger’s book “Freedom” and your article has really made something click for me. Junger lays out three forms of freedom: running, fighting, and thinking. Historically nomadic people have always been more capable of evading larger powers than agrarian peoples, hence why being mobile and having few possessions was a deep form of freedom. Fighting was also a form of freedom but not in a sheer might makes right sense: again mobile, nomadic people often had an edge against larger powers. But these forms of freedom are largely unattainable to us in modern societies where big brother is everywhere and our lives are so utterly dependent on the system. So what form of freedom remains? Thinking. This is the deepest freedom. It is what the nomadic people sought to protect through their mobility and geurilla tactics: the freedom to retain their own thoughts, culture, and identity. In a world where we are essentially trapped in a highly interconnected and rigid society, all we can do to be free is to think for ourselves. How do we do this? By stepping out of the role of passive consumption and into the role of creating. Writing is just the act of speaking made permanent with pen and paper. You lay out very clearly the importance of writing and I’m sure George Orwell would agree that it is indeed one of the most important freedoms. Thank you for your great article, it’s always insightful to read your thoughts.
Orwell didn’t just explain why we write — he gave us permission to care deeply, to witness, to shape truth with words. This piece is a quiet reminder that writing is both act and anchor. Beautifully done.
how about pure catharsis? a voice inside of you that desires more than to be heard, but be understood - relief.
Great post!
This is a rare piece that actually does Orwell justice. I love that you didn’t just quote Why I Write—you metabolized it. Especially that closing point about writing as an act of “asserting a vision of reality.” That’s the line that made me pause.
To add: I think many modern writers forget that Orwell saw writing not just as communication, but as resistance. In a world saturated with euphemism, vagueness, and corporate speak, to write clearly is a political act. It’s reclaiming language from those who seek to dull it. (See: Politics and the English Language—still the most useful essay I’ve ever read.)
Darkness in 1984
My new George Orwell historical fiction novel, set in Blaenau Ffestiniog, in North Wales, is out now.
Based on true events.
‘Darkness in 1984’ available from Amazon - https://tinyurl.com/4twzftfr
Christmas 1945 - George Orwell, recently widowed, arrives with his baby son to stay with his friend Arthur Koestler at a remote cottage, Bwlch Ocyn, in North Wales.
Orwell has just published ‘Animal Farm’ and mulls ideas with Koestler for his next novel. Koestler had written the acclaimed novel, ‘Darkness at Noon,’ about the Stalin show trials and also spent time in a Nazi prison. Both Orwell and Koestler supported the Republican government during the civil war in Spain and were dedicated to democratic Left causes.
Here for the first time are their imagined conversations in wintry Wales, based on true events, which produced one of the 20th Century’s greatest and darkest books, ‘1984.’
I'm the author of two books with a third on the way and I COMPLETELY write for reason No. 1. Just wanna put that out there. (Because I'm hoping that maybe this too will be remembered?)