The quest for immortality. Long thought to be an impossible dream. Throughout history philosopher's have attempted to uncover it's elusive secrets without success. Writers have teased us with it's possibilities, concepts such as the philosopher's stone and the legend of the vampire have kept it's appeal alive but when it comes to actually achieving immortality most have given up hope of ever discovering it's secrets. It may therefore come as a surprise when I tell you that the secret has been right in front of us years, and for some reason it has gone overlooked.
I can see you mouthing "Well what is?", and just to annoy you I am going to leave you hanging before I reveal the secret to give you a bit of background information on the concept of immortality. The dictionary meaning of the word immortal gives it's meaning as: deathless; famed for all time. Also the dictionary meaning for an immortal being is given as one whose fame will last. In literature the concept of immortality is closely linked with the legend of the vampire. In most examples where the vampire appears it is depicted as being immortal, but the price one has to pay is an almost constant craving for blood. In most literature immortality, while at first being extremely attractive to the individual is ultimately revealed to be nothing more than a curse. Well the secret to immortality is not as imaginative as the vampire, but when you actually think about it you find yourself thinking "How could it have been anything else?". I'll give you a clue; this page is a celebration of it. Still don't know? Alright, I'll tell you. The secret to immortality is the art of writing.
I can see your a little disappointed by that revelation, but allow me to prove it to you. Since it's invention writing has been the ultimate tool for people to outline their religious beliefs, thoughts and feelings and ultimately it became a window to a person's imagination. When something is written it is preserved in ink, and if treated well that verse can still be read thousands of years later. Take the journal entry for example. By capturing your experiences day after day you provide the reader with an insight into the life of someone normally they would never have been exposed to. When H.G Wells first wrote about a possible alien invasion from Mars, I'm sure not even he realized that his tale would outlive him and continue to be devoured by people of all ages a hundred plus years later. The same is true of other great author's of the day whose works live on today, such as Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Agatha Christie and the list goes on. The best example though of the longevity of the written word is of course the Bible. Whether you believe it's message or not the fact that people live their lives based on it's words to my mind proves my theory.
This page is the ultimate celebration of the written word and as long I continue to write and be inspired by what I read I will continue to share it with you and hopefully inspire you to do the same. Lastly if you write and struggle to have something published, whatever you do don't lose heart. Every single time you pen to paper, or even finger to keyboard you are ensuring your own immortality. If that is to be our legacy then it's something we can be very proud of.
Yours in words,
Jez Cartner
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