郭诗玲 编绘《拉长的影子：新加坡与外国作家写作理由32札》
Quek See Ling (edited & illustrated), Elongated Shadows: 32 Passages By Writers from Singapore and Beyond on Their Reasons for Writing
上架建议 ：文学、散文、新加坡文学、创意写作
简介 Synopsis
除非是畅销书，文学写作在这个大环境下几乎无利可图，那么作家为
Why authors write? Especially in this age and environment, when one could hardly profit from it. 32 writers from Singapore and beyond shared with us a piece of themselves and the reasons they write. They are Chia Kwek Fah, Low Pooi Fong, Ng Wai Choy, Gouk Sok Eng, He Hua, Liang Wern Fook, Chua Poh Leng, Charmaine Leung, He Er, Li Qingsong, Lin Youyi, Yap Huan Lin, Kiew Li Lian, Li Meiyin, Neo Hai Bin, Daryl Li, Ah Xiu, Sui Ting, Teo Jia Jia, Lin Yi-jun, Lu Fan, Xiang Yang, Yang Xiaobin, Hung Hung, Mao Jian, Chen Chia-Jiun, Maniniwei, Wei-Yun Lin-Górecka, Lim Suat Hong, Wong Lih Lih, Kwan Wei Shen, Niu Xiaoliu. Despite our constant struggle, the world may very well turn out different from what we want it to be. Fortunately, we could find respite in writing. We could create a utopia with words, where we live poetically in the company of our elongated shadows.
编者简介 About the Editor
编者序：拉长的影子，写作的理由 ◎郭诗玲
新加坡篇
我的写作历程 ◎谢清
和自己灵魂对话 ◎刘培芳
温习人生 ◎吴伟才
不写更糟 ◎郭淑云
写作的理由 ◎何华
写 ◎梁文福
心醉落笔风画空，仰天一轮月华，记忆有几许？ ◎蔡宝龙
为何写作 ◎梁凤霞
写的理由 ◎贺尔
文学写作的理由 ◎李青松
走在偌大的山林里 ◎林有懿
非写不可 ◎叶欢玲
笔的迫降 ◎仇莉莲
一落笔，就是一趟旅程 ◎梁海彬
对话 ◎李振宏
在飞逝的时光中找到永恒 ◎阿嗅
如梦 ◎随庭
因为依赖与被期待 ◎张嘉嘉
雨树等雨 ◎林艺君
句点 ◎李梅银
外国篇
漫长弯曲之路 ◎露凡
无用与有用 ◎向阳
幽灵主义写作 ◎杨小滨
有用之用 ◎鸿鸿
关于写作 ◎毛尖
饿着肚子写作 ◎林雪虹
平平凡凡 ◎林蔚昀
继续跳，跳房子 ◎黄丽丽
我也来过 ◎管伟森
写故事的我们 ◎牛小流
在台北写作 ◎马尼尼为
心流的探秘之旅 ◎陈佳君
Foreword: Elongated Shadows, Reasons for Writing ◎Quek See Ling
Singapore
My Writing Journey ◎Chia Kwek Fah
A Conversation with My Soul ◎Low Pooi Fong
Revision of Life ◎Ng Wai Choy
To Not Write Would Be Worse ◎Gouk Sok Eng
The Reason I Write ◎He Hua
Write ◎Liang Wern Fook
With an Enchanted Heart, I Paint in Vain; Gazing at the Moonlight, I Ask, How Much Do I Remember? ◎Chua Poh Leng
Why Do I Write? ◎Charmaine Leung
The Reason to Write ◎He Er
The Reason for Literary Writing ◎Li Qingsong
Walking in the Woods ◎Lin Youyi
I Couldn't Stop Writing ◎Yap Huan Lin
Crash Landing of the Pen ◎Kiew Li Lian
To Write Is to Embark on a Journey ◎Neo Hai Bin
Conversation ◎Daryl Li
Finding Eternity As Time Flies By ◎Ah Xiu
◎
To Count on and Be Counted on ◎Teo Jia Jia
Rain Tree Awaiting Rain ◎Lin Yi-jun
Full Stop ◎Li Meiyin
Overseas
The Long and Winding Road ◎Lu Fan
Uselessness and Usefulness ◎Xiang Yang
The Spirit of Writing ◎Yang Xiaobin
The Usefulness of Utility ◎Hung Hung
About Writing ◎Mao Jian
Starving to Write ◎Lim Suat Hong
Ordinary Being ◎Wei-Yun Lin-Górecka
Hop on Hopscotch ◎Wong Lih Lih
I Was Here ◎Kwan Wei Shen
We Who Write Stories ◎Niu Xiaoliu
Writing in Taipei ◎Maniniwei
Journeys to Explore the Flow ◎Chen Chia-Jiun
试读一篇 Read a piece of the Book
文学写作的理由
李青松（1977- ）
作者供稿于2019年11月5日。
（收录于：郭诗玲编绘《拉长的影子：新加坡与外国作家写作理由32札》，新加坡：郭诗玲，2021，页79-86。）
说到写作，在眼下这个时代，人人都是可以写作的。
当下几乎每个人都达到了写作的基本条件，掌握了书写文字的技能，可以将自己的文字展现给别人的媒介平台，曾几何时，这都是只有少数人才拥有的特权。
无论是即时通讯应用的软件，还是各个社交网络上，所有人都可以拥有自己的姓名，并且随时将自己的感言想法自由地发表出来。那么现在问题来了，既然每个人都能够自由书写，那么传统上由作家书写而读者阅读的方式会不会渐渐式微，以至于有一天消失不见呢？
这或许是杞人忧天的胡思乱想，不过我却想借此引出另一个问题：在当前形势下，新加坡以华文进行文学创作的作家们（在此不再讨论华文环境如何），在种种困境之下，写作是否还有必要，如果是有的话，那让他们坚持写作的理由又是什么？
需要澄清的一点就是，文学创作与畅销书创作是不同的。在中国市场中，影响力大的华文畅销书作家，只是将自己的作品改编成一个影视剧剧本所得到的回报，就足够买一套房子了，以这个标准来看，在新加坡这个市场创作华文畅销书确实是没有继续下去的理由。
可是对于文学创作来说，像新加坡这么一个读者不多、语言环境又艰难的地方未必就不能进行创作。这是因为文学创作本身就是孤独的，作家进行文学创作的深层原因出于对心灵自由的追求，以及与自己所不满的现实对抗。
关于自由，现代社会普遍上并不存在奴隶主或贵族阶层，不存在压迫，又何来的追求自由呢？从海德格尔的座架理论我们了解到现代人仍然是不自由的，物质高度发展的现代社会将卷入其中的所有人都紧紧地绑在了一起。随便在街上找一个普通人，问问他每个月吃住用的花销，房子车子的贷款，孩子的教育，以及将来的养老，我们就能明白这种不自由来自何处。
生活在现实生活中，没有人不会感到烦恼与压力，大家也都知道通过哪些方式可以减压与放松。但并非每个人都会思考自己烦恼与压力的根源何在，即使在痛苦的时候思考过一下子，心情好了之后也就不会浪费时间去想这些东西了。
可还是有一些人不会那么轻易地将这些烦恼与压力放过，他们自小就比较早熟，比同龄人的情感更丰富，更加喜欢文字与阅读，在从少年到成人这个过程中，对于自身被社会“物化”这个过程痛苦体验也更深刻。这样的人，在内心中分外顽强地抵抗着成人世界的到来，他们比别人更加渴望与追求自由。对于他们这样的个人来说，文学创作（同样适合其他艺术创作）是他们能够找到的一种方式，通过这样一种投入心灵之中的方式，无关金钱与名声，他们寻找着内心的自由，表达着对社会压力的不满。
我想，这就是在当前这个环境之下，仍然有人像堂吉诃德那般骑着羸弱的瘦马，朝着巨大而不可战胜的风车冲去的原因。
The Reason for Literary Writing
Li Qingsong（1977- ）
This article was contributed by the author on 5 November 2019.
This English translation was done by Baisimu, and vetted by the author on 20 March 2020.
First published: Quek See Ling (edited & illustrated), Elongated Shadows: 32 Passages By Writers from Singapore and Beyond on Their Reasons for Writing (Singapore: Self-publishing [Quek See Ling], 2021), pp.79-86.
Everyone can write in this era.
Today, almost everyone has what it takes to write. The ability to write, a platform to display one’s written works, all these were once privileges owned only by a few.
Be it instant messaging software, or the various social media platforms, everyone can write in his or her name and express his or her views freely. Now that everyone can write freely, here comes the question. Will the traditional way of writing by writers and reading by readers gradually fade away and one day, sink into oblivion?
This may be a ridiculous thought, but there is another question I would like to raise. With the current situation and the difficulties, is it still necessary for Chinese writers in Singapore (disregarding the Chinese language environment in Singapore) to continue with what they are doing? If the answer is yes, what is driving them to do so?
I would like to point out that literary creation is different from writing best-sellers. Given the size of China’s domestic market, a best-selling author simply has to turn his or her book into a film, and they would make enough money to buy a house. In comparison, there is no reason to write and publish Chinese books in Singapore.
However, things are different for literary creation. While there are few readers in Singapore with a less-than-encouraging environment for the Chinese language, it is still possible for literary creations to flourish. This is because literary writing is a lonely process, and it is motivated by the pursuit of spiritual freedom as well as the confrontation with the reality they are dissatisfied with.
In the modern world, slavery and aristocracy do not exist. What do we mean when we talk about the pursuit of freedom? German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s concept of “Gestell” indicates that man of the modern world is not free, because modern society as a highly developed material world binds people together. To better understand this lack of freedom, one just has to find an ordinary person on the street and ask him how much he spends on food, accommodation, car loan, the education of his children and his retirement savings.
The modern life is stressful as it is, and everyone has ways of relieving stress, but not everyone thinks about the source of their worries and stress. Even if they take time to reflect when in pain, the contemplation stops as soon as the pain is over and things are good again.
Yet for a group of people, the lingering stress and troubles do not go away on their own. These people might be precocious since childhood and experience more emotions than their peers. They probably enjoy writing and reading. When they grow from teenagers to adults, the experience of being “objectified” may be more painful for them. Deep in their hearts, they detest the idea of adulthood and they desire and pursue freedom more so than any other. For individuals like them, literary creation (or any artistic creation for that matter) is an outlet. While they pour their hearts and souls into literary writing, money and fame become irrelevant. They find freedom from within while releasing pent-up stress.
Therefore, despite the way things are, there remains a group of people like Don Quixote. These people would ride a skinny old horse and charge towards the giant, invincible windmill.
