What is Literature?

To me, literature is a form of writing essays or explaining thoughts into deep details. Informally, literature means to me as a very difficult to write essay, a thing I would be scared of. Literature in life may be a way for writers to express their thoughts, may be a way to relief their stress. The thoughts which they may not have the courage to express in front of others, can be expressed privately by writing. Stress, writers can write about their problems and at the same time analyse it so that they would have a calm mind to solve it. Literature would be a personal essay in which writers may feel free to write about their experiences in life and at the same time think of other ways to make it more enriching.