2008 & 2009
Writers Digest Best Writers' Site
2010 Critters Best Writers' Info Site
On Being a
Writer
Rob Parnell
I can't remember who said it but a writer
once pointed out that nobody will ever miss something you
didn't write.
People don't walk around wishing they can find the genius
they are unaware of, or the book that hasn't been written
yet.
It's the harshest reality a writer must face. That nobody
really cares whether you finish your novel or magnum opus
- or whether you even work on it at all. A book is
nothing until it's published - and even then, given
current trends, it's unlikely to set the world on fire or
sell more than a few copies.
Writers must find their own reasons to write - and be
self motivated enough to continue without anything but
selfish reasons to finish what they start. As Dorothea
Brande said in "Becoming a Writer", writers
create their own emergencies. They have to, because
nobody else really gives a damn.
It's funny. I was rereading a little of Stephen King's
"On Writing" this week and I noticed something
I'd missed previously.
He said he used to believe that writing was a craft and
that it could be taught, a skill that, with enough
training and guidance, anyone could master. Note, he usedto
think that.
But later in his career, after he'd written around twenty
novels, he'd changed his mind. He realized that the urge
to write consistently must be something you're born with.
Think about it - writing for no good reason (except
personal compulsion) is an urge that is so specific -
even a little bizarre - that, without it being somehow
hard-wired into a writer's DNA, most people, no matter
how keen to learn, simply wouldn't bother.
It's not like it's always easy after all.
It's often said that if you find writing easy, you're
probably not doing it right. I know from experience that
those writers who tell me they found writing their novel
a breeze, usually need some serious editing!
Don't get me wrong. I do think that writing the first
draft of a story or a book should be fairly effortless or
if not, an exhilarating experience for a writer. That's
usually how your best work feels. When you're 'in the
zone' and being productive and inspired, you're a writer,
just like any other Dan Brown, Emily Bronte or
Tolstoy.
But that's not all there is.
There's editing too. And having something important to
say. And having the kind of mind that can hold an entire
book in your mind - and to be able to get it all down on
paper. And, of course, the toughest call: being able
to arrange your life to find the time and inclination to
write every day.
Not everyone thinks writing is glamorous. Even many
professional writers I know have no great regard for the
process, only an overwhelming conviction that, in order
to create something of value and importance, you have no
choice but to do it.
You and only you.
Of course, 'value' and 'importance' are relative terms.
That's the point. Only Tolstoy thought is was important
to write War and Peace. It had no value to his wife, most
likely, and none of us would have missed it - or him - if
he'd become an alcoholic and never got around to writing
more than a few hundred words.
So the next time you're tempted to write a book, think it
through.
Is it important you get it all down?
And are you willing to spend 80% of the process on making
it perfect?
Because, like Mr King, I used to think that to be able to
write half a page of scribbled lines gave you the right
to call yourself a writer.
But now, after I've written a million or so words, I'm
beginning to think that being a writer is more involved
than I used to believe.
It's somehow innate in a writer's makeup.
Perhaps practice is all it takes - consistent action and
dedication to the art.
But more likely you need to discover the writer within -
that guy inside who was never going to be satisfied until
you gave him free rein to take over your life.
But if he's not there, except as a vague yearning, maybe
the best thing is to quit while you're ahead!
Being a full time writer is still one of the hardest ways
to live. Ask any writer. Even when you're successful, the
motivation to write, stay focused, inspired and clear for
long periods can be tough.
Sure, it's rewarding - and often fun.
You know it's good when you finish something great and
you like yourself more for having done it.
But be clear on this: commitment to writing books is not
for the faint hearted.
Take one step at a time - but be sure you have good
sturdy shoes before you start.
