Look out! He's got a knife!

To write, or to be a writer?

I've been thinking about writing recently. Poppy Z. Brite made an interesting post in her livejournal on November 27, in which she said:

I don't think I will ever understand why so many people want to Be Writers. Mind you, this is not the same thing as saying I don't understand why people want or need to write; I understand that very well, thank you.

When I think about it, I always come to: "Do you write because you love it, or do you just want an audience?"

I write something every day. It's a compulsion. I don't finish a lot of things, but that's beside the point. I've submitted about five stories for publication in my entire life, and had one of them published. I feel far more embarassed about the one that was accepted than the four that were rejected. I write for myself. Sometimes I write for another specific person or group of people, but not often. It would be lovely to make a living out of writing, but it's an incredible long-shot and I don't need it; writing is enough.

Brite makes another interesting point:

A former friend ... defended his decision to stop writing fiction by saying he had to make a living. Well, yes; so do most of us, and it's rare to be able to do so solely by writing. I can't help feeling, though, that if you really care about writing (as opposed to seeing your name in print, being able to call yourself a Writer, etc.), you find a way of making a living that allows you to write. But I guess it's handy to have a built-in excuse: "I coulda done it, if only ... "

I've known people who've done this, not just for writing but for other art forms as well (eg music). A variation on it is along the lines of "I am giving up because it is time to put away childish daydreams..."

But do people give up Saturday morning cricket because they'll never make the Black Caps? Do they give up chess because they'll never be a grandmaster? Making a living off writing is probably as unlikely as either of these.

Me, I'd like to Be A Writer, but I'm happy to just be a writer.

Today I WAS going to listen to Upper Hutt Posse's Te Reo Maori Remixes but I left it at home so it's Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen, a brilliant collection of song-stories with just the Boss on acoustic guitar, harmonica, voice and four-track. Every one's a winner, and there's at least five tracks on here that would be worth the price of admission alone: the title track, Atlantic City, Johnny 99, Highway Patrolman, State Trooper and Open All Night (okay, at least six).

Posted by pearce at December 12, 2003 3:15 PM