If You’re a Writer, Write
July 13th, 2009 | Posted in blog 25 Comments »
Many of you—at least a third, I’m guessing—are writers by nature. You majored in English, dabbled in creative writing, probably immerse yourself in literary novels at lunch. You love the written word. You revel in your expertise in grammar, your fine tastes in sentence structure and semantics. You proudly display your Chicago Manual of Style on your bookshelf. Maybe you even secretly want to be a novelist. Perhaps you have an unfinished manuscript tucked away in your desk drawer that you think about finishing. Writing—the more creative, literary kind—is in your blood.
Fortunately, now is one of the best times for writers to be alive, because you can write and publish without hassle. According to Phillup Greenspun, the web provides a flexible format that removes traditional restrictions of length. You’re no limited to magazine length (5 pages) or book length (200 pages) of content. You can publish 20 pages essays, or 2 paragraph thoughts. You can write fiction or nonfiction, on any topic you want. You could publish your novel serially, or write your book chapter by chapter in a wiki-like way, or do any creative thing you want.
So why is it that, given the opportunity and tools to write, so few embrace it? I have several thoughts as to why.
1. You enjoy the idea more than the work
Most people enjoy the idea of being a writer more than the act of writing. The same could be said of a lot of activities. I once fantasized about doing triathlons, but it was really the idea of being a triathlete that appealed to me more than running, biking, and swimming. I also once fantasized about medicine, but it was the idea of “being a doctor” that appealed to me more than putting my hands inside bloody skin and tissue to fix people.
The truth about writing—the reason why people may daydream about “being a writer” but never seem to find the time to write—is that it’s a lot of work. Coming up with original ideas, organizing and structuring those ideas, editing and polishing your sentences, refining your thoughts, and finding time to do it all rather than sit back and watch TV or work in the yard—is something akin to completing that triathlon. It’s a lot of running/thinking, swimming/writing, and biking/editing. And it’s taxing. Winston Churchill compared writing to fighting a monster:
Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.
Instead of slaying the monster, it’s easier to sit back and think about “being a writer.”
2. Your elevated awareness sets higher standards
Another reason you may not find time to write is that your literary awareness is on a higher level, which makes writing more challenging. You’re aware of what good prose looks like, and so the standards you set for yourself are more rigorous. You’ve got William Faulkner and Jane Austen or some other famous writer on your mind, and you know that to write something worth reading, it will take a lot of time, more time than you’re willing to commit. For the limited time you do have, all you can produce is mediocrity, which you won’t sink to.
This high-brow position isn’t very excusable, because knowledge of higher standards often gives you more talent and capability. And if you have limited time, you can just stretch your efforts out over a period of time. Still, being able to recognize that your first drafts are junk can be a motivational deterrent.
3. You’ve fallen out of the habit
Although the previous two reasons are possible, most likely you stopped writing because you’ve fallen out of the habit. Desiderius Eramus, a fifteenth-century Dutch humanist, said, “The desire to write grows with writing.” The reverse is also true. The desire to write shrinks the less you write.
Habits aren’t particularly tricky to establish. It’s mostly a matter of doing it. Once you start doing something, it becomes easier to do it. When asked for advice from a young would-be writer, E.B. White, author of dozens of essays, said:
You asked me about writing—how I did it. There is no trick to it. If you like to write and want to write, you write, no matter where you are or what else you are doing or whether anyone pays any heed. I must have written half a million words (mostly in my journal) before I had anything published, save for a couple of short items in St. Nicholas. If you want to write about feelings, about the end of summer, about growing, write about it. A great deal of writing is not “plotted”—most of my essays have no plot structure, they are a ramble in the woods, or a ramble in the basement of my mind. You ask, “Who cares?” Everybody cares. You say, “It’s been written before.” Everything has been written before.
In other words, if you want to write, just open up a blank Word document and start typing. It’s that simple. The rest—the form, the purpose, the ideas, the publications—will follow. The more you write, the more desire you’ll have to write. And the easier writing will become.
Final Thoughts
I decided to write this post because I’m frequently asked—by fellow writers—why I blog [write] so much. For me, I consider myself foremost a writer. I majored in English, studied creative nonfiction writing, and find value in the act of writing, especially when I have nothing particular on my mind. I enjoy creating something from nothing.
I prefer personal essays and nonfiction over fiction, so the blog is a natural form for me. But whatever preferences for form you have, don’t give up on your more creative or literary writing. You don’t have to submit your writing to journals and magazines for publication. A blog can be a worthy publishing format. I get more reward from the comments, trackbacks, emails, and other feedback on my blog than from any other writing endeavor. Whatever style and format you choose, if you’re a writer, write. The opportunity is there.
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No argument from me with any of this; from my own experience, everything you say here rings true.
That said, here’s something from a different angle:
http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/content/anne-trubek/we-are-all-writers-now
#2 is an interesting point. But people have to remember that writers such as Faulkner and Austen didn’t write The Reivers and Northanger Abbey first time out. They probably wrote tens or hundreds of thousands of words before that. You can bet that much of their early work was rough. In the extreme.
How’d they become better writers? #3 explains that quite clearly.
Wow, that is an incredible article. Thanks for sharing the link.
That article came to me through the TechRhet mailing list.
Starting to write something is easy, but finishing it is hard. You really caught the essence of why most people don’t write – to do it well is hard work. Despite the romantic ideal of being a writer, it is first and foremost a job like any other job.
I only really started to get published on a regular basis when I stopped treating it like a hobby and started treating writing as a second job, But I will say at times it’s the best “job” in the world.
Best piece of writing advice I ever received – “Put your backside in the chair, and your hands on the keyboard, every single day, and write something.”
Falling out of the habit is an excuse I used for a while, but I think it’s a poor one. For me at least, writing isn’t a habit that requires daily practice. In fact, when I took two years off, I improved during that time.
I think this quote from Samuel R. Delany, from his book _About Writing_, is encouraging for anyone that feels they’ve fallen out of the habit: “The training of literary talent requires repetition of the experience of reading . . it does _not_ require repetition of the experience of writing (other than that required to achieve general literacy) in the same way that piano playing or drawing does.”
Writing is the ability to submit to what you’ve read.
Thanks for the comment, Travis. I think you’re right — reading is the fuel behind writing. I’m not sure why I omitted that. I know that what I read is usually a springboard to a post or essay.
My wife was just telling me yesterday that she likes writing poetry and wants to do it more, but that if she doesn’t have a deadline, she won’t do it. I told her to just spend a few minutes writing in her scratch book, writing her observations about things around her and trying out different word combinations. So she’s going to try it. I agree that writing often helps, and it’s certainly more satisfying than thinking, “Someday I’m going to write that book or write on that subject.” But when you do it often, every once in a while you do need a break to refresh yourself.
Thanks for a great post. I have all of these going on, and more. My biggest problem is – write all day at work (not complaining, love that I get paid well for it), and by the time I get home, the brain seems mush, and very stubbornly refuses to switch gears toward more creative endeavors. I am butt in the chair, hands on keyboard 8+ hours daily, and there just doesn’t seem anything left. It’s sad & disappointing, and I am inspired by what you do. Still looking for the key for myself. The best I can do is a few pages in the journal each morning. I am good with that, but I doubt that bit of fluff will ever fashion itself into the book I envision. Thanks again.
Just a couple of last comments observations.
(1) Yes, reading is VERY important to any writer, you should read as much as possible, and you should read across subjects, disciplines and genres. You should also watch movies, TV , plays with a critical eye towards how the stories are told.
(2) BUT… nothing replaces actually sitting down and writing. Like any other craft (and writing at the end of the day is a craft more than art) you only get better by doing it, and doing it on a regular basis.
(3) Most writers I know write not because they want tom but because the HAVE to. It’s a compulsion. And if you have to write, you will make time for it.
Yes many people think this way. If do major in English and do anything, it does not mean that you are going to be a good writer. Writing is something that comes out from heart.
Nice and interesting post.
English is language if written impressively then it would be a great help for many people and people would definitely read it. It should be skillful writing and touching.
Mike, your writing will get better the more you read.
Writing is a gift of god and people should respect it a lot. It is a art that cannot be learned and i am sure if a person writes with full dedication,then his write ups will surely be liked by many people.
I’ve been an on-again, off-again writer for the past two decades. This post just explained why. But it’s also inspired me to write more, and hopefully I’ll be writing consistently day after day from here on out. Thanks, Tom, for writing. Now it’s my turn to do the same.
Your article is good motivator. My mind is creative but I am not good in writer. I thinks writers born and can not be developed. But your line motivate me. Thanks for your ideas.
Thanks for the tips now i can write superb article on any topic
you motivated me thanks
Thanks for the great article tips!!!
OUCH! I found/find so many of those reasons you’ve listed here either are now true, or have been “true” in the past. I do concur: writers WRITE! If you don’t? You’re not. Period. Or…semi-colon?
Charles, thanks for leaving a comment. Orwell makes as much sense today as he did back then.
very good article – thanks. but i agree partly with manuel. you can learn to write, but just to a certain degree.
Unfortunately, I am a ( good) writer, though now i have been learning how to write well.
[...] November 12, 2009 by Tom Johnson [...]
If you are writer, Write.
Thats a good title, but not all people are writers. I think everyone can write though he/she is not a writer.
Wow the title is cool and awesome