I want to be published as a kind of validation for having reached a certain level, being good enough. Graduating, if you will.[However, I also realize I'm getting a pretty late start to this and traditional publishing may not work for me, so I'm preparing for the possibility of self-publishing.]
I'm getting older, and I love to learn new things. I don't want to be one of those senior citizens who sees the world through a very narrow filter, unwilling to consider new things. I want to always be teachable. I want to be creative and make something that brings me (and hopefully others) pleasure.
I've worried that as I've been spending hours and hours on it (not just on the writing itself, but on reading blogs about writing by authors or aspiring authors, listening to podcasts about writing, reading articles about things writers should and shouldn't do, attending writing conferences, etc.), that it's taking over my life.
And for what?
I'm very much a person who needs to have something to show for the time I've spent working on it. Even if it's just for me.
So it was interesting today to read a blog post by a guest writer for Natalie Whipple. Adam Heine talks here about a writer's education. He hits the nail on the head. I especially love this part:
... But what kind of job demands years of uncompensated service before giving you even a chance at wages?Nice, Adam. Well said.
All of them, it turns out. It's called college.
College is 4+ years of work that pays nothing and (these days) doesn't even guarantee a job at the end. That's exactly what we're doing when we sit at our computer, typing a story nobody may ever buy.
It's better than college, because it's free. Better because it's easier to hold a job while writing than studying. Better because if we don't get a job with our first degree (i.e. novel), we can write another and learn more...
So long as you live life, working to get published is as valid an education as any other.
Keep writing. It's your education.
So, why do you write?
A wonderful penned post Donna,
ReplyDeleteI write mainly about the experiences in my life, it started on the passing of my husband and mother within two months way back in 1998. I found it theraputic and have conntinued ever since.
Happy New Year.
Yvonne.
Never thought about comparing it to college before, but yeah that is absolutley right.
ReplyDeleteI have often thought of the entire writing process as an education, too. It's amazing what it's also taught me about life along the way.
ReplyDeleteI write simply because it's who I am. It is my identity, it shapes my time, and I can't not pen my thoughts.
Happy New Year, Donna, wishing you a happy, word-filled year :)
Funny, but I'm a writer AND educator. And both fill my personal mission statement. I write and teach to do two things: Teach and LEARN. Just as I learn from my students every single semester, I learn from each book, play, and poem I write.
ReplyDeleteAlways learning new things. That's kind of life, isn't it?
Happy New Year!
Nice post, Donna, and always good to go back and ask yourself that question.
ReplyDeleteWhy do I write? Because I want to. Because I can. Because I think I've got something to say, and I hope others will find it interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking. Because it fills a need to be creative. Because I like to do it.
Happy New Year, and good luck on the next leg of the journey. I'm rooting you on!
This is how I justify all the money I put into conferences...it's education expenses. :)
ReplyDeleteI totally needed this post today! Writing took a major chunk out of my day yesterday and finally at one in the morning I closed the laptop and prayed to the high heavens that my 13 hour day would pay off in the long run, lol.
ReplyDeleteI write, therefore, I am. I have to write as I feel this is a great way to express myself and share my gift with the world. Have a Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post to re-post! I'm not looking for a new career either. And those who look at the world through narrow eyes, never experiencing anything new, are really sad.
ReplyDeleteI write because it is something that is truly mine, because I feel like a whole person when I do, and to prove to myself that I can. I don't want to live a life of what if's.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome Donna! I love it. I have always enjoyed writing - always done well at it in school and always have requests to write skits and other things for people, but I want to learn more. Expand my knowledge and ability. AND... like you - I look at publishing as a sort of graduation. Plus --- I would love for my kids to be like, "Look what my mom did!" :)
ReplyDeleteIt's never too late! As long as you're enjoying the trip, then that's awesome. I write because I love to. Because it's the only thing I have ever loved doing that I know I could do for the rest of my life and be completely happy.
ReplyDeleteI have three reasons why I write: 1. It is part of who I am. 2. I like doing it. 3. I am good at it.
ReplyDeleteOf course all three things are true about my career as well :)
I write because it brings me joy. Pains in the derriere at times, too, but mostly joy. I know I'm older than most other bloggers, and certainly older than most newbie writers who hope to be published, but that's okay. I'm loving the process, the research, the learning ... and for me, that's enough.
ReplyDeleteI write because I am driven to create. And I want to create worlds that are filled with magic and wonder.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wish I'd chosen something that required a four year career. It would be feel great to get that diploma and leave it at that. Maybe that's how I feel when I have my book published. One can hope.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you in 2012, Donna!
Love what Adam said--gave me a whole new perspective. Thanks for sharing and for writing.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, good question. With not very clear cut answers. Writing is fun and fulfilling. It's exciting. I think it's more about the journey for me. Like you said, getting published is a form of validation. So that long, hard journey toward it is a challenge I've set for myself. That seems almost masochistic, at times, I know, since the prize is rarely attainable. But I have to have some reason to get up, to work my mind, to live each day. This is as good as any. And I like it. It makes me feel good.
ReplyDelete(BTW - I left something for you over at my place.)
I started writing because I wanted to better myself at something I was terrible at. I always had a vivid imagination, and now it's time to put it down!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you are writing Donna, and I wish you the best!
I love challenging myself--that is why I write. I also love books and stories, so it seems like the perfect marriage.
ReplyDeleteI write because I cannot NOT write. It would be nice to be able to support myself as a writer if only for the reason that I would have more time to ... write! LOL. Have a great New Year! Roland
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine not writing. It's part of who I am and I'm compelled to do it.
ReplyDeleteI also look back on all my drawer manuscripts, unfinished pieces, short stories, and poems and see it all as a free education. It was hours of wonderful practice. I wasn't getting published, but was preparing for it.
Great post.
ReplyDeleteI write because I love to write. It's a way of communicating my creativity and something I've always done since year dot. It's not always easy, but that's part of the process.
Choose a good field and you will find a good job is what I tell people. Doing what you love comes with a price for most of us.
ReplyDeleteI write because it calls to me. There is nothing more thrilling than writing a spectacular scene.
ReplyDeleteI started writing out of curiosity - to see if I could. Now I find it's a way to get some of the inner worlds and images out of my head and onto paper in ways I can't achieve through painting.
ReplyDeleteI'm right with you on publication as a kind of validation. I want to hold my book in print, see it on a bookstore shelf, as a demonstration that I was good enough to be taken seriously. Trying to reconcile that with the possibility of self-publishing as a way of getting it out there and read.
Love this post. Love the new look on the blog. Love you.
ReplyDeleteI started writing because after a major change in my life, I wanted to learn something new. Took classes, read books, and started to write. Now I can't stop...well, you know me I can't shut up either.
I think we're meant to keep learning in this life and the next. The only way to lose is to stop.
Great post. I love to write. At first I wrote to proclaim my opinions about politics, education, family and other topics. Now I still write those things but also write as a way to release my creative juices. It's very satisfying even though I don't get paid what I should....
ReplyDeleteI'm addicted to storytelling. Always have been. That's why I write. And I like your approach to it. I have a nice job and am not looking to be an overnight full-time writer. If I can provide for my family, work, and write, I'm set for life. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
I love that you compared college with writing. I just finished my degree and what do I have to show for it? Nothing but a diploma that sits on my desk. I like the idea of being published too, as a validation of sorts. Very well written post.
ReplyDeleteI write because I am bossy, or that is what my family things. I have a parenting blog and apparently, I have a lot to say:)
I also write because the stories are inside my head and I think about them all the time, sometimes to the point of not sleeping. As soon as I get it down on paper, they don't nag at me anymore.
Wow, fantastic quote, and very inspiring:) For me writing is just something I do, and it's a little hard to explain why. An autistic cousin of mine I think put it best...you do it, because you just like it. :)
ReplyDeleteI write because I have about thirty voices talking in my head and it get noisy when I don't put it down on paper. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
Love this post! Sometimes we lose sight of why we started writing in the first place. It's always good to remind ourselves of that.
ReplyDeleteI write because I have to. Because for years I didn't and I felt the lack constantly. And now I am happy. So I guess I got it write. I mean, right.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Adam's words~ that's so true, and is a great way to think about the craft of writing!
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit like The Botonist. I started writing to see if I could. In a moment of too much honest I will say that I am still not sure but I won't quit till I give it my all.
ReplyDeleteI write because I have this annoying drive that pushes me to do it.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year!what a great post. I missed this last time, so I'm glad you reposted it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great reminder of the many reasons we write.
I write because--well, because writing is a passion, and I'm afraid I'll be hollow without it.
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Love your graphic of the books and quill.
ReplyDeleteI write because there is something in me that has to express myself that way. I I learn a lot and have so much to learn about the craft. and I totally relate to your comments about starting it late in life as I am 46. I justify my time and money because it is my main hobby. I want to move it up a level but I am not there yet.
I'm glad you reposted. I agree with almost everything you say. No, it's not a guarantee of success just because we try hard. But I can't imagine not writing.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year. I love your new picture on the top of the blog.
Awesome post, thanks for reposting it! Sometimes it's a good thing to reflect on why we're writing in the first place. And I love that you compared it to college. I want to always grow as a writer - it's why I've been going to more writers conferences lately.
ReplyDeleteI started out writing as a substitute for painting. I found I could paint with words. Then I got addicted. Now I'm stuck doing both. Oi.
ReplyDeleteWriting is an education in many ways, I think. I always learn more about writing with every new project, as well as about the subject matter that I'm writing about. The writer's career/life can be tough, but I can't imagine doing anything else and being as happy.
ReplyDeleteI love Adam's thoughts! When I first started writing, I did it because I enjoyed it and one day wanted to be published. I'm hoping to get back this year to the enjoying it part again.
ReplyDeleteThe reasons are endless really. Because it keeps me sane. Because it makes me feel as if I'm worth something. Because I want to share what's in my head (as creepy as that sounds). Because it's not just fun, you get a natural high when you're caught up in the rush of it. Trust me, I could go on! I really enjoyed this post.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I dropped out of uni first time, then spent two years studying journalism, which did teach me some things about writing, but now I wish I'd spent a lot more time during those years honing my creative side.
Apparently I was as addicted to university as I am writing. I went on to achieve a Masters of Science degree. Writing's more fun, though. But at least both involved research, which I love doing.
ReplyDeleteWow! I've never thought of writing like that. It is very much like college. That makes this process so much more encouraging.
ReplyDeleteWhy do I write? Because I tried not writing and couldn't. There is no other option for me. I love it too much.
I've always had an interest in writing but never considered it seriously because of too many other things I loved to do and other priorities. Finally, the time was right (yes, I'm getting older too). I read a book and thought, "I can do something like that." So, I wrote a book. It stank, but I accomplished it. Then I joined a critique group and loved going through the process of learning a seeing improvement. That stimulated a whole new love in my life. It makes me happy.
ReplyDelete