Ok, so if a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
If I write something and no one ever reads it, am I actually a writer?
I am terribly undisciplined when it comes to my writing. Not as in, poor comma placement and misuse of the word “their” (though I write with a plethora of em dashes, you will find), but I only ever write for myself. I’m not self-conscious about my writing. (OK – not entirely true – I AM self-conscious about letting someone read a straight-up word spew that I wrote just for the sake of word count.) But provided I’ve been through a chapter enough to make sure I didn’t repeat myself, didn’t accidentally call one character by another character’s name, or have any glaring typos… I kind of like what I write.
So why don’t I share? Because the thought of trudging through an entire novel(la), where I already know what happens, is a long and tedious job. Or at least I assume it is… I have never bothered to do it. Even the thought of editing bores me. Once the thrill of creation is over – it’s just work. I’ve gotten what I want out of the story. I don’t need my voice heard, I really just needed the story to be written. I am a selfish, selfish writer.
But is that really what writing is about? Is it the act of creation, or is it ultimately the presentation? After all, I don’t abandon the craft after the story is done… it’s just that the next time I sit down to that blinking cursor, it’s with a new passion for a new idea. The old one is lovingly stored away in my archives, never to be seen again. So am I a writer? Or am I a fake? A tourist? If my fallen tree goes unheard, did it ever really make a sound?
What does writing mean to you?
~ Adrianne
I can totally relate! Many years ago I began writing a story, unfinished, no one will ever see. I think of it as the act of creating, the relaxation of creating. Just because you are only writing for you doesnt make you any less of a writer. Your tree was just heard :)
ReplyDeleteOf course you're a writer, you write. :)
ReplyDeleteWriting is much cheaper than therapy. You can't get arrested for maiming or killing characters. You can break hearts and give voice to things you'd likely never (ok maybe after too many drinks, but it would realy come back to haunt you) say in real life. You can fall in love again and again with lots of people, in lots of circumstances. You can control worlds!(insert evil laughter)
The fact that no one else reads your words makes them no less valuable.
My writing is more of a group therapy in that I share it and feel gratified when someone else connects with it. And editing? It's no so bad. It can even be fun. Sometimes. ;)
I love it :) I have dozens of stories started - including character outlines, possibilities for plot development, etc, etc - all for naught. I just mentioned in a post yesterday that if I ever did write a book, it would be WAAAAY too long for anyone to read because of all my tangential asides. (Look! I made it through a whole comment without one tangent. GooooOOO Me!)
ReplyDelete