A Little More on the Struggles of a Writer
“Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.” The great science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein (“Stranger in a Strange Land,” among others), said that about the art, or act, of writing. Writing is definitely something we all do in private. Few authors that I’ve ever come across, whether world-famous novelists or struggling amateurs, do much writing while they sit in the living room with their families conversing or watching TV around them.
No, writing is what we do when we are alone: when the kids are off at school, or early in the morning before we go to work, or, in my case, late at night when everybody else has gone to sleep. It is, as far as art forms go, certainly a furtively performed one. And, at least for me, it is something that takes forever to get done, through many frustrations and setbacks, with lots of tears and anguished screams. So, while it is “not necessarily something to be ashamed of,” it certainly is something I hate being asked about.
So, while you pour your heart into this work of art, how do you go about letting friends and family know that you actually have some ability to write? As the months and then years go by with no sign of the great novel you’re working on, do they take you seriously, or are they convinced that you’re a hard-working, but untalented, hack? Do they smile sympathetically, with only the slightest hint of condescension, as they ask you, “So, how’s the writing coming along?”
If I had any musical ability, I wouldn’t have to be asked twice to play something at a gathering of friends or family. If I could paint at all, my walls would be covered with my work which I could show off to whoever entered my house. Same thing if I was a sculptor. But I’m not any of these. So what am I to do: start reading out chapters of my books during dinner parties?
This is the sad fate of all "undiscovered" writers. Until and unless some faceless publisher picks your book out of a pile of hundreds of others, like it was winning lottery ticket, nobody really considers you “a writer.” For so many people you are either a “published writer” or you’re not a writer at all. You’re just a guy who doodles, or scribbles the occasional paragraph to pass the time. They could never take seriously the countless writers who have as much talent as anyone on a bestseller list, yet get lost in the pile of unsolicited transcripts, never to be heard from.
Is this situation changing at all? Of course, there is the internet, with the many sites (such as Author’s Den) where we can post our stories, and where people can read and enjoy them. But then, nobody is paying us for these works. And can we, as writers, honestly say that using these free sites is as satisfying as having somebody buy and publish one of our stories?
And, yes, new technology is changing the face of publishing. Print on demand allows anybody to see their books in print, very fast and at ridiculously low cost. Maybe, like me, you list your book on Amazon or other sites, and you set up a website, link to various search engines, get a Facebook page up, etc. But, unless you really are as lucky as a lottery winner, you’ll never sell a huge number of books like this. And, in the back of the minds of so many readers, and writers, there will always be the thought that, no matter how good your book was, no “real” publisher thought it was good enough to sell.
And how does the writer convince the reader, as well as himself, that this thought, just like all those publishers, is wrong?
No, writing is what we do when we are alone: when the kids are off at school, or early in the morning before we go to work, or, in my case, late at night when everybody else has gone to sleep. It is, as far as art forms go, certainly a furtively performed one. And, at least for me, it is something that takes forever to get done, through many frustrations and setbacks, with lots of tears and anguished screams. So, while it is “not necessarily something to be ashamed of,” it certainly is something I hate being asked about.
So, while you pour your heart into this work of art, how do you go about letting friends and family know that you actually have some ability to write? As the months and then years go by with no sign of the great novel you’re working on, do they take you seriously, or are they convinced that you’re a hard-working, but untalented, hack? Do they smile sympathetically, with only the slightest hint of condescension, as they ask you, “So, how’s the writing coming along?”
If I had any musical ability, I wouldn’t have to be asked twice to play something at a gathering of friends or family. If I could paint at all, my walls would be covered with my work which I could show off to whoever entered my house. Same thing if I was a sculptor. But I’m not any of these. So what am I to do: start reading out chapters of my books during dinner parties?
This is the sad fate of all "undiscovered" writers. Until and unless some faceless publisher picks your book out of a pile of hundreds of others, like it was winning lottery ticket, nobody really considers you “a writer.” For so many people you are either a “published writer” or you’re not a writer at all. You’re just a guy who doodles, or scribbles the occasional paragraph to pass the time. They could never take seriously the countless writers who have as much talent as anyone on a bestseller list, yet get lost in the pile of unsolicited transcripts, never to be heard from.
Is this situation changing at all? Of course, there is the internet, with the many sites (such as Author’s Den) where we can post our stories, and where people can read and enjoy them. But then, nobody is paying us for these works. And can we, as writers, honestly say that using these free sites is as satisfying as having somebody buy and publish one of our stories?
And, yes, new technology is changing the face of publishing. Print on demand allows anybody to see their books in print, very fast and at ridiculously low cost. Maybe, like me, you list your book on Amazon or other sites, and you set up a website, link to various search engines, get a Facebook page up, etc. But, unless you really are as lucky as a lottery winner, you’ll never sell a huge number of books like this. And, in the back of the minds of so many readers, and writers, there will always be the thought that, no matter how good your book was, no “real” publisher thought it was good enough to sell.
And how does the writer convince the reader, as well as himself, that this thought, just like all those publishers, is wrong?
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