Articulation: Why I don't like writing advice.

[rsadelle]

I started reading Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird last weekend. I got it from the library because I read the excerpt at Amazon and enjoyed it; because I read the Amazon review that says, "She has learned that writing is more rewarding than publication"; and because I know she's one of the writers my mother and her friends really respect as a writer and as a writer who gives writing advice.

I made it through the introduction and the first chapter, and then I stopped. I had the same resistance I have to the "write x number of words in y time period" philosophy of writing, and I'm finally able to articulate what that is.

Her premise, and the premise of the x number of words philosophy, seems to be that although writing can be rewarding, it is often or mostly or always a torturous, painful thing to do, and the only way to do it is to force yourself.

I totally reject this premise. I refuse to subscribe to any philosphy or belief system that rests on the premise that suffering is the natural condition. Furthermore, writing is not horrible. It's not torturous. If writing weren't something I do freely and joyfully, I wouldn't do it. It wouldn't mean anything to me. I wouldn't work so hard to avoid writing advice that threatens to rob my writing experiences of joy.

I don't write because I think I should or because other people have told me I'm good at it. I do it because I absolutely and completely love it. I do it because there's always a story in my head. I do it because it matters to me. I do it because I choose to. I do it because it brings me joy.

Comments

[egretplume.livejournal.com]

This is a great post. Thanks for writing it.

[spikedluv]

Just to play devil's advocate *g*, there may be a different between those of us who write for the fun of it (fanfic and original fic that's published for free on the 'net), and those who write for a living and expect (or hope) to make money at it. The fact that you must write X number of words per day to make a deadline doesn't mean you love it less, however, once you make the decision to try and publish your writing, it does becomes a job. It's just a lucky coincidence that you actually enjoy what you're doing, as most jobs are just...jobs.

[rsadelle]

Thank you, and you're welcome

[rsadelle]

I did think about that, and obviously if you're writing three columns a week, you do have to sit down and write a certain number of words in a certain amount of time. However, most writing advice I know of, which is largely advice followed/respected by other writers I know, is not directed at people who churn out five romance novels a year. It's directed at people who write on a hobby/amateur/non-paid basis. Anne Lamott starts out saying that you'll probably never get published, and even if you do, being published is not that great.

I have an issue with the bigger picture of the tortured artist. Why the hell should I be tortured to be creative? When I'm miserable, I don't write anything. I'm in a very good, stable emotional place now, and I just wrote 3911 words in two days. Now, that's not really normal output for me, but I have no doubt it's connected to my emotional state.

This is part of why I would never make writing my job. Like I said, writing is important to me because I come to it freely and joyfully. When my mom started writing as a job, she stopped writing for herself. I love writing way too much to ever give it up that way.

One piece of job advice I like says that you should make a living from your second favorite thing to do. The idea is that you still love your job and you preserve your favorite thing to do as something that you choose to do instead of something you have to do. I find this works well for me. At work I get paid to edit. When I come home, I can just write or not depending on how I feel.