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lathrielI just want to say flat out that there isn't really a question here as to what is the more "worthwhile" pursuit- to each their own is the only answer.
I had a conversation with an old friend at Scott's wedding, a writer. He's a pretty messed up guy (due to a series of uncontrollable events), and very intelligent. A very "artistic" type, with dark tendencies. He's the kind of writer who writes one book his entire life, but it's a book that literally almost kills him, and that will probably become a cult classic among the intellectuals and artists and people who are just so intelligent that they can't help but be in an constant battle with depression.
Recognizing that, I recognized something else that got me thinking: it seems to me there are two different kinds of writers- writers who write because they must, because it is a passionate love affair, because their stories sing in their bones and their characters are alive in their heads, and to give them life brings the writer joy; and writers who write because they feel they are the only ones who can say what they need to say, and even though it hurts, even though they have to suffer and bleed and drink for their words, for each page pulled from the depths of their soul, they will do it, and use it as their excuse to continue living in darkness, the darkness that feeds their mind-bending work of staggering genius.
Okay, I've obviously got a bias here, so I apologize. But bear with me, because here was the terrible thing I found myself thinking: "Those kinds of books are deep. They're intelligent, moving, the kind of books that are taught in college, but only people who are really alive get, and that people get tattoos of and that get nobel prizes. The commercial stuff I write isn't really important, is it? It's just entertaining."
I can't believe I thought that, even for a minute. The "commercial" stories I write are so rich with meaning I don't even see half of it until after I go back and read it; no, they might not be incredibly layered and complex, but that only means it can reach more people, and that doesn't mean they aren't intelligent. And you know what? The most commonly tattooed text from books come from children's books like The Velveteen Rabbit, Lord of the Rings, The Giving Tree, Peter Pan, etc.
I don't want to be an artist that's out to change the world with my magnum opus. I just want to do what I love, and... I guess move a few people while I'm at it. Entertain them, yeah, that too. Because a good story is a form of entertainment that does change you, that leaves a mark on you, broadens your perspective, fires up your imagination.
I dunno, I'm just rambling here I guess, reminding myself that there's a reason I am drawn to the stories I am, in reading and writing. These are the stories that changed me, and inspired me. I know that writing anything can be agonizing, but it shouldn't be, not all the time. I don't believe in that kind of writing. If the story you're writing doesn't bring joy to you when you write it, at least some of the time, why are you writing it?
Okay, I'm done. Hope I haven't offended.
I had a conversation with an old friend at Scott's wedding, a writer. He's a pretty messed up guy (due to a series of uncontrollable events), and very intelligent. A very "artistic" type, with dark tendencies. He's the kind of writer who writes one book his entire life, but it's a book that literally almost kills him, and that will probably become a cult classic among the intellectuals and artists and people who are just so intelligent that they can't help but be in an constant battle with depression.
Recognizing that, I recognized something else that got me thinking: it seems to me there are two different kinds of writers- writers who write because they must, because it is a passionate love affair, because their stories sing in their bones and their characters are alive in their heads, and to give them life brings the writer joy; and writers who write because they feel they are the only ones who can say what they need to say, and even though it hurts, even though they have to suffer and bleed and drink for their words, for each page pulled from the depths of their soul, they will do it, and use it as their excuse to continue living in darkness, the darkness that feeds their mind-bending work of staggering genius.
Okay, I've obviously got a bias here, so I apologize. But bear with me, because here was the terrible thing I found myself thinking: "Those kinds of books are deep. They're intelligent, moving, the kind of books that are taught in college, but only people who are really alive get, and that people get tattoos of and that get nobel prizes. The commercial stuff I write isn't really important, is it? It's just entertaining."
I can't believe I thought that, even for a minute. The "commercial" stories I write are so rich with meaning I don't even see half of it until after I go back and read it; no, they might not be incredibly layered and complex, but that only means it can reach more people, and that doesn't mean they aren't intelligent. And you know what? The most commonly tattooed text from books come from children's books like The Velveteen Rabbit, Lord of the Rings, The Giving Tree, Peter Pan, etc.
I don't want to be an artist that's out to change the world with my magnum opus. I just want to do what I love, and... I guess move a few people while I'm at it. Entertain them, yeah, that too. Because a good story is a form of entertainment that does change you, that leaves a mark on you, broadens your perspective, fires up your imagination.
I dunno, I'm just rambling here I guess, reminding myself that there's a reason I am drawn to the stories I am, in reading and writing. These are the stories that changed me, and inspired me. I know that writing anything can be agonizing, but it shouldn't be, not all the time. I don't believe in that kind of writing. If the story you're writing doesn't bring joy to you when you write it, at least some of the time, why are you writing it?
Okay, I'm done. Hope I haven't offended.
