I'm sure I've mentioned Absolute Write before. If I haven't, shame on me. AW, as it's affectionately called, is a writer's forum and probably one of the best resources on the Internet. Some AWers have started up an August blog chain, in a sort of Q&A format.
The question I'm to blog about comes from JamieMT of The Variety Pages. Ahem: If you could see into the future, and found out that you would never be published, would you keep writing? How would it change the way you write, or would it?
Now, this is a fascinating question. Honestly, I don't think it would affect me so much at the moment. I write wholly for pleasure. If I were currently in the habit of writing more, and more often, I might cut down on the writing time.
My dream is to one day be able to live off my writing. Naturally, if I were to discover without a doubt that I would never publish, that would put a big damper on my plans. I don't have a clue what I'd decide to do instead. If I decided to do something that required a huge time commitment--like, say, theatre, not that I'm saying I'm a good actress or anything--I'd likely have to cut down my writing time. At the moment, that's a bad thing. I write little enough as it is. I don't need to give myself more excuses to procrastinate. Get that story written, dangit!
This discovery wouldn't change how I write at all. I write like I eat: I dive headfirst and don't sit there, planning out how I'm going to eat, what size bites I'll take, how fast I'll chew, how many times I'll chew before I swallow, et cetera. This has been causing plenty of problems for me with my current scifi project, because all the little details I *could* put in a notes folder tend to find their way, info-dump-like, into the exposition. Thank heaven for revision...
Anyway. Long story short: I might write less, but I'd still write. The way I write wouldn't change at all.
Huh. I'm suddenly struck by the way I seem to be able to write a long rant about something I can rephrase in just a few words... maybe that's why I get good grades in English. My teachers see a solid wall of text, and they think, I don't want to read this; let's just slap something on there and call it good. Where's my random letter generator?
I digress.
My question for the next poster, ealexis of Evie Alexis: The Obsessive Writer: What, in your opinion, makes your writing stand out? How?
I apologize if my question is very stupid (or, as people with my limited knowledge of Japanese might say, totemo baka). I apparently suck at trying to figure out what sorts of questions fit which people...
Here's the list of the other peeps involved in the blog chain, and in order:
Claire Crossdale http://theromanticqueryletter.blogspot.com
razibahmed http://www.blogging37.com/
aimeelaine http://www.aimeelaine.com/
bsolah http://benjaminsolah.com/blog
dnic http://four-lettered-words.blogspot.com/
JamieMT http://thevarietypages.blogspot.com
LiliCray http://mutteringsofascribe.blogspot.com
ealexis http://eviealextheobsessivewriter.blogspot.com/
errantruth http://www.sputnitsa.wordpress.com
Lady Cat http://randomwriterlythoughts.blogspot.com
Proach http://desinfocenter.blogspot.com/
Simran http://dark-horse-adaptations.blogspot.com
lostwanderer5 http://www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com
Forbidden Snowflake http://www.alleslinks.com
coryleslie http://corrinejackson.wordpress.com/
Angyl78 http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/
Bookdragonette http://pannarrans.wordpress.com/
RavenCorinnCarluk http://ravencorinncarluk.blogspot.com
Excellent question with an interesting answer. =] It's wonderful that you can throw yourself so entirely into the process and just write for pleasure. It's easy to lose sight of that aspect once you have a goal set in place for you, I think.
ReplyDeleteI like your question for ealexis. That's actually a really good question, because it's got to make you think about your writing.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same as you about writing; even if I knew I wasn't going to be published, I wouldn't stop. It's in my blood, and I want to keep it up.
Getting big enough to be able to live off writing would be awesome. Since I already know that's a slim hope and I keep writing, I think I could handle not being published as calmly as you say you could.
Lillian C,
ReplyDeleteI like your answer it earnest and practical without being preachy, well done.
Claire
I really liked your comparison between eating and writing. :-)
ReplyDeleteGood answer! You show that you're writing for the right reasons - because you love to write, not because you're motivated by fame and fortune.
I have the same idea like you. If I knew that I would not get published in future then I would still continue writing but would have decreased the amount significantly.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on your answer! I'd keep writing too! Good luck with the scifi project!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said, same idea here. But I do have to admit it would put me down quite a bit if I found out that I'd never get published.
ReplyDelete