What do you do?
It’s a common question, one we often ask when meeting someone for the first time. The answer helps us get a feel for who they are. Or does it?
During my days as an engineer, when I answered that question my new acquaintance would nod their approval and give me a look that meant something like, “Wow, that’s really impressive—but please don’t be one of those engineers that goes on and on about minute technical details I neither understand nor find remotely interesting.”
When I tell people I am a writer I get a different kind of look, a look that could be interpreted as:
- Wow, you must be exceptionally brilliant. (I wish)
- Are you one of those weird people who actually liked the books we were forced to read in English class? (Um, not usually)
- I always suspected you were a few marbles short. (No comment)
- Could you choose a lonelier, riskier and less lucrative profession? (Probably not)
- Do we even belong on the same planet? (Who says I’m from this planet?)
In other words, in the minds of most people, writers belong to that group of eccentrics who, for reasons the rest of society doesn’t understand, waste their lives creating “art” instead of doing something productive or useful.
So what makes me do it?
“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” —George Orwell
Working as a writer is often lonely, often frustrating, often discouraging—and rarely lucrative. Why do I choose to spend my time writing when I could be earning a steady salary as an engineer, or a math teacher, or some other practical occupation? Good question. Here’s my attempt at answering:
- The voices I have characters in my head who want a chance to live. They demand I tell their stories to the world. Sometimes the only route to sanity is to oblige them.
- The thrill of laughter There is nothing quite like watching actors perform a piece I wrote. Watching my characters come to life is both thrilling and terrifying. And when the audience laughs … how can I describe it? Bringing a smile to someone is immensely satisfying, isn’t it? Making a roomful of people laugh is even better. It validates both my writing and the notion that I am not so crazy after all. (I can’t be that far off my rocker if they get my jokes, right?)
- When the muse amazes Some days I sit in front of a blank screen and begin to type, not really sure what I am trying to say. If I manage to ignore my internal critic long enough, a scene bursts into life. My fingers struggle to keep up as my thoughts tumble forth. When I am finished I marvel at this scrap of story that appeared from nowhere. Who would have guessed all this was hiding in my head?
“My stories run up and bite me on the leg – I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off.” —Ray Bradbury
- Permission to daydream I spend a lot of time watching scenes play out in my head. Just like a movie director I can try different takes until I find the one I like. To the rest of the world it might look like I’m staring blankly into space, but actually I’m working. Honest.
- The opportunity to touch a life All performers understand the magic of applause. It is the nectar that entices them to keep going, to dig deep and bare their souls as they perform. Writers are no different. We need to hear, from time to time, that something we wrote made a difference in someone’s life. This is what makes all those hours of agonizing over how to wrap words around the ideas and emotions swirling in my head worth the struggle. Never underestimate the power of an encouraging word, especially to a struggling creative type.
“The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- No hard hat required When I worked as an engineer in an aluminum rolling mill, I needed to wear a hard hat, safety glasses and steel-toed shoes. I worked 8:00 to 4:30, Monday through Friday. As a writer I can wear a sweatshirt and my favorite slippers, and I can work at whichever time of day the muse strikes. A writer learns to work with the ebb and flow of inspiration (and keep a notebook handy at all times.) Flexibility and comfort—great perks, wouldn’t you say? Almost counteracts the long hours of enforced solitude and the lost sleep when a creative breakthrough arrives at three a.m. and there’s no point in trying to sleep until I’ve written it down.
“I don’t need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me.” —Ray Bradbury
- Somebody’s gotta do it A quote on my wall says “Nobody has time to write a book. Some people just do it anyhow.” At some point I decided to be one of those people. Maybe someday I’ll have a book to prove it, but even if I never do, I’ll be glad I tried.
“People on the outside think there’s something magical about writing, that you go up in the attic at midnight and cast the bones and come down in the morning with a story, but it isn’t like that. You sit in back of the typewriter and you work, and that’s all there is to it.”— Harlan Ellison
That’s my excuse for insanity.
What’s yours?
What makes you venture outside the safety of Practical to the unknown of Imagination?
Laure Covert says
Love this! Thank you for WRITING it 🙂 I love the image of the story idea biting Ray B on the leg and not letting go until he wrote it down. And the time issue – thanks for addressing that one. This is a breakthrough article for me.
admin says
Always good to know there are other people that understand our struggles, isn’t it? Glad my thoughts were helpful.
Esther Zeiset says
Lisa – Good writing, with a good dose of humor! Your line “…even if I never do, I’ll be glad I tried” inspires me. My fear of failure as a writer is checked by my fear of regret if I never at least try. Thanks for a well-written kick in the pants.
admin says
I was at a writer’s seminar last weekend and one speaker told us that anyone who even tries to get something published is doing what the rest only dream of. It’s a long, sometimes scary path, but if it’s on our heart to write, we need to do it. So don’t give up!