“I write because it allows me to live many lives
and experience many adventures... There is never room for boredom!”
That was my answer to a question asked on a writers’
group chat a few days ago. What I love the most is the feeling of slipping into
someone else’s skin and experiencing things that I might not experience
otherwise. (Similar to reading, except for, as the writer, you control the
characters!)
What else is cool about being a writer?
As I said: Control!! If you are a control freak
like me, it’s wonderful to be at the helm of this thing that will eventually
become a full story. No more of those disappointing endings. You are in charge!
Nothing is impossible. With my journalism
background, I am a stickler for avoiding anachronisms, but otherwise, I say let
that creativity take over… Imagination is a wonderful thing!
Variety. Monotony doesn’t exist when you are
creating characters and plots for each new work.
Not having to use the typewriter pictured above (as
lovely as it is). How I respect the writers of pre-computer days!
So now, what are the down sides of the writing
life?
The difficulty of getting published tops the list
and has many subcategories that would make this a very long post!
Once you are published, the fact that unless you
are very well-known and sign with a big publishing company, you probably will
have to reduce your writing time so that you can work on promoting your book.
While this is enjoyable, the problem is it is indeed a job, meaning you now
have two jobs! Writing and marketing!
I can’t think of many other negative things about
writing so I suppose that is a good sign…
I definitely don't consider myself a writer, but when I did NaNo this past November I was struck by the lack of control I had over my characters and premise. It was an incredibly uncomfortable experience, one that leads me to say that I'm not a writer, but a reader. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful for people like you that can harness that beast and write fabulous stories.
Thanks for linking up with Spread the Love!
Thank you, April... I can understand how the creation of characters can be a bit challenging too. I think it's wonderful when people give it a try as you did even if you don't plan on becoming an author. :)
DeleteI'm planning to do NaNo next year. Then I too can find out whether this reader has any of the things it takes to become a writer (as opposed to blogger, which in my case is nothing but a glorified diary)
ReplyDeleteI've so enjoyed reading about your adventures in Ariege...Your writing is descriptive and entertaining. So I think you are halfway there already :)
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