Silence and the writer.
Aug. 31st, 2009 05:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jolantruNot touching writing with a ten foot pole today.
Is tired of all the writing stuff - silent walls, silent people, just silent. Whatever happened to writing for fun?
Is disgusted with herself. But sometimes, it's just emotionally exhausting going it alone.
I posted this on my LJ and wanted to expand it here. I am elaborating/venting/thinking aloud here, regarding writing, the audience and the writer.
I like writing for fun. It allows me to write and simply enjoy seeing my words. Yet, writing cannot take place in a vacuum. The writer is writing, not only for herself, but an audience. I started writing for real (ie, publication - non and paying markets) when I was in my early twenties and found that yes, I do like it when readers respond to what I have written. Feedback tells the writer something, that she is doing something right (or wrong - negative feedback/critique helps the writer see the loopholes and mistakes... and write better in the future).
However, writing is also one of the most solitary paths I have ever known. Do I know who is actually reading my stories or are they only paying lip service? Do I know my stories are good or bad? Am I writing to a silent wall instead?
Honestly, it is frustrating and at times, emotionally exhausting, because I feel as if my words are going nowhere. Perhaps, my readers are the silent majority who read and don't really comment on the stories. They are there, but silent. Oh hey, are you guys enjoying my stories or do you hate them to bits?
Then I have to ask myself these questions? Am I looking for raving hordes of adoring fans? Or am I content with a small group of people who care about my work? I mean, it would be great to have adoring fans, but a small group of people who care and are my cheerleaders sounds much better. And yes, even writers need their cheerleaders, people who say "Keep it up!" and "Keep on writing!".
Indeed, whatever happened to writing for fun? Right now, I feel as if I am competing with other folks in a writers' rat race, attempting to get more readers, more fans, more sponsorships. It's starting to rankle, because I don't intend my writing to become competitive. Unfortunately, with so many authors and writers out there these days, it's hard not to compete. But ultimately I want writing to be fun once more. To build worlds, to see my characters grow up, to hone my skills. To simply enjoy writing as it is. Not a competition, not a race to garner more readers. But a source of pleasure.
In the past, I wrote for fun. It was akin to watching a beautiful sunrise or moonrise. My soul was enriched, nourished. My characters breathed. I breathed. I need to go back to my roots once more.
Is tired of all the writing stuff - silent walls, silent people, just silent. Whatever happened to writing for fun?
Is disgusted with herself. But sometimes, it's just emotionally exhausting going it alone.
I posted this on my LJ and wanted to expand it here. I am elaborating/venting/thinking aloud here, regarding writing, the audience and the writer.
I like writing for fun. It allows me to write and simply enjoy seeing my words. Yet, writing cannot take place in a vacuum. The writer is writing, not only for herself, but an audience. I started writing for real (ie, publication - non and paying markets) when I was in my early twenties and found that yes, I do like it when readers respond to what I have written. Feedback tells the writer something, that she is doing something right (or wrong - negative feedback/critique helps the writer see the loopholes and mistakes... and write better in the future).
However, writing is also one of the most solitary paths I have ever known. Do I know who is actually reading my stories or are they only paying lip service? Do I know my stories are good or bad? Am I writing to a silent wall instead?
Honestly, it is frustrating and at times, emotionally exhausting, because I feel as if my words are going nowhere. Perhaps, my readers are the silent majority who read and don't really comment on the stories. They are there, but silent. Oh hey, are you guys enjoying my stories or do you hate them to bits?
Then I have to ask myself these questions? Am I looking for raving hordes of adoring fans? Or am I content with a small group of people who care about my work? I mean, it would be great to have adoring fans, but a small group of people who care and are my cheerleaders sounds much better. And yes, even writers need their cheerleaders, people who say "Keep it up!" and "Keep on writing!".
Indeed, whatever happened to writing for fun? Right now, I feel as if I am competing with other folks in a writers' rat race, attempting to get more readers, more fans, more sponsorships. It's starting to rankle, because I don't intend my writing to become competitive. Unfortunately, with so many authors and writers out there these days, it's hard not to compete. But ultimately I want writing to be fun once more. To build worlds, to see my characters grow up, to hone my skills. To simply enjoy writing as it is. Not a competition, not a race to garner more readers. But a source of pleasure.
In the past, I wrote for fun. It was akin to watching a beautiful sunrise or moonrise. My soul was enriched, nourished. My characters breathed. I breathed. I need to go back to my roots once more.
