On Writers & Writing

In the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn Monroe's character at one point says, "It's terrible to be lonely, especially in a crowd." The quote always struck me as sort of profound. I like that it illustrates that loneliness isn't just a matter of being around other people, it's purely emotional. That, in fact, you can feel alone when you clearly AREN'T alone. And, taking it one step further, in my younger years I related that quote to teen angst. You feel like your problems are so unique. That no one understands you. That no one has ever gone through what you've gone through. But, the truth is that most people have been through pretty much the same thing. Oh, sure, we're all very special snowflakes and we all experience things differently. But there are several elements of "the teenage years" that are universal. And, along those same lines, there are elements of ourselves that we think are very unique when really, they're not. I might have a talent for, say, playing the clarinet. And I might not know any other clarinet players, so I feel very unique. But, in reality there are hundreds of other clarinet players out there. Thousands.

How does this relate to writers and writing? I'm trying to get there. When I was young, I loved writing stories. It was my favorite pastime. And I'd often think that one day, I'd like to be an author. And there was really no doubt in my mind that I could do it. I love writing. I like to think I'm decent at it. I'm familiar with grammar rules. I figured that it would just be a matter of self discipline to get the job done. I knew about queries and literary agents and blah blah blah. None of that really worried me. I knew I could get published. Please note that I said this was when I was young. As in, young and naive, and perhaps a little stupid.

Since joining the blogging community - if what I do can even be called that, because this blog is really a bit of a joke comparatively speaking - I have come to realize how many people fancy themselves writers. Not just "fancy themselves" as writers, but are actual writers with books in progress, or maybe with already published work. And in talking to these folks, and in reading about their struggles, I've realized something about myself: I am no writer. Nor do I particularly want to be one at this point.

It was kind of difficult for me to come to terms with this realization, considering that becoming an author was basically a lifelong dream of mine. But being an author involves a lot of hard work. More work than I realized in my starry eyed youth. And, truth is, I'm lazy. And fairly sensitive to criticism. Also, not good with deadlines. That is the trifecta of doom for a potential author. It's kind of embarrassing to admit that I thought it was easy to get published. That all it took was a little spark of creativity. It really takes a lot of focus, determination and discipline. The older I get, the more I've come to realize that most successes in life are not truly determined by one's talents - they're more about a person's drive. Hard work is the way to get what you want in this life. That doesn't just mean in terms of work and career - it could even be successes on the home front. Marriage takes effort. Being a good parent means a lot of hard work. Being good at a hobby means lots of practice. Being a good cook means trying new things and working to develop your skills. Very, very few of the true joys in life will fall into your lap. So, it's just a matter of deciding what's worth the effort.

So, my hats off to all you writers out there, be it for blogs or novels or research or otherwise. The passion and dedication you put into your craft is a marvel.

Now, to put more effort into achieving my true dream job: lotto winner.