Here to Create

What is a writer? Is it someone who makes a living writing? Is it someone who has been published? Or is it just someone who writes? And when I say “someone who writes,” I don’t mean that everyone who writes a grocery list should be accused of being a writer. I mean people who write purposefully, whether they have aspirations of publication or not.

I don’t tend to make these distinctions, but if asked, I say that I’m an amateur writer. I certainly don’t have the presumption to compare myself to famous writers of the past, or even to anyone who’s published, but I still think I’m a writer, albeit an amateur one.

I’ve been thinking about the meaning of being a writer today, because I’ve just been reading 101 Reasons to Stop Writing and trying to decide if I’m offended or not. I think Sean Lindsay has some good points. Far too many people think of the “wealth and fame” they’ll have when they’re published long before they even have a first draft. And there are probably far too many bad books published. But I couldn’t help but wonder: who’s tying this poor man down and making him buy and read all these terrible books? Publishing, like all businesses, is market driven. If there are bad books being published, it’s probably because there are people who will buy them.

Lindsay also criticizes NaNoWriMo pretty severely. Like many people who disparage NaNo, I think he’s trying too hard. Yes, judging by the NaNo forums, some participants think they will have a complete novel, ready to send to publishers, by the end of the month. But many serious writers also use the adrenaline from NaNo’s forced pace to increase the time they spend writing or to help them work toward a goal. And many participants just write because it’s fun, challenging, and an exercise in creativity. True, the emphasis on writing “crap” is perhaps overdone in the NaNo promotional literature, but the larger point is to overcome inhibitions and take creative risks. And most participants understand that what they have at the end of NaNo is an extremely rough draft.

So what does this have to do with the definition of “writer”? When I’m confronted with the idea that I should just stop writing if I’m not good enough to be a bestselling author, I feel the need to reinforce the validity of writing as an amateur, for fun. Why should anyone who enjoys writing stop? The idea seems comparable to saying that those who bicycle for fun should stop unless they’re good enough to compete in the Tour de France. Or that the people who play instruments in the community band should stop if they have no future as professional musicians. There’s no shame in pursuing an activity just for fun.

So although I agree with some of Lindsay’s reasons, he hasn’t convinced me to stop writing. What about you?

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