Let's face it, fangirls and fanboys, most of us are not going to become rich and famous off of our writing. Oh sure maybe
50 Shades of Grey made the jump from
Twilight fanfiction smut to horrible original fiction smut (judging from what I've heard), but that doesn't mean all of us will become so successful with our endeavors.
So why write? Why should anyone even bother writing if they're going to end up as a starving artist living off of cereal and whatever they can afford to wash that cereal down with that particular week? Sheesh...for that matter...why do
we spend our time writing these articles and reviews? We're not getting paid for it. Stories of people getting rich and famous off of blogging or YouTube are the exception, not the rule. So why bother in the first place?
To answer that question, first we have to look at why on earth we would ever want to write in the first place. Are you just doing it to get rich? Well if you are, then you'd better either start writing cheap smut or get out of the business fast because you're probably not going to succeed. But if, on the other hand, you are writing because you love stories and building worlds and escaping from the wreckage and drag of day to day real life, then you are doing it right. For most of us our love of writing began at a fairly early age, even if we didn't know it at the time. Why? Because many writers began in their childhood as bookworms.
Disclaimer: I am well aware that this is not always entirely true. Plenty of truly excellent and talented writers came into the reading and writing scene much later than I did and have shown both more success and more ability than I do. I am speaking in general terms here. Many people who decide to go into writing, especially the writing of stories, got their start reading novels and comics as children. Got it?
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Many of us grew up reading (or being read to) and discovering that it could be more than just a dragging school assignment to read. We discovered worlds and universes and friends beyond anything that we could find here in the real world. Dragons, elves, stormtroopers, mutants, werewolves, wizards, talking animals, grown men and women in spandex...the list just goes on and on.
But for many of us, as we grew older, playing in those sandboxes and visiting those worlds wasn't enough. We reached the end of our beloved book series' (and the corresponding films) and either found that we couldn't bear them ending or had little interest in the supernatural/dystopian renaissance in fiction. Which meant that we had nothing to read.
Some of us then grew out of the bookworm phase, others learned to adapt our preferences and interests to follow the changing times, and still others graduated from reading to seriously thinking about writing. There's just something so magical about sitting down and sketching out an idea on paper, watching it slowly take shape and a mind of its own as the characters come to life and the world begins to expand. You choose every word and phrase carefully to mold the idea into something that will draw others in and make them want to return again and again. That's the miracle of creating a story, no matter what it is. Writing shouldn't be taken lightly. It's not something that can just be dashed off. It takes thought and care and a certain amount of dedication.
But, of course, stories are not the only forms of writing and writers don't always start out as bookworms. I did...but I'm quite aware that I am not the archetype for the whole world. If creating stories isn't always how people get into writing, then what is? Really when it comes down to it, no matter what you're writing, it has to be because you see something in the world and have something to say about it. You are expressing yourself, much in the same way others do with music or dance or fashion.
Some of us write about fairies; others of us write about algebraic equations. Some of us write poetry; others of us strictly stick to prose. It doesn't matter what you write or how you choose to format it and, to a point, it doesn't even matter if your English and grammar isn't utterly squeaky clean and perfect...because every time you write you get a little bit better at everything. Better at explaining your emotions, better at describing a scene, better at writing dialogue, better at analyzing a film or television show, better at rhyming words together in rhythm, better at creating a cohesive argument - you just get better at everything. As long as you love what you're doing, have something important to say, and are willing to listen to critique and constructive criticism, you're going to be improving every time you sit down and put words on a page.
And guess what's even better! Not only will your writing skills improve every time you practice, but your quality of life and understanding of the world at large will as well. Have you ever heard the saying that
"...in order to write, you have to read..."? Well I'd like to add a little something to that:
"In order to write, and write well, you have to be willing to read and you have to close your mouth, use your ears/eyes, and observe people." It doesn't matter if you're writing a story or just an essay on toothbrush scum, understanding people is vital to being able to write and draw people's interest. You have to be willing to read at least something (be it a textbook or a novel) and absorb different writing styles and techniques. (This will also help expand your vocabulary beyond 'like' and 'so they said'.) You don't have to be a bookworm about it, but you do have to read at least something...even if it's just a script for your favorite television episode. The second thing you have to do is to open your eyes and look at the world around you. Why? Well because you can't just write about yourself! True there is a need to make things personal and to express your viewpoint and message in a clear way, but you also have to look at things from both side of the spectrum and at least
consider what others are going to think/feel/react to whenever reading what you have to say. After, what's the worse thing that could happen: you might actually have to unplug your iPhone and
listen to someone?! Oh the horror!
My parents always said that
"God gave us two ears and one mouth, so clearly he intended us to listen twice as much as we talk." (I'm paraphrasing...) Granted that was an occasionally hard lesson for motor-mouth me to swallow as I
always had an opinion that I felt was worthy of acknowledgement, but I know that in the long run it has served me well. Certainly one gains more juicy material for writing sitting quietly in a room and watching others bicker and/or make fools of themselves than one would by jumping on the bandwagon and joining in.
So we've talked about the benefits of world-building and of observing life, but what are some other reasons one might want to take up writing? Well...how about community? Yeah. Believe it or not, not all of we 'starving' artists live our lives like Christian from
Moulin Rouge - depressed and angsty and drunk because we lost the love of our life that we knew for an hour before declaring ourselves to be in love. That's a rather romanticized vision of what artists and writers across the globe end up as. Really, usually we're a bit nerdy and a bit geeky (not that that's a bad thing) and because nerds and geeks must band together and have conventions and contests and debates as to whether Picard or Kirk is better, writing comes with community. It doesn't matter if it's 'fandom' or not, there's always going to be someone else out there who is also looking for a writing buddy and who will look over your work and tear it to shreds and then tape it back together looking better than before (and then usually ask you to do the same to their work). You meet some great people because you all have writing in common. And the really cool thing is that sometimes they are people that you
never would have interacted with normally...but because you've found a common love for writing, you become friends and you get a whole new insight on life.
So why do I personally write? I'd say that some of the reason is for the community aspect. I've met some amazing people through my love of writing and, of course, I've got my awesome team right here on this site. Friends, colleagues, and all-around lovely people they are...and I probably never would have met them if it weren't for writing.
But that's not the primary reason I write. And other people shouldn't be the primary reason you write either. If you're just writing to please another person, you're either under a terrible contract or you're doing it wrong. Some writing, if you're so lucky as to make a career out of it, will have to be done to fill a mandate and pay the bills. That's a fact. But the
reason you decide to write in the first place shouldn't be because someone else wants it. You should be writing because you love it. But more so even than that you should write because you have something important to say and you want to be sure that you get to say it. The written word is more powerful than the spoken one, after all, because it lasts longer. We can read documents from thousands of years ago even though the original people to dictate and write them down are long since dead and buried. So why do I write? I write because I look around the world and see things that, come hell or high water, someone needs to say. Life is too short, I have way too many ideas, and there are
so many things in the world that never get looked at because everybody returns to the same old clichés over and over again. I write because I'm expressing myself (and somehow putting pen to paper seems better than getting forty tattoos and piercings that are going to sag and be regretted in 30 years anyway) and because I think it's important to speak about what you think and see in the world in an intelligent and interesting way.
Like I said, life is short. Try to do what you love. Granted don't be stupid about it (this is about writing, not about YOLO or whatever) but if you have something to say, find a clever and intelligent way to say it. And it doesn't matter if that is in a script, in a book, in a poem, or even in a tweet...writing is about expressing your thoughts, dreams, opinions, and ideas.
So no...writing just to become famous or writing to get rich is a pointless exercise. It's probably not going to happen. In fact, many famous writers that we look up to today died in poverty. That's the way it usually works; unless you're willing to gain fame by keeping up scandal after scandal and making yourself infamous, probably in your lifetime you're not going to be king (or queen) of the world. So is it worth to write in the first place? YES! Why should we even bother? First of all it is wonderful for personal enjoyment. World-building is great fun and helps you show your appreciation for something you're a fan of. Secondly it improves your mind by making you examine things from different angles and consider opposing viewpoints by observing people and the world at large. If more of us did this there would probably be less hate and vitriol spread around...just sayin'. Thirdly there is the community aspect. You'll meet some AMAZING people through writing. Fellow authors, students, bloggers, editors, teachers...we're all brought together by a common love and purpose. And lastly, and most importantly, you have something to say about this world. Everyone can have an impact and you never know just how important that observation or idea may be until you put it out there. So to sum it all up, what is the answer to the 'why write' question? You don't write because you want to become rich and famous...you write because you have a passion for it and because you have something to contribute to this world.
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