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RE: Writing Tips - 3
That made me laugh out loud, @alexpavlenko. But yes! It really must inspire and fuel you, or what is the point? The challenges involved are well worth it if it brings you joy. Your statement needs to be a meme. It is fabulous.
I am glad that you appreciate my sense of humor @jayna but I do think that people who perceive the process of writing as a challenge can't be considered as real writers. Same as those who kick the ball around can't be called footballers.
There are no challenges in writing because it is a natural high. Challenges come when one starts to perceive writing not as a process of creation but as profession or business. When it becomes challenging because the author has to satisfy too many requirements and adhere to certain standards. I guess that is what @michelle.gent meant when she wrote that writing a good (from the commercial point of view) book is tricky.
Ah, interesting! Well now I am flummoxed because I really thought I understood your intent to be about experiencing challenges but no joy, and I found your expression amusing. But if you are saying (and in fact you did say) that people who perceive the process of writing as a challenge are not real writers, then I simply, but adamantly, disagree. We are all entitled to our opinions. Yours is valid. And you are welcome to tell me I am not a real writer because I find writing challenging. I just don’t choose to agree.
I love the challenge of writing. I love everything I am learning and mastering along the way. I love sharing that knowledge with others who are struggling to learn all they need to know to get where they want to go. If you are another Shelley or something, and you just popped out of the womb with a pen in hand wowing the known world, then bully for you. I caution you against a belief that all other aspiring writers could or should be the same make and model as yourself, however. It is simply not the case.
The act of writing is what makes me a writer. Whether I struggle with it, enjoy it or am inspired by it is neither here nor there. The fact that I produce works that I am comfortable publishing is what makes me a writer and it is nothing more esoteric than that.
Your attempt to demean anyone who does not take joy from their labours and relegate them to mere typists is more, I think, a reflection of your own internal struggle than it is an accurate depiction of any writer who treats this art as a means of feeding hungry mouths.
Begone. And take your pseudointellectual bullshit with you.
I'm of the opinion that anyone who doesn't perceive the craft of writing as a challenge can't be considered a "real writer." I'm sure it's very easy to open one's mind and let a stream of word vomit pour onto the page. Probably as easy as throwing up when you have a stomach bug. The real test comes when you choose to write something people actually want to read.