"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations." --Charles R. Swindall
I asked myself this week--are writers all nuts for doing what we do?
The only way to find out for sure (obviously) is to make a list of pros and cons for the writing life!
Pro: Being able to do odd things, like acting out mock battles in your living room, and call it "research."
Con: Banging your knee on the coffee table while "researching."
Pro: The elated feeling you get when you have an amazing idea.
Con: Insomnia after having an amazing idea at 3 a.m.
Pro: Reading new books all the time to improve your craft!
Con: Tripping over books in the dark because they're everywhere.
Pro: Meeting new writer friends online!
Con: Getting distracted by new writer friends and facebooking/twittering instead of writing.
Pro: The excitement of putting your work out there and actively chasing your dreams.
Con: The terror or putting your work out there and actively chasing your dreams!
Con: Waiting.
Pro: Eating chocolate to make waiting more fun!
Con: People criticize your work, reject it, don't complement you every time like the genius you are.
Pro: Criticism makes you improve! You learn from every mistake, and become a better writer.
Con: The road will be HARD.
Pro: You'll live a life without regret, without wondering what could have been if only you'd tried.
So, I suppose the answer is "Nes?" Or possible "Yo?" Yeahno?
What do you guys think? :)
13 comments:
Of course we're nuts! Why else would we be doing this? I mean, do normal people have complete conversations with characters in their minds? Do normal people hope for a red light so they can jot down the next brilliant idea? Do normal people get out of bed at 3 AM to go find the notepad they forget to put next to the bed???
Of course not! Only totally insane, er, I mean, brilliant people would do all of that!
In the end, we're a bit nutty! Okay, some of us are a lot nutty, but I'm not pointing any fingers.
S
*points fingers.....at self*
The only way we writers can survive our chosen profession is by being as crazy as we possibly can. Which is also why we're writers in the first place.
It's like this great, nutty cycle that. never. ever. ends.
*grin* But we like it that way.
You guys are right! We DO like it that way, don't we :P?
... what is wrong with us? LOL.
this was great! loved it - so true. especially the research and chocolate
Great pros and cons list! I was sitting back and nodding my head through it all. Why do we do it? Because we love it and everything else has the same pro and con list I think. Life is what you make it. :)
Shelli: Chocolate is the writer's greatest ally, I think :).
Nisa: Thanks! Isn't it nice to know we're all on the same crazy journey together?
Of course we're nuts. No sane person would ever write and entire novel. And NO sane person would ever think that there's a publisher out there who's willing to pay for it.
But wait, what's that saying again? If that's so crazy, I don't know if I want to be sane.
LOL - Great post!
Exactly!! I read the first Pro and cracked up - my son and I just did that less than five minutes ago:)
Heh, most amusing. Chocolate certainly helps.
How about :
Pro : You can refer to yourself as a writer.
Con : People then ask if they've heard of what you've written and you wish you hadn't.
Writers aren't insane. People who think numbers are fun -- that's insane.
:-)
writing isn't something we choose. Writing chooses us. So matter waht the pros and cons are we have to write. It is our nature, it's in our blood, it's what we do. Write on!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! You reached 100. I would just like 20.
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