Saturday, December 09, 2006

BYB: Writing

Writing is a blessing for me because it's something I enjoy for its own sake. The opinions of others are important to me, but as I talked about in "What's the Blog about, Alfie?", I write mostly because I like to.

Writing is not always easy for me. One story I tell people about is the time that I had to write a report or suchlike for school. I carefully put my keyboard on a desk. I put my desk in the middle of the room. I walked around the desk. For about six hours. That was the point that I realized that, though I might enjoy it, if I had to write to make a living I would starve to death.

And yet, I have come back to writing, particularly fiction, over and over again during my life. I remember writing as a weee lad. I remember writing stories in high school. I didn't write very much in college, though I did some. When I started my "professional life" I wrote a little bit of fiction.

I don't know why it is that I enjoy writing. The grandiose, larger than life images of my imagination look much better inside my head than on the page. But even so, the process of blathering about ideas or writing short stories is enjoyable.

I'd be lying if I said that I don't care what other people think. Recently I felt rather down when a bunch of readers panned a story that I posted on another site. When people compliment me on my stuff I feel good about it. But the overall lack of response to this site (don't get me wrong, I love you guys who come here and read my articles) means that I don't do it simply for attention.

Mysterious and enjoyable, "blessing" seems like an apt way to describe how I feel about writing. The notion of a blessing seems to imply an outside force; that it is something that has been given to you. I like the idea of passing something like that on to someone else.

Of course there are others (The Critic and The Fiend spring to mind) who don't regard my stuff as quite what you would call a blessing. With them in mind I will close with a bit of lyrics from Ricky Nelson:

But it's all right now I learned my lesson well You see you can't please ev'ryone so You got to please yourself

Lyrics from "Garden Party" by Ricky Nelson

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9 comments:

Unknown said...

Writing is a form of therapy that I think benefits us all. If I read something of yours that gives me a particular insight into something, I am the better for it. It is also a way for the writer to purge as it has been my experience that the world is sometimes too much for its sensitive souls and writing is a way to heal the hurt the world wroughts on them. Keep up the good work!

CyberCelt said...

Your writing is a blessing to you and to others. Just because no one comments does not mean that no one reads. I have seen statistics that say 97% of readers are lurkers and never leave a comment.

A talent, whether used for hobby or avocation, is a blessing from God, for it means you may amuse yourself and do not rely on others to do it for you.

Blessed Sunday and week to you.

kuanyin333 said...

Great quote! Writing is my therapy and blessing too...even if I'm not publishing, I'm journaling! Blessings, Kuanyin from BYB

Blue Panther said...

Writing is indeed a great blessing and one that you are pretty good at. I am glad I came across your blog!

Whatever said...

Thanks for the kind words --- you guys really made my day!

Anonymous said...

I read much, I right little. You have a blessing!

Anonymous said...

SP. I write little.

Unknown said...

as long as you enjoy it! =)

if ur purpoise in keeping a blog is to write for your ownself, then you have more then accomplished it.

Unknown said...

I've always loved writing I was a better writer when I was a child I feel, I was less hung up about just writing down what came into my head then. As I've grown up I've become more repressed and suffered as an artist, (both through painting and the written word) as a result I think.