The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.
American journalist, author, and Nobel Prize laureate, John Steinbeck, was born on this day in 1902 (died 1968).
You had no idea that my writing was so important, did you?
Well, neither did I.
But, the thing is, it’s important to me.
Whether or not I gain a bazillion followers and end up selling enough books (or mugs) to buy a small Caribbean Island (or a large one), is another story.
You see, I’m not just writing because I learned to type on an IBM Selectric back in high school.
And for the record, anything less than two spaces after a period is un-American.
I digress.
You see in all of my talking about finding the time to do this is the reality that I’m finding the time to do the things I want to be doing.
Okay, so I’m not currently writing the novel…it’s coming back.
But daily I write at least 1,000 words…that’s seven days a week. And Monday through Friday I write these posts, and occasionally a post over at Historic Occasions.
I also endeavor to craft a few snarky, but hilarious statements on social media on a daily basis.
You’re welcome.
So, while my writing may not be earth shattering…it may be, but that’s a different story…it’s important to me.
In fact it’s one of the most important things that I do.
Some days it looks like I’ve set it to the side for the theater work, or the work to complain about the yard work, or something else….but every single day there is this inner voice that says to me:
You should be writing.
And, I should.
And, I am.
I spent a lot of time last week considering how best to be organized. How do I find the time…no, that’s make the time…that I need to write?
What tools do I need to have with me on a daily basis.
I had a few days…or maybe just an hour or so…when I thought that the only way I could keep up with everything was to have a laptop. That way I could do the writing, and the graphic work from any location.
Or, I could have to schedule more sessions with my chiropractor because my messenger bag is already heavy enough.
I don’t have to have a laptop to be a writer.
I can write from the PC at home. I can write from the iPad. And, while it’s not the best writing, I can even write from the iPhone when I have to.
I reject the idea of writing with a pen. Simply because, one day, I hope that my writing will actually be read.
I digress.
Let me be honest here. I don’t know that I could say that writing is the most important thing in my life.
It’s pretty important. It’s pretty special.
And it’s definitely what I know I need to be doing.
So, with that there’s a recognition that I will get the writing done regardless of what tools may or may not be available.
Regardless of who may or may not read what I write, I have to believe that my writing is important.
Even if it’s only important to me.
It seems like a simple thought. But if I consider my writing to be important, which I do, then it seems to me that I should be about writing and not about talking about writing.
Which means this is a pretty good place to end this post.