I’ve written before about how disappointing it is to hear writers talk about how much they hate writing or what a horrible slog it is. It weighs me down. No one ever talks about their dislike of the act of writing in a way that is inspiring to other writers or benefits the community in some way. To hear some writers talk, they’ve had better times at a crucifixion.
Yes, writing is not always easy. Our creativity demands our time and attention and our work rarely comes out the way we envision it in our head. Sometimes the gap between what we want to create and what we can create is discouragingly wide. We see other creative people create magic and marvel at the trick.
And yes, sometimes things we love doing are “not fun.” Writing is almost always a solitary act. You have to be comfortable being alone with your thoughts. Unless writing is your day job, you have to say no to some social occasions. We write and re-write and ask for criticism and attend classes and fret over choosing the right word. Sometimes your writing can come easily and sometimes it’s an effort.
But to hate it? The idea is foreign to me. When someone says they hate writing (even when quoting the cutesy Dorothy Parker line “I hate writing but I love having written”), I have to wonder why they do it? No one is required to love writing – I know lots of people who don’t – but if you don’t enjoy it, why on earth would you do it? Isn’t life too short?
For most of us, writing is an avocation. It’s how we express our creativity, exercise our minds, exorcise our demons. We will not make much money from our writing. For many, writing novels and short stories is an avenue to other forms of income, such as teaching, editing, or leading workshops. If your readers number more than a reasonably-sized Facebook group, you’re doing something right.
Let’s face it – the majority of writers have almost nothing to gain from their writing, at least financially. What we gain is internal – the joy of creation, pride at achieving our goals, the fulfillment of our need to communicate or entertain, perhaps the satisfaction of our curiosity. Maybe you’re simply having fun, engaged in a hobby you love.
The love/hate relationship of writers and writing is on my mind a lot, partly because the attitude is so prevalent it’s become cliché. Maybe I notice it only because I hate it, but it seems to be everywhere. It’s on my mind today because of a recent post on CrimeReads, an otherwise enjoyable blog about crime and mystery writing and books.
In a post presumably intended to help promote her new book, writer Liz Nugent says she’d rather clean toilets than work on her next book. She repeats the quote attributed to Dorothy Parker about loving writing only in the past tense, and lists the various methods she employs to avoid the work.
Tragically for Liz, writing is the only thing she’s good at. Her first novel won the Irish Book Award for Crime Novel of the Year in 2014, and apparently her novels are best sellers. As someone who hates writing, she’s suffered for most of her adult life working in film, theater, and television, writing radio and television drama, as well as short stories. Gosh, she’s simply helpless at every task, except finding jobs in collaborative creative environments, winning awards, and writing best-sellers. Poor thing. How does she manage?
If it sounds like I’m picking on her…yeah, I am, a little bit. Nugent has had jobs many writers would love to have and success most will only envy. She humble-brags about her awards and best-sellers, the months of time-off she gives herself between new projects, which she needs because she hates this writing stuff so much. I’ve read chatty Christmas newsletters that felt more authentic.
As she’s promoting her new book, she could have shared insights on her writing process or passed on something she’s learned in her research, and instead she wrote a few hundred words about how she’d rather clean toilets, and did so for a blog that appeals to writers, an audience very likely comprised of people who would love the chance to do what she does and will instead have to make their living cleaning those toilets, or the equivalent. If she really hates writing as much as she claims, I can only assume she dashed off this article under duress, at the behest of her publicist or editor. Maybe she was trying to be humorous, but the writing came off insipid and glib. I feel bad for her that she missed this opportunity to talk to her audience in a meaningful way.
You may have any or a number of reasons for why you write. You might hope to earn an income. You might like the validation. Maybe you enjoy entertaining people or appreciate the camaraderie of the writing community. Maybe you have something to communicate about your life and what you’ve learned. You want to help people, make them feel good, and possibly less alone in the world. Or else you’re looking for people like you, your tribe, and your stories are the signal fire in the night leading them to you.
Whatever your reason, whyever you write, my fervent wish for you is that you don’t hate it.