April 3, 2006

• Topic: Writing and writers

  
  

  I’m not a writer.  Not right now.  I’ve been one in the past, and I’m warming up to be one again.  I was reading an article in a writing magazine about people coming out as writers.  The concern many people have is of appearing to be saying, “I’m a ballplayer for the New York Mets,” and then having people realize that, in fact, you are nothing close to that.  To say that one is a writer, comes with the pressure of comparing oneself to other writers.  To the John Grisham’s, Dan Brown’s, the Hemmingway’s. 

  
  

  But being a writer is not like being a professional athlete.  For me, writing is just something I do.  It mostly takes the form of journaling, blogging, and then in more traditional methods as article writing.  In claiming to be a writer, I personally face this internal dialogue that tells me I’m lying to myself, that I can never be and will never be a writer, and another voice that realizes that I have a false idea of what it means to be a writer.  I forget that a 6-year old and a 60-year old, both picking up the pen for the first time to write, are writers. 

  
  

  As I have battled off-and-on with this idea of being a writer, and writing books, I have rarely allowed myself to enter the community of people who are just like me.  Maybe I have wanted to enjoy the uniqueness of this position, when compared to those I know who don’t write.  But, the world is full of writers and books, and I now feel as though there is a welcome and open community for me to be a part of.

  
  

  While returning home from the city last night, I bought a copy of a writing magazine, called Writer’s Digest.  There were a few things in the magazine that caught my eye, and I decided to enter that community of people who buys magazines.  Usually, I scan any number of magazines, but if I ended up buying everyone I was interested in, I’d be broke in a day.  But I felt that it was ok to pay for this magazine.  In some way, I felt it was symbolic.

  
  

  Buy buying a writing magazine, I felt a bit more like a writer.  This isn’t the same as someone buying a fitness magazine and then thinking themselves in shape.  But I really haven’t spent much time talking to writers, and listening to writers, and so I found comfort in the articles in this magazine.

  
  

  I found writers discussing their self-doubts, and an article on self-publishing as a legitimate alternative to traditional publishing.  The magazine itself took the format of a college class, much the same as my blog did a few months ago.  Chapters were titled, “orientation,” “majors, minors and electives,” “guidance counselor” and “commencement.” 

  
  

  Not surprisingly, the magazine itself inspired me to write.  It reminded me that I have some uncontroversial topics to write about, a nice break from trying to tackle society and culture.  It’s a hobby, rather than a cause.

  
  

  I believe I’ve passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage
  I found that just surviving was a noble fight.
  I once believed in causes too,
  I had my pointless point of view,
  And life went on no matter who was wrong or right.

  
  

  These are Billy Joel lyrics from the song Angry Young Man.  As some of you may have noticed, I enjoy making various connections from things I encounter in life, and after hearing this song recently, these words really jumped out on me.  Surviving is a noble fight…I think I can embrace that too.

  
  

  So I am now looking forward to being a writer.  Not as a profession, but in the same way that someone who runs marathons can be a teacher full-time.  I look forward to researching my topics, to putting together articles for others to read.  To address causes, but maybe in a more lyrical way, aware of my own righteous rage.

  • 10:58 am
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