Real Writing

            Accepting reality is the hardest and most painful thing a writer must do. Once that acceptance is made though, the world of writer and the world in which we live can finally merge together and maybe even spit out a career in the written word. How many of us in the department have said ‘oh, I want to be a poet. I want to write novels. I want make short stories, I want to written for Hollywood. It’d be nice if these dreams could come down from the sky and join us in our everyday lives, but for most, that will not happen. I believe that most writers instead will find their living in more practical applications; as editors, tech writers, publishers, journalists, or any other career that might have a regular paycheck. This is not to say that you can’t still be a novelist or poet or whatever – I’m sure many writers are both. But most of these multitasking writers working I the field probably have a name from the latter group on the business card, even if a name from the former labels their heart.

            Sitting in the Exponent late last night as we finished layout made me realize that writing isn’t some romantic notion many laymen and young writers alike perceive it to be. The work I was doing last night in that office until was writing. Or at least a job a ‘writer’ would have. And I can assure you, there was no pounding away at the keys with boozy inspiration alone in the ‘study.’ It was real work – frustrating and tedious at times –– and certainly not what most aspiring writers would think of when they imagine a day in the life of a writer.

            The reason for this disconnect because the imagination blocks out the bad in the future. Some might daydream of typing out a full novel in a sleepless weekend, but I bet the Monday morning going into the office for their real job won’t come to mind, and I most certainly don’t think the would imagine the rejection letters they will surely receive at least on a few of their pieces.

            Learning to see the future more realistically can open us up not only to more opportunities as a writer, but also might make writing what we are passionate about a more reasonable reality. Working hard in a career to support a writing habit seems to me like the most common way to write the finer crafts (full time). That might be in retirement, but I don’t see anything wrong with writing away my twilight years. The end of life is probably when the best stories come out anyways – a old man surely has way more and more interesting stories than I do. And maybe ‘retirement’ might just be a point of financial independence that allows for full time work in a non-traditional field. My goal is to reach that point as soon as I can with a more traditional job and then dedicate myself to what I really like – fiction.

            This isn’t to say I will shun my personal favorite writing discipline now; I’m (hopefully) going to start writing a novel for this class and I love to write short stories and come up with unique ideas. But I do recognize that that kind of writing won’t pay my bills for a long time, if ever. Likely, journalism or editing will be my field for many years before I can leave it behind, and I’m okay with that. I like that kind of work, it’s just not my passion. And who knows, maybe I will find a ‘real’ job in a writing field that I enjoy even more that fiction writing. But that is something that will come down the road, and for now, I can only work towards a successful career as not a novelist, but a Writer.