On the Subject of Writing and Why
My brother is a very successful business person, and one day while I was right smack in the middle of writing The Sower’s Seeds, my first novel, he said that he did not understand why anyone would waste his or her time writing anything, let alone something as meaningless as a novel of fiction.
Although the intent of my brother’s remark was not meant to offend—he was actually concerned about my well being—I would be lying if I said his words did not raise serious doubts about what I was doing with my writing endeavor.
Because I had little experience with literary writing at the time, I did not know how to respond to my brother. Even so, I did not let my brother’s words deter my effort, and I kept on plodding ahead with my novel.
Then one day, I had one of those “Eureka” moments. While reading back over for the umpteenth time some of the draft material for my novel, I uncovered a secret.
I discovered that one may want to write so as to better find one’s own truth—and regardless whether that truth is fiction or not—I learned that is something well worth discovering.
The renowned physicist, Leo Szilard, once told his friend Hans Bethe that he was thinking of keeping a diary. “I don’t intend to publish it,” Szilard said, “I am merely going to record the facts for the information of God.”
“Don’t you think God knows the facts?” Bethe asked.
“Yes,” Szilard replied. “He knows the facts, but the trouble is—He doesn’t know my version of the facts.”
Many writers write to make money, to garner fame, or simply to prove or show others the infinite wisdom and creative grandeur of their thinking. Personally, I do not think that should be the case. Instead, I think a writer should write for him/herself. Feedback from others in whatever form (words, money, praise) is important to a writer; however, no feedback is as important to a writer as that which he gives himself.?