What is a writer?

[atolnon]

I had been terribly unhappy with my writing, recently, in that not much of what I perceived to be important was getting done and there was a lot of dross mixed in with what I did actually produce. I looked over my body of fiction work and poetry, which is rather sparse at the moment because a lot of it's been lost either intentionally or by chance and thought pretty poorly of the whole scenario.

Someone asked me at a party what I like to do, and I said, "I'm one of those guys that says he's a writer, but produces nothing, really." which got kind of a chuckle, but it's not a remark that's well received by some people when one's attempting to be honest. In that particular crowd, it may have hit far too close to home, but I swear that I do know people who write - occasionally somewhat prolifically, even.

Yesterday, I was saving old journal entries in case servers went down or they're taken down, because I'm a bit of a stickler for saving my work. In the course of those events, I had an opportunity to read what I had written, and actually was a bit pleased with myself. Some of the entries were really very good, and fairly engaging. Suddenly, I realized that my writing had become more precise, more evocative, and more enjoyable as time went on. "Does journalling count as writing?" I asked myself. " I am, after all, writing for an audience, even if it's a small one."

I do produce entries and essays, I suppose. I write games and run them. These are not forms of expression traditionally recognized as a writers trade until, I would expect, one is published. When the writing is between covers, one becomes an author and a journal becomes a memoir. If nothing else, it heartens me as I turn back towards writing fiction. 

Comments

[asimaiyat.livejournal.com]

Yes, this totally counts as writing! Actually, I often find that writing blog posts is a really good warm-up for writing fiction, essays or other more daunting things. And I really like reading your posts, so at least you are entertaining people with what you write, although I can understand if you'd rather be writing something different.

I can totally sympathize with your frustration; I've had writers' block lately and it really sucks and messes with my sense of self. I keep trying not to put pressure on myself, but at the same time there's that little voice saying 'but if you're not writing, you're not a writer!' I really think every little bit -- blog posts, scraps of stuff, things you might not think are any good -- does help keep it going.

[atolnon.livejournal.com]

I really appreciate this kind of feedback at the moment, ya know? I'm also really glad to hear that the stuff that I write is kind of entertaining. I'd like to write more fiction, but until I can really produce that kind of prose, at least people are enjoying the stuff I write here.

I think you're right when you say that every little bit helps keep the momentum going. Lately, I've also thought that just like short stories or novel writing is different then essay writing, fiction writing is also a lot different then journaling or blogging. When I sit down to write, it's almost like I'm pulling from a different place, and I really need to exercise it more!

[q99.livejournal.com]

"What is a writer? A miserable pile of lies and secrets!" -popped into my head

[atolnon.livejournal.com]

That got a pretty good chuckle outta me. =D