"Reading Beyond the Words by Bonni Goldberg---she has lots of good ideas/different perspectives on the writing life. Yesterday, I read her section on 'Reasons to Write.' I haven't felt much reason to write lately, mostly because I've been discouraged about the lack of an audience. Why speak if no one is listening?"
Here's the list that followed, which I tucked into my novel notebook, so I could look at it when I was faltering:
To save your eyes, I'll retype my scrawled writing.
Why I Want to Write
1) To ask questions
2) To find connections
3) To respond to beauty/mystery
4) To enjoy the thrill of paradox, of struggling to contain two ideas at once
5) To be intimate with the world/with other readers and writers
6) To remember my life
P.S. Bonni Goldberg is involved in some very interesting projects.
I like your six things,#4 especially. My own list would include self-obsessed stuff like "validation," "because I'd rather write than speak," etc.
ReplyDeleteWow to #6. I feel that sometimes, which is just frustrating when you have little writing talent (like I do -- it's true, not self-deprecation. This is why I'm the spectator in the gallery instead).
ReplyDeleteI'd love to write a post one day about why I blog and would love to hear others' thoughts on it. I ask myself that all the time, since if I didn't stop to blog about books I read, I'd have twice as much time to read even more books. The most honest answer is kind of in line with what Jama mentioned: validation. Or maybe even a sort of arrogance. "I think there are lots of bad books for children out there. Here are the ones I think are good. Read them."
Hey, at least I'm being honest about it, huh?
Jules, 7-Imp (who also likes your #3 -- sometimes I ask myself: Why read any other kind of book?)
What a wonderful find. Thanks for sharing. It's so encouraging for audience-less people like myself.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this.
ReplyDelete