Why do we Write? Allow me me take a shot at this fascinating, centuries-old question:
People choose to write for a great many reasons.
Among them are a desire to make a living (that's a laugher!), to inform their readers, to address an issue, to propose solutions to persistent scientific, social or behavioral problems, and to entertain. They also write purely for the pleasure of sculpting memorable sentences--for the pure intellectual challenge of whittling away at their writing until they feel certain it's the best damned writing they can possibly do.
I've no doubt that the majority of professional writers think of themselves as building their careers--as getting technically better, more financially successful, more respected by both the reading public and their peers. They may study writing formally or grow by the seat of their pants, but either way is noble and credible. In any endeavor, the goal is more important than the honest, ethical means of achieving it.
I've written in one genre or another for several decades now, but one could fairly argue that I didn't really get serious about my writing until I finally decided, in my late 60s, that I really was capable, and always was capable, of writing books. As I look back now on my many years as a writer, I can't help but be annoyed--truly and actively annoyed--for having allowed myself to become a late bloomer as an author. And as I see it, for no good reason.
My first book became a reality in 2016, when I was about to turn 72. The next one came out in 2020,
when I'd managed to climb four more arduous rungs up the Great, Universal Ladder to Oblivion. And now, at the steadily ripening age of 76--less than 3 months before my 77th birthday--I'm hard at work on book No. 3.
Do I feel good about that? Of course! And believe me, through great determination and a good, solid work ethic, I've earned the right to do what I'm doing!
For me, at my age, "building a career" seems like a rather silly goal. Am I an "emerging" writer? Not really; I did that way back in high school. But I am an emerging author, and I see myself as ANYTHING but near the "end of my rope" as a writer of books.
Six years ago, I wondered if I had even one book in me. When that became a reality, then my goal became "two." And when that second book became a reality, then I quickly realized that packing it up as a writer of only TWO books was no longer going to be sufficient.
I hope to have that third book on the market in two years. Why so long? Because I've never before written a novel, and it's a very different cat from the other genres I've wrestled with. Yes, it's a tough challenge. But I've always loved tough challenges. The truth, in fact, is that I thrive on them and grow smaller without them! I don't feel fully alive unless I'm in the midst of yet another challenge, and right now I'm feeling as alive as I've ever been and more alive than I ever will be.
But "building a career?" No, thank you. I'm more comfortable describing my late-in-life goal as a writer as "getting better and better, word-by-word and day-by-day, until the day I finally step off the top rung of my ladder and into the High Firmament, feeling certain I'd achieved verifiable growth as a writer.
I won't be around to know that, so some of you will have to do that for me. Or not.
Aging musicians know the difference between resting on their laurels and improving until either the lungs or the fingers can no longer do the their job. Of course, the same is true for people in any profession. But for writers--people who work in an exceptionally subjective, notoriously hard-to-evaluate craft--the challenge, I think, is simply more elusive and more formidable.
My closing advice here in this little eruption is this: Write for ANY reason that's fair and ethical and gives you pleasure. Write only what your heart tells you you want to write. Concentrate on increasing your skill in everything you write and forget about "building a career." And if you act on a strong work ethic, and if your skill as a writer improves genuinely, then a rewarding career as a writer of something--something that's truly heartfelt and so good it's irresistible--is more than likely to follow. ◼︎
-- RB, 10/17/20
