Writing Anyway

[merriehaskell]

Stephanie Burgis asks (by way of this interview with Sarah Prineas):

"The interviewer asked whether Sarah would keep writing if she knew she would never again be published

Comments

[domynoe]

I would and, in a way, already am. I'm working on the second book of a trilogy where the first book hasn't sold yet. If these books never get published, I still want to write them: the stories are there in my head, and published or not, there are friends who want to read them. Plus, my world for them is very close to my heart. Gotta write it.

[dendrophilous]

Dropping the "again", yes, I'd keep writing. I started writing because it was fun, not because I wanted to get published. If writing stopped being fun, I would stop doing it, but otherwise I plan to keep doing it forever.

I'm with you on 2) and 4) though, for the most part. Even when I was just daydreaming, before it occurred to me to write things down, I wouldn't let myself leave my id running around naked too much. And if I wanted to share stuff, even just with friends, I'd have to do a bit of rewriting.

[asakiyume]

Oh yes. For me the question would be more, if I ever start to become commercially successful, will I change how I approach writing. And I don't know the answer to that; I'll have to wait and see--if it ever comes up.

[queenoftheskies]

I could never stop writing. I've been writing forever, without any guarantee of publication, and I will always continue to write.

[merriehaskell]

I perceive a rather large difference between "no guarantee of publication" and "no possible hope of publication"--for example, I started my current habits (finishing things, rewriting things, writing ultimately publishable things (i.e., not fanfiction)) with an eye towards the possibility of publication. Does that change anything?

[queenoftheskies]

No.

When I was younger, all I ever wanted to do was write for publication. I was convinced by parents and later by husband that I'd never be good enough, that it was an impossible dream, etc.

I continued to write, though more fanfic, granted.

Six years ago, I determined that I was really going to give it my best shot. I want to be published. I went in knowing it would be a lot of work and I determined I'd do whatever I needed to: learn, work, grow.

I've had my ups and my downs. I still believe I can do it. I still want to be published. I will continue to try to be published.

However, if it doesn't happen, if I find out for sure it'll never happen, I'll still write because I love it that much.

[mrissa]

When I was graduating college and getting married, my cousin had her attention brought to my writing by the Asimov Award (now called the Dell Magazines Award; whatever). And she was fascinated by it, because she had not paid particular attention to the fact that I wrote before, even though I did it all the time. So one evening she got me alone in the car and needed to know: if this award was my one flirtation with writing success, wouldn't I still be able to be happy?

And I thought about it, and I told her happy, yes, but not content. No. I would still keep trying to publish, to find an audience, a market, a niche.

But if markgritter and I had a nice house, she persisted--and kids in the number we might select, from zero to however many--and perhaps a dog--and if I liked, some job in physics or whatever it was--and we went on nice vacations--and my friends were really lovely people--and we got to see the bits of the family I like often--wouldn't I be content then

[merriehaskell]

Yes. For me, writing is a given. And I've been doing it pretty hard-core since before puberty, and yeah, so, my brain processes things this way.

It's not even about happy/not happy. It's what I do. The only thing that has to do with the publication puzzle is how I view the completion of a piece.