Sunday 9 August 2015

The Writer's Journey...and why it should be a personal one


 
 
If you’ve ever read a writing magazine, or friended writers on social media, then it’s fairly easy to gain an insight into the writing world and all that entails. When I catch glimpses of other published authors posting constant updates about round-the-country book tours, school visits, library talks, multiple launches, multiple guest posts, tv appearances, the #amwriting hashtags announcing that another 5,000 words are complete, I get a little bit anxious (and envious) about being tied to a full time 9-5 day job. I always like a challenge, but I know it won’t be possible for me to be able to engage in the same level of activity as some writers, at such a constant pace.

A friend said something to me the other week which resonated with me – ‘Don’t focus too much on what other people are doing. Remember this is your own unique journey, so just focus on that’.

The same friend let me read an article in Mslexia magazine (Issue 66) titled, ‘Don’t give up the day job’, by Naomi Elster. This article upset my friend a bit due to the fact she had given up her own full time job to pursue creative projects and it made her feel a bit guilty.

I have to admit when I first started to read the article, I felt an element of relief – here’s a writer I can relate to, she understands the challenges which come from working a full time ‘day job’ and writing. But I stopped identifying with her pretty soon into the article and actually started to get quite annoyed. She wrote her piece in reaction to articles from other writers who believed, ‘You can’t write if you have to work too.’ Seeing as I’m living proof, (along with millions of other writers), that yes you can, I’m not disagreeing with the premise of her article. However, what she went on to do, in my opinion, was insult and condescend the writers who have given up the ‘day job’, as well as devalue the writing profession.  Her line, ‘We live in a world with very real problems, problems that can’t be cured with an appropriate sonnet’ seemed quite disparaging. It made me think, but imagine the world we would live in if the creative arts didn’t exist? Books can be powerful, educational and magical and provide many with a very important escape from their repressed and limiting worlds.

The article continues with lines such as , ‘I doubt that any writer who isolates herself in the proverbial ivory tower will ever create stories and characters that anyone else can engage with- apart from another isolated writer, that is.’ This made me wonder ~ does she have an imagination- is she creative? If I gave up my ‘day job’ tomorrow I certainly wouldn’t be sitting in a ‘tower’ locking myself away from the world all day long, but even if I did, I know my imagination would conjure up some three dimensional ideas for me. And a lot of the time, if I’m in the middle of an intense piece of writing, isolation from distractions is necessary. An ivory tower would come in rather handy…

She implies that working a ‘day job’ is the only way to really live and experience ‘real life’. No, it’s not – being employed by a company means being restricted to a 9-5 (or set hours), often getting bogged down with repetitive tasks and surroundings. Don’t get me wrong, at times my job can be varied and interesting– I’m in a client facing job so I get to interact with new people every day, but elements of my job definitely drain my energy and stifle my creativity. I do like the routine of a job,(though would prefer a more part time routine!), and get fulfilment from it, but I have a much more fascinating and enjoyable time outside of work.

This writer then goes on to talk about how she had to spend a lot of time at home during long term sick leave, saying, ‘When I did venture out the house, the only people not at work were a handful of self-styled artistes who were permanently unemployed, by choice, and seemed determined to be misunderstood’.  She doesn’t stop there but goes on to say, ‘(I)…found myself writing affected pretentious prose in a voice that didn’t suit me…’ (Implying this was due to hanging around with these artistes and attending too many spoken-word events). A helpful friend then told her, ‘Your writing just isn’t accessible anymore.’ She doesn’t specify why she was on sick leave, but I found this a poor example of visualising what life would be like if she didn’t have a ‘day job’. Physical or mental illness would clearly drain your energy levels, so few would be able to write anything worthwhile during that time.  I've also hung out with some great, inspiring writers who treat their writing as a profession by day, and by night, and certainly don't act like misunderstood 'artistes'.

As you can probably tell this article provoked a strong reaction in me. This has made me even more acutely aware about how important it is for writers to focus on their own journeys and what works for them. As this writer is in a similar situation to me I thought she would be able to offer me some invaluable insight and advice into managing a busy life. Instead, it just made me realise how we are all very different in our approaches and that it can be wrong to categorise writers as those who have a supplementary ‘day job’, and those who don’t, as ‘work’ and responsibilities come in many different forms.

What is a good plan for you, won’t necessarily work (or be possible) for me, and that is ok. It’s still nice for writers to share advice and tips, (and I’ll certainly be picking brains on promotional aspects), but when any aspect of ‘advice’ starts to feel like pressure or judgement, I’m going to make a conscious effort to tune out. And that applies to the pressures I tend to put on myself too!
Tune out, and write on...

12 comments:

  1. Fabulous post, Vikki - you are absolutely right to focus on what works best for you. I certainly don't like the tone of the article extracts you've posted but I wouldn't let it get to me in any way. It's only one opinion!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks - I don't usually get so irked by articles I read but felt compelled to make reference to it as I agree that we should all be focusing on what works for us!

      Delete
  2. A brilliant post, Vikki. I agree with all that Rosemary says.

    I think the opinions of others can be interesting, and sometimes helpful, but they are influenced by the individual circumstances, experiences and characters of each person. Whatever suits you best is the right way to go. And you have already come a very long way. You are very wise to follow the signposts with your name on them as everyone's path is unique. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Joanna. We all have such different experiences, don't we, and I think sometimes in articles like the one I read there is an attempt to make too much of a black and white argument! x

      Delete
  3. A great post. I am lucky to have writing as my 'day job' and it works for me but it wouldn't for everyone. It reminds me of the split between working and stay at home mothers and the debate as to who does the best for their baby. Just swap the word 'baby' for 'novel/article/story' and the argument is the same. We are all different - we all have our different ways.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for dropping by, Wendy, and leaving a comment. And I totally agree with what you say about how these kind of debates are played out in many different ways across different forums. Live and let live, I say!

      Delete
  4. Very well said! We each have our own unique path and that should be celebrated. If a writer (or creative in any discipline) has the chance to work solely on a project or piece of work for an extended period - whether through active choice or perhaps circumstance - that is their journey and should be respected. I feel very lucky to have such an opportunity right now, and my imagination cannot be reigned in!

    Now - where can we find these bourgeois-artiste-types??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rebecca, That's what seems to be missing from a lot of these types of articles - respect for others circumstances and choices! Let your imagination run freee x

      Delete
  5. I don't think there's any real need for anyone to live a narrow life with 'artistes' unless they want to! There's always so much going on out there in the world, plenty to get involved/engaged with. For some of us, of necessity, that includes a day job, but most people I know who don't go out to work are equally busy. Ivory towers probably have their uses at certain stages of a project, but I think we all need to find the right balance for us.

    That article was just one Mslexia writer's perspective, at the end of the day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Joanne! Sorry it has taken me so long to respond to this -been a while since I logged in! I agree that the world is such a big place there is so much potential and I feel this writer maybe got a bit too bogged down with her argument, forgetting to look at the bigger picture. Would be interested to see others responses to her piece. Thanks for dropping by!

      Delete
  6. Your reaction is spot on, Vikki. I would've had the same response, no doubt! I'd love to write by day, and I'd love even more to be a complete hermit in an ivory tower. If anything, I'd get more writing done that way ;) WELL DONE on the new book, I can't wait to read it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Catherine! Nice to hear from you. It would be pretty amazing to be able to hide away in an Ivory Tower to write :) Thanks a lot re: my book. I'm getting v excited now as the launch date draws near :) Hope your own writing is going well

      Delete