NO PAIN, NO GAIN?
I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday about whether the goal of getting published is something people want in and of itself or in order to validate themselves.
To many people, getting published makes one’s writing valid. It is a marker of accomplishment and talent.
Unfortunately, one of the harder lessons writers learn is that while you often need talent to become published, having talent doesn’t insure publication.
As a result, writers who are indeed talented will spend their careers being miserable because they are focused on trying to validate something that already exists.
In the end, validation can only come from a secure self-knowledge in your own worth, regardless of what others think of you.
Or am I wrong?
After all, even the “hero” label is a public validation of a man’s worth and accomplishment in society. I think the true hero is someone who acts heroic, even when he doesn’t think of himself as a hero and no one else does either.
He acts despite lack of validation by others or even himself.
No one said being a hero is easy, and in fact many people view being heroic as something that comes with a heavy price tag.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: People can swallow the idea of a tortured hero because the hero’s actions will ultimately result in some greater good to society. Is being an artist/writer and constantly doubting oneself unavoidable? Do you believe that true writers are people who would write whether anyone read their work or not?
June 18th, 2008
Virna 
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Virna's Columns |
Everyone loves a good hero, but what do readers, agents, editors, and writers love most? Join us as we delve under the covers and find out!
June 18th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I think a true writer would write if they were never published. I think they deserve to be published but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. My daughter is a case in point. She has written several books but isn’t published. She doesn’t stop writing though. I think it is in knowing who to go to at least part of the time. In my book, writers are all heroes. They do so much with so little validation. So yes, true writers writr whether they are ever read or not. God bless all you writers. You are the best.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I think you’re right, Fannie. A writer can still have fans and a support system even if she’s not published. Sounds like you are a great support for your daughter! Way to go!
June 18th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I also think you can be a true writer and never be published. That being said, if you call yourself a ‘true writer’ even if you’re not published really depends on how much you value yourself and your talent. I can tell an unpublished writer that it doesn’t matter, but if the validation they seek is publication then my cheering falls on deaf ears. I know, I’ve been there!
My husband spent too many hours telling me that I had to write for myself, not to be published. He was right, of course, and I did write for myself, but a huge part of my feeling as if this was an actual career hinged on somebody in the publishing industry taking a chance on me and believing in my writing.
Call it ego or insecurity or whatever you want, part of why we write is to be published, and unless we are not seeking that publication as a goal, then I would be willing to bet that every aspiring author seeks the same validation.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
I believe you can be a true writer without publication. Like any artistic talent, its a calling. I write for myself more then anything. I’m writing a story that appeals to me, personally. If I’m fortunate enough to find publication in my future, of course I’d find validation in all my hard work. If I don’t, well, I’d find validation in the fact I really tried to share my work with others.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
I think true writers will continue to write even if they never become published. I write because I’m compelled to do it, not because I have the goal of being published. I always say that if I were stranded on a deserted island, the two things I’d want with me are an endless supply of paper and pens.
That being said, I think for many writers the goal of being published isn’t always for validation. Writing is a form of communicating, and it takes more than one person to communicate. I can write a wonderful story, but if no one ever reads it, then the story never really gets “told”. Being published is one way to complete the communication circle. If you have a story you want to share, being published is the way to share it with the greatest number of people. If you write solely for your own enjoyment or you are content to share stories with a smaller circle of friends and family, publishing may not be necessary or desirable.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Misa–I think we are very simpatico on our thoughts on this.
Lee–you’ve got a very healthy attitude. Trying your best should always be validation enough. I just lose sight of that sometimes!
Lynn–Thanks for posting! I totally agree that completing the communication circle is probably what drives most writers to seek publication. I think the fact that you would wish for pen/paper on a desert island speaks not just to your love for writing, but to your confidence in your stories–that you have something inside you to tell and tell well.