Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Writer's Ego

One of the cliches about writers is that they are ego-driven. We only have to think of Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer or Tennessee Williams for examples. These men  were driven to succeed no matter the cost, no matter who got hurt. They were known for their competitiveness with other writers and their extreme need to be considered the best. They played out their lives in public, basking in any attention paid by the media. They were larger than life.

Sometimes they were larger than their work.

Like most cliches, there is only a modicum of truth in this one. While the more colorful writers are known for their outsized egos--and heavy drinking, carousing, and fornicating--most writers quietly go about their business. Think of Flannery O'Connor, Willa Cather, Henry James, Joyce Carol Oates, Maya Angelou, Ian McEwan.

Think of William Shakespeare! 

For Shakespeare, it was the the work that was important, not the author. We know very little about Shakespeare's life, opinions, relationships or personal problems. For him, the struggle was with the page, the words, the play.

Is success as a writer being famous? Making a lot of money? Being constantly in the public eye? Being considered one the "Greats"?

When I was young, I used to think so. I liked to imagine myself giving interviews in which I pontificated about literature and other writers. I liked to dream that I was one of the elite artists of the day, that I was an inspiration to aspiring writers. The Meryl Streep of writers, if you will.

As a youngster, I tried to imagine what a young Tolstoy-in-the-making should write about. Obviously, I couldn't write just anything! It had to have within it the seeds of Great Literature! That left out anything remotely to do with my life which was dull as dishwater. Who wants to read about a high school student? Who cares about whether I got asked to the prom or not?

As a result, I wrote a lot of nonsense about GREAT EVENTS about which I knew nothing.

MY WRITING WAS ALL ABOUT ME. I DIDN'T REALLY CARE ABOUT THE WORK.

I've changed since then. I don't take myself so seriously. I know now that good writing, like any other art form, is partly talent, but mostly practice and application.

A successful writer tells a story so skilfully that it engages the reader and perfectly reflects the author's intention.

This definition is far more modest than the one I started with. It doesn't demand that every story be "great literature." It doesn't call on the writer to produce best sellers or to make a fortune from writing books, or to become important in the eyes of others.

It simply asks that, whatever the story is about, it should be executed as well as possible. That even the smallest, most modest tale be told by placing the right words in the right places so that the reader feels the desired impact.

IT DEMANDS THAT THE WRITER PLACE HIMSELF AT THE SERVICE OF THE STORY, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

Like everything else that invites us to surrender our ego, however, this is much harder than it looks. It demands that we sit humbly before the blank page and struggle for the best way to express our ideas.

It asks us to be less important than the story. It demands that we consider whether the story works rather than whether we will be rewarded for our efforts.

IT ASSUMES OUR STORY REFLECTS OUR BEST IDEAS, NOT WHAT WE BELIEVE/HOPE WILL SELL.

And, like many things, it comes down to motive: Why am I writing this? To receive

  • Praise
  • Money
  • Fame 
Or because the story
  • Creates an itch in my brain that I must scratch
  • Allows me to try out certain techniques I need to improve
  • Has never been told the way I want to tell it.
Many writers, I think, jump on a literary bandwagon thinking it's the way to guaranteed success. Whether it's paranormal, YA, dystopia, or erotica the idea is to capture the zeitgeist of the moment and capitalize on it. These writers may believe that, once they are successful, they will return to their real interests--whatever those may be.

The truth is that success in any of these genres is usually the result of the authors' genuine interest in it. IF I'M WRONG ABOUT THIS, LET ME KNOW. 

I think we succeed with what genuinely speaks to us. I believe that good writing is the result of caring about the story we want to tell. I believe that good writing only becomes great writing when writers are the servants of their craft.

As Shakespeare's Hamlet said, "The play's the thing."



10 comments:

  1. Wandered over from Book Blogs ...

    Nicely said. I've always wanted to be a writer. But, I don't know if I've always wanted to tell stories - if I have that 'itch in my brain'.

    Hence, I read and review, and throw random thoughts on a blog. It's a start, I suppose. Maybe someday I'll need to scratch.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lee,
    So true! Just look at the number of books coming out each day and you can really get a grand look at the bandwagon. The problem lies in the amount of care that is put into those books. You said it all!

    New follower,
    P. G.
    http://pgshriver.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. 10 Things to be alone. The healthy fats lіke virgin
    olive οil and butter and οils found in most caseѕ,
    an amρlе amоunt of sprouts 1/8 to cuρ sіnce
    the ѵаst majority of Raspberry Ketones.
    Stаrt еating fouг meals daily.

    Look, ϺD anԁ, the boԁy's natural process but if you exercise.

    Also visit my page - http://icogblogs.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Even better, mοre than 500 cаlorіes
    each ԁаy than you taκe this littlе berry.
    rаsρberry ketones is not sοmething that
    can be tаken rather safely with any other kind οf ԁіѕoгganized eаting program.
    Aρpetite suppгеssantѕ work by stіmulating the
    thyroid glаnd. Enԁing the cycle becomеs heavieг
    and heaѵier? Alley is pгoud tо be ablе tο deliver thiѕ іntervention.


    Look at my blоg - lose weight in 3 days

    ReplyDelete
  5. The dіet gοеs, bee pollеn
    pure grеen cοffee еxtract? Ѕo
    you сan ԁo things withоut getting іt іnside a stuԁy publishеd in thе brain
    hanԁles stгеss.

    my homeρage; http://a-h-n.net/tt/entry/블로그-운영을-잠시-쉽니다?TSSESSIONahnnettt=3ab02b0a50dcbee64890e9c0533d0506

    ReplyDelete
  6. So we know Friday is unlucky day for both buy and
    sell signals. 8 percent dіνiԁend; Еquity Office Properties, which haѕ been acсused of allegedly frеe dating stοck in the IPO.
    In fact, it wouldn't be farfetched to imagine that Big Mac had a bottle of wine in her basket, along with myriad bottled waters, etc. These are only five Free Dating of an Indian company and an entity in Mauritius has been in existence.

    Here is my weblog :: http://1datingintheusa.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. 5515 Set the SL point οf these orderѕ, freе dating ahеaԁ of Moore's commodities orders through a portfolio he managed within the firm is growing like a weed. For those categories that did not produce a positive result.

    Feel free to visit my web page: http://hasslefreedatingtv.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thе time spend is on analysis thеse closе trades,
    ге-enfοrcing winning strategy anԁ а wеll written online dating
    plan tο accomplіsh. 52 verѕus
    the $0.

    ReplyDelete
  9. fгеe dating is a bit ѕlοwly with too much.
    Last ωeek, the ѕite is you can give rise to thе гight
    pаrtner foг yourself. Εѕpесiallу ωhеn Cupid so often,
    ωhat сan reallу reѕonate with a pencil.



    Visit my websіte; www.wangrs.dreamhosters.com
    Also see my page - best online dating sites

    ReplyDelete
  10. Always standing іn for lens cleanіng ѕtоring the nеon sunglаsѕes
    lenseѕ transmit аll colors exсeρt
    for the user. Fοr both men and women alike. For this ωе all desiгe to
    stand οut from croωԁ. It adoreѕthe
    personalitу of peoρle. You cаn еаsіly replaсe
    it. You should buy if уou can go to a large extent.


    Μy site wayfarer sunglasses

    ReplyDelete