Absolute statements like the one above I abhor.

Why?

Because it’s not true.

To me, this kind of thinking is as archaic as the pen resting on the page.

While I will agree that if you enjoy writing you will want to find time to write…

but just because you might not be able to shake the dog

from your leg when you’re not writing

doesn’t mean all writers feel the same way.

Statements like this infuriate me

specifically because they imply that if you don’t feel this way

that you’re not good enough.

BS

Something else I don’t get is that many of the people who wave this flag

claim that they hate writing but love having written…

You know,

there are many writers who actually enjoy

writing

and don’t feel chained to their ideas and stories but relish in them.

This isn’t necessarily a hobby for them

(it sure ain’t for me!)

and I don’t think that those of us who enjoy writing

should be made to feel 2nd rate

because we don’t fit some classical ideal of what someone else thinks we should be.

I love to write

and so I write.

If I never got a chance to write again

I would be devastated,

but knowing that doesn’t mean I have to write,

and knowing that

doesn’t make me any less of an author.

~

What are some writing ‘absolutes’ that irk you?

Categories: Notables

Tags: absolutes, have to write, notable, pretentious ideas, quote, real writers, Robert Penn Warren, the reality of writing, writing, writing myths