Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Reasons To Be A Writer

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Actually, the list is extremely short. There are only two reasons anybody would want to be a writer.

Here they are:

1. There is no alternative. You absolutely have to be a writer -- and if you can't be a writer, you'll be a failed writer, one of those people who write every day of their lives and never get published.

2. You get to set your own schedule. If it's a hot, sunny day in September, you can just take off for the beach.

Speaking of which...

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4 comments:

Unknown said...

I dunno. So many powerful writers with trivial amounts of production. For every violently emetic literary sphincter like Orson Scott Card or Robert Jordan there's a David Lindsay with a handful of unique works.

Neil_in_Chicago said...

I saw an interview once with Ursula K. Le Guin where the interviewer asked, "What would you be if you weren't a writer?" and she said, "dead."

Sandy said...

Yes, and when Asimov was asked what he would do if he found out he was going to die in six months, he said,"Type faster!" Some people gotta type, gotta write.

Peter D. Tillman said...

You got a nice shout-out at the Silverbob SF in SF event last week, for "Being Gardner." I was able to catch it by pure happenstance. It was *spectacular*. His first sale to Campbell, with the Great Man reading the story in front of this 20-YO college boy. Passing it on to Will Jenkins, who was in the office. "There's a problem here, Will. Can you help?" No problem! And he had Bob do the correction on the spot! on the office typewriter, and bought the story, for $200+ -- this was 1955? $2000 now, or more....

Bob said, years later, he dug out that issue, but had no idea what Will found. And he'd lost the manuscript....

I mean, this is like a 20 Y.O. kid making a first sale to the New Yorker! And I don't think he.she would get that kind of editorial feedback. Even my wife, no SF fan, thought it a wonderful talk.

Anyway, the Zinos-Amaro interview book belongs on your bookshelf. I'm halfway thru and will likely review it. I'lL try to remember to send you a copy.

Oh,and
"There's absolutely nothing like the sheer joy of diving into a piece of
fiction and just making shit up, feeling the words come purling from the
keyboard and the characters start moving around and talking and meeting
each other. It's incredible." --Nicola Griffith,
www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20030929/griffith_interview.shtml