Writers and Writing

Fall semester: day thirty-six

I have a lot of other work to do today, but I would first like to write a bit on something that's been bugging me lately, and bugging me quite a bit -- writers and writing, writers and reading, reading and writers' mindsets, etc.

In case it wasn't pretty evident to you at this point, I am a writer. I've written one book and I'm working on a second and perhaps even a third. I'm not the best writer out there, obviously, but I manage to at least be proud of some of my work, despite what people may think or say about it. I've written in all genres -- right now I'm primarily a poet, but I've also written a lot of nonfiction and fiction as well, including a full screenplay (which, I'm guessing, nobody will ever see on the screen). Despite my insular lifestyle of living alone and rarely leaving the house, I have a wide variety of interests and hobbies -- when time permits, of course -- and I tend to see myself as a well-rounded, mostly-well-adjusted individual with normal social skills, logic, and intelligence.

The problem? It doesn't lie with me, in case you were wondering. It's in what I see a lot of writers doing -- they're too insular. What do I mean by this? Let me explain.

Just because writing is what you do, and what you're good at, doesn't mean it has to be your life.

In saying this, I've realized that most writers are very awkward people, or tend to keep to themselves quite a bit. If not, almost any conversation they'll have will eventually come back to writing, or a book/poem they've just read and enjoyed, or something they've "been working on" that is frustrating the hell out of them. Writing, whether they're doing it themselves or reading others' works, is centered in their lives. Everything they do revolves around it, and it is, for practical purposes, all they know.

I'm saying that this is akin to "bringing your work home with you" after a long day at the office, metaphorically speaking. You know the people I'm referring to, I'm sure -- those folks who work miserable 9-5 office jobs wearing white-collar shirts and ties, and then come home and spend two hours bitching at their wives/husbands about how miserable they are -- or, conversely, can't just stop working, always needing to take care of more paperwork or office work even from the home computer or briefcase. Their jobs are all they have going for them, and they take said jobs way too seriously. This isn't limited to the office, of course -- I've seen it in all sorts of jobs (particularly when I was working in the grocery business).

There has to be a distinct separation of what you do and what you are, folks, otherwise you limit yourself in what you can become or what you are capable of. I write. It's what I do. But being a writer is a very, very small sliver of what I am. I am in an MFA program at a decently-sized, state-run university, but I don't let that define me. That is my job, my business, part of what I do. And aside from what work I must do as a part of that program, when I leave campus every day, it remains there. I don't come home every night and look for other ways to continue my creative writing, or look for writing-related things or readings that will purposely continue my work -- no, I've got other things to do, and I have other, separate interests. I don't look for the newest book of fiction or poetry to immerse myself in; for one, I do enough reading for my actual classes, and for two, if I ever read any poetry I'm not forced to, it's usually by accident.

What I'm saying is that I have a need for separation. Again, what I do must be different from what I am for sanity's sake; I must have separate interests and activities to take care of that are completely different from what I do day-in, day-out, and I think a lot more people could benefit from this sort of mindset. Writing in particular is one of those things I've always believed that you can either do or you can't, and total immersion or constant instruction in it does little more than beat a dead horse after a while. There is a saturation point, and after one reaches that point one is never going to get any better -- just become more insular, and frankly, boring. I often wonder how boring the lives of some of my friends/colleagues both inside and outside the department must be if all they ever do is focus on their work or things relating to it, because that's all that interests them.

Also of note: I'm not talking a need for separation as in "hey, to get our minds off things, let's go out and get really drunk on the weekend!" I'm talking a need for separation as in "hey, I need to get my mind off things, so I'm going to take up the hobby of knitting." Or fishing. Or drawing. Or cooking/baking. Stand-up comedy. Listening to podcasts (with subject matter far removed from work, of course). Participating in the arts community by attending plays. Getting into a new kind of music that nobody else you know listens to. You know, hobbies and interests. Anything completely separate from work, from writing, or from school. So few people I know do these things. I know for some of them it's a lack of time involved, but for many it's because they've become so insular that they've become unable to look outside their little box, and therefore run the risk of becoming boring people, especially those folks who are single and unattached.

You may ask how even I have the time for hobbies and interests. I make the time for it. I make the time for it because otherwise I would go absolutely batshit insane. I can't have a laser focus on one thing, one drive, one speed on what I do, in school or work, and have nothing else. I have many outside interests that have absolutely nothing to do with my writing -- for example, I am a nerd, and everything that entails weighs heavily on my interests; I love comic books, old-school video games, and a ton of internet-related stuff. I also make a lot of tie-dye clothing, love football and hockey, have a huge slate of podcasts I download on a daily basis to listen to in order to put my mind in a different place, and (when I have the money, at least) I go bargain-shopping. Also keep in mind that I am very busy, very single and isolated, and even though I don't spend every waking moment on my work, my writing does improve slowly, week-by-week, month-by-month. If anything, it's that ability to have other interests and disconnect that lets me reinvigorate myself and inspires me to give my all when it does come to my academic or professional pursuits.

Some people, of course, don't need that disconnect, as it would only hinder them. I realize this and agree with it; some people's brains are just wired differently, and that's certainly understandable. I'm not saying everyone needs to listen to me and do what I say, mostly because that's never worked well in the past (despite how much easier it would make my daily life if it did). I'm just saying, really folks, if you don't want to be defined by what you do instead of what you are, don't allow yourselves to fall into that definition. Be yourselves. Create yourselves, culture yourselves in ways other than the ones you're used to. Get out of your rut. Expand.

Anyway. Just some thoughts and observations. Not directed at anyone in particular, of course.