Garrison Keillor to me: Get over it, already

[pegkerr]

I have sort of a hard time not taking this personally. Garrison Keillor says that writers who gripe that Writing is Hard (and you all know that I've bitched plenty about being blocked in this journal before) should just get a grip and knock it off. Writing is hard. Get over it.

Writers, Quit Whining. Spare us the self-involved moaning over the agonies of your art. Writing is no harder than anything else, and the complainers should can it.

Ouch.

Thoughts?

Comments

[ali-wildgoose.livejournal.com]

I think that Mr. Keillor is full of it, to a point, largely because he's playing fast and loose with the meaning of the word "hard."

The problem is that the things he's comparing writing to -- building a house, having a disease, teaching schoolkids -- are trying in largely different ways. I'm not saying writing is any harder, certainly -- I just think that it can be AS hard, if by "hard" you mean "frustrating, painstaking, headache-inducing, gut-wrenching, etc." Writing a book doesn't physically wear you out like nailing together a wall, but it certainly takes its toll.

Actually, I think the big shock for most new writers (and probably a good number of established writers as well) is that writing is difficult at all. I think there's this idea that because you're not physically chasing around third graders or handling power tools, the craft of writing is much easier and takes less practice and prepration than those things might. Anyone can put pen to paper, right?

But of course that's not true, and so we whine and moan and take pity on ourselves just like everyone else does.

The secret, in all likelihood, is knowing when to stop bellyaching and start getting something done. ;}

(Not that I'm one to talk)

[whapnoggin.livejournal.com]

Isn't it more usually writers' families and friends who assume that writing is not "hard" like using power tools?

[ali-wildgoose.livejournal.com]

I think it depends on the situation. If one spends a lot of time talking to other writers, and reading blogs of writers, and really exposing themselves to what it really means to write for a living...yes, of course that person would have a pretty good idea of how hard it would be to do.

But I've noticed that many novices, who have no context to draw from, think of writing as something that you just sort of sit down an do. And I know that from my personal experience, I often try and convince myself that now that I have X ammount of experience, the process won't be nearly as hard as it used to be. Which of course isn't really true. :/

However...yes, for the most part, you're probably right. It's easy for an outsider to take note that writers aren't actually lifting heavy things or getting covered in grime and sweat, and therefore assume that writing shouldn't be considered hard work. ;}