We Are All Saying Something
While roaming around the Internet this morning I came across a link to an article entitled 25 Things Writers Should Start Doing (LINK), now normally I tend to skip over links like these as I have seen their like in the past and they all tend to say the same things. Nonetheless I did click this one in the hopes that its author had come across something extra profound, I started skimming down the list not seeing anything overly original when number six caught my attention it was as follows “Start Saying Something: You are your writing and your writing is you, and if you’re not using your writing to say something — to speak your mind, to fertilize the fictional ground with your idea-seed in an act of literary Onanism — then what’s the damn point? You have a perspective. Use it.”
This gave me pause, and ignoring the mildly inappropriate metaphor, there is literally no part of this thing that I agree with. This person seems to be saying that writers need to stop writing for writings sake, as if the simple telling of a story is unworthy to be passed onto readers. That writers, who are not writing to get a ‘message’ or a ‘point’ across to their audience, have no place in the literary community. I have to call B.S. on this because there has never been a book, poem, play, or script written that did not have some message behind it, it is not always apparent, nor is it always profound but it is there, in fact I challenge any person to bring me book that doesn’t try to get some point across, I would love to read such a book if one existed, I would have the opportunity of reading something that had never been tried before, something truly original.
Now perhaps what the author of this list meant to say was that writers should be including in their works messages in regards to big/controversial topics of today, things like politics and religion. Now if that was what they meant I have to ask; don’t we already have enough of those works in the market? Aren’t there enough people writing on such topics? I certainly believe that there are, I know of no shortage of controversial books, they make up a big portion of the market.
If that is the idea that the author of this was trying to get across I also pose this question. What is wrong with various forms of literature that passes on simpler, non-hot-button topics, things like right and wrong, kindness, courage, etc.? I would argue in fact that it is just those kinds off messages that need to be passed on most right now, making sure that the youth of today grows up with good morals and ethics not have them confused over some obscure topic that will likely never play an impact on their lives.
So what am I trying to say here? Am I saying that writers should stop writing about these big ticket items? No. Am I saying that they should focus instead on passing on correct morals? No. What I am trying to say is that every writer has a purpose to what they are writing whether or not the reader can see that plays no part in it, they have a message to get across; and no reader or fellow writer has the right to dictate to them if they think that purpose is ‘worthy’. Instead of telling writers what they should write take it into your own hands or stick to reading those that do talk about what you want, avoid those whose messages you disagree with.
Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments below.
5 thoughts on “We Are All Saying Something”
I do want to clarify that this post is only in regards to #6 not the list entire, I did find the rest of them to be solid if recycled advice.
Agree! Well said.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. I completely agree with your view point.
But for arguments sake, lets say that I disagree. That writers are not, in fact, writing on how they see the world. They are not telling the public what their view point is. They are just writing what the general audience wants to hear. There is a saying that goes, Publish or Perish. In order to be published, you need to write a piece of work that the mass audience will enjoy, so that the publisher can make their profits, and you as a writer can earn a living. Hence the Venn Diagram at the beginning of the article.
As a world public, we tend to rely on the biased (however large or small) information that news, television, and writing gives us. What I believe that the original writer of the document (for reason #6) is trying to state is that the authors of texts are not challenging us to see their side of the story, their ideas of how the world should be run. The writer wants other authors to challenge the normal reading.
Feel free to dispute!
Steph for arguments sake lets say I am going to argue with you. While the #6 may have been saying that authors are not challenging us to see there side of the story, I believe they most defiantly are, it is, however, all about degree. There are those books that have a message and try their very darnedest to shove that message down your gullet, it is these types of books that I personally have the most trouble with, I don’t mind if an author is trying to work their magic on my mind, but if they are going to do it with a guy with neon cloths and a giant sign I have a much harder time taking them seriously. The very fact that some authors meanings can be difficult to construe is a challenge in itself, are we as readers paying close enough attention to pick up on what little subliminal things they are saying to us?
a good point well said. We as an audience need to look deeper into the meanings of the writing, and not wait for the author to directly say “this is why im writing this book”. I definitely prefer the books that make you think, and challenge you in ways that you never have thought before. The whole ‘neon sign’ thing can be very……hmmm…….whats a good word for that………..discouraging, as a reader. When an author point blank states what they would like you to understand from the reading, and not allow you to come up with our own ideas and viewpoints from the writing, that can be disappointing. Granted, the author has a point to get across, if there is one to be made. Sometimes writing is just done for pleasure. But if there is a point, you want to reader to understand that, as well as whatever else they may see.
Thanks for the discussion!