Eyes on Final Fantasy Forums > General > Writer's Corner > Let's be honest...

[Ouch!]

"Let's be honest, it takes a bit of masochism to be a writer."

This thought came up in a recent conversation I had with a friend regarding writing. He commented that while he loves writing, he doesn't love writing enough to pursue being an author--something he'd considered as a possible profession for some time. His comment about not loving writing enough prompted the above response from me.

It just got me thinking. Sitting down and writing--seriously writing--can be a very frustrating and painful process. I don't mean to belittle others, but I'm not talking about writing fan fiction and other little half-assed ditties for the internet. I mean, sure, that can be frustrating too, but it's nothing compared to trying to write a book and get it published. I mean, just look at some authors; take George R. R. Martin for example. It has to disappoint him even more than the fans that he predicted that he'd have a book finished in a year, and it's already been just over two. Now it's almost certain that three years will have passed by the time it sees print.

Does anyone else agree that writing requires a bit of masochism, or am I on my own on this one?

[Momiji]

Originally Posted by Ouch! ^

"Let's be honest, it takes a bit of masochism to be a writer."

This thought came up in a recent conversation I had with a friend regarding writing. He commented that while he loves writing, he doesn't love writing enough to pursue being an author--something he'd considered as a possible profession for some time. His comment about not loving writing enough prompted the above response from me.

It just got me thinking. Sitting down and writing--seriously writing--can be a very frustrating and painful process. I don't mean to belittle others, but I'm not talking about writing fan fiction and other little half-assed ditties for the internet. I mean, sure, that can be frustrating too, but it's nothing compared to trying to write a book and get it published. I mean, just look at some authors; take George R. R. Martin for example. It has to disappoint him even more than the fans that he predicted that he'd have a book finished in a year, and it's already been just over two. Now it's almost certain that three years will have passed by the time it sees print.

Does anyone else agree that writing requires a bit of masochism, or am I on my own on this one?

I've never written a book before, so I wouldn't know. All I've written are my so-called "half-assed ditties" you mentioned.

[Ouch!]

Originally Posted by Poetically Pathetic ^

I've never written a book before, so I wouldn't know. All I've written are my so-called "half-assed ditties" you mentioned.

Truly I can't think of a better way to describe fan fiction; it's half-assed in just about every sense of the phrase. By borrowing from another's work, you're cutting out a lot of the initial planning that goes into writing something, which, granted, makes the process less frustrating. I don't mean to demean fan fiction entirely. I'll admit there are some damn good writers out there who write fan fiction--I just view it as a waste of talent.

[James Leopold]

I have to agree with you Ouch! It would take a lot of stress to meet deadlines, come up with a backstory that has no contradictions and to create and maintain believable characters.
Quite tough, but as long as you've got enough determination and talent, you should be able to do it.

[Ouch!]

I somehow get the feeling it would be significantly easier if I had tangible deadlines. Unfortunately, I just keep feeling to meet personal deadlines which really have no repercussions.

[Momiji]

Originally Posted by Ouch! ^

Originally Posted by Poetically Pathetic ^

I've never written a book before, so I wouldn't know. All I've written are my so-called "half-assed ditties" you mentioned.

Truly I can't think of a better way to describe fan fiction; it's half-assed in just about every sense of the phrase. By borrowing from another's work, you're cutting out a lot of the initial planning that goes into writing something, which, granted, makes the process less frustrating. I don't mean to demean fan fiction entirely. I'll admit there are some damn good writers out there who write fan fiction--I just view it as a waste of talent.

Oh, fanfiction? Hell no, I don't read or write those. I was talking about my poems, thinking you were talking about any form of writing in general.

[Ouch!]

Originally Posted by Poetically Pathetic ^

Originally Posted by Ouch! ^

Originally Posted by Poetically Pathetic ^

I've never written a book before, so I wouldn't know. All I've written are my so-called "half-assed ditties" you mentioned.

Truly I can't think of a better way to describe fan fiction; it's half-assed in just about every sense of the phrase. By borrowing from another's work, you're cutting out a lot of the initial planning that goes into writing something, which, granted, makes the process less frustrating. I don't mean to demean fan fiction entirely. I'll admit there are some damn good writers out there who write fan fiction--I just view it as a waste of talent.

Oh, fanfiction? Hell no, I don't read or write those. I was talking about my poems, thinking you were talking about any form of writing in general.

After reading over my original post I realized my wording implied that I was referring to anything on the internet in general. That's not what I meant at all.

[chionos]

I don't think I would describe it as masochistic. Pain in tiny doses is pleasurable, but masochism exists beyond the simple kind of pleasure say that an athlete has at the end of a game when his muscles ache and he knows he played well. To say that writing requires any amount of masochistic intentions implies that the writer is writing specifically to encounter the pain (both physical and mental of course) that writing can produce in its more difficult moments. This may be true of some writers, but not of writing in general. The pain is something to be endured, knowing that the end will justify any temporary suffering one might face.