I have been having a completely awful last-7-days. I was away on business last week in San Fransisco. It rained the whole time and I was in constant pain from my arthritis (which the medical plan won't pay for a medication to control, but will pay for something cheaper which leaves me in constant pain). I did get to see a lot of people I care about, but it is just so much fun when you're sore and tired every moment of every day. Then I come home to disaster after disaster—I'm not even going to go into them—the worst of which was my oldest daughter getting the stomach flu AND appendicitis at the same time. And needless to say, I'm in a FUCKING BAD MOOD.
So, a dear friend who means well sent me the following poem "so you want to be a writer?" Go ahead. Go read it. I'll wait. And it just sent me through the roof. What utter and complete nonsense!
Writing is HARD. Writing IS rewriting. Writing is writing when you don't wanna. Writing is being critiqued. Writing is putting food on the table. Writing is not sexy and not glamorous and not always fun, expressive and a delight. Sometimes it's just damned hard work.
So this is my response:
The Professional Writer Responds to Charles Bukowski
If you can write when it's not flowing,
you're a professional writer.
If you can write when your heart, mouth and gut are dry,
you're a professional writer.
If you write despite how HARD it really is,
you're a professional writer.
If you do it for money,
you're a professional writer.
If you do it so you have a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head and a spouse to share it with,
you're a professional writer.
If you have the guts to sit and rewrite over and over and over,
Celebrate! You're a professional writer!
If you do it despite how hard it is to think about it, if you can write in any style any time,
you're a professional writer.
If you can write even when the roar of inspiration is muted,
you're a professional writer.
If you first read it to anyone and you take their critique with equanimity and incorporate their suggestions,
you're a professional writer.
If you're dull and pretentious enough to make a living instead of being a starving artist,
you're a professional writer.
The poseurs of the world have cried themselves to sleep wanting to be YOU.
Add to it.
Do it.
It's not rockets, madness, murder and suicide.
It's professionalism. Do it.
When the sun does not burn and the neither does the gut,
do it.
If you wait to be "chosen" you will waste your life and your talent and your drive.
Do it.
There is no other way.
There never has been.
7 comments:
You're view is real, the other is just wrong. I hope your days get happier and that both you and your DD are on the mend.
Allow me to suggest that the other poem isn't wrong, it's just different. Not only does it speak of process, which is different for every writer, but it speaks of motivations.
Bukowski captures the fire that some writers feel; I know people who call themselves writers, say they are 'working on a book' or other such vagaries, but you know they don't lie awake at night, tossing ideas in their brains so they can't sleep, feeling that fiery embrace until they simply must write.
I doubt very highly he was talking to the world's journalists, copywriters and textbook authors. Obviously those types of writers have their place and purpose--and profession.
He was speaking the writers who say, not do; who are in love with their own words for the sake of ego, not for the love of the craft. Those who seek fame and fortune, not those who struggle and starve because they have nothing that fills their mind other than the act of creation.
His poem is my life, and I assure you, it's VERY real. My royalty check tells me so.
You can blame JulieAnn for my presence and Charles Bukowski for my spirit --
The Amateur Poet Responds To The Professional Writer Responding To Charles Bukowski
if you have to repeat yourself to no avail,
then you are a professional hack,
as opposed to an artist
if you have to use punctuation
for fear that it might show you
don't know how to use a comma!
You are too edited --
The artist – punctuates –
for purpose
(Or you might just not be
using capitals or punctuation
to make a point -- imagine that.)
Bukowski's poem is a word of warning
to a professed wannabe.
The "professional writer's" poem is a
plea to be taken seriously.
The amateur poet writes to say
don't take yourself so damn seriously.
Bukowski slaved in environs
that would curl
your middle class
figure skating hair
but he sat,
but he was rejected,
but he hunched over his typewriter,
so he could read the poem to – anyone,
so he could publish
so he could live
And he did
Quite successfully –
I can make $200/hour writing
As a professional –
a law degree is a great writing tool –
better than a pen or a word processor
if you just need to make money,
But as for advice on how to write
and why –
I'll listen to the guy who has
1257 books under his name on Amazon
and 18 of his books on a book shelf at my home –
Because he doesn't make me yawn,
and though he is dead,
unlike so many others
he lives on
and can still
piss
people
off.
P.S. Please be sure to take my critique with equanimity and incorporate my suggestions.
It's been a BAD week, can ya tell?
I think my problem with this whole thing is that the either/or offered to writers: "passionate starving artist" or "well-paid professional hack" is really artificial and too narrow. To say "this is the only way it can be" is just a fallacy. The fact is, BOTH motivations for writing are valid... I'd go as far as to say ALL motivations for writing are valid. Yet Bukowski (and Wanker) seeks to invalidate professional writing. As ldupie says, "that's just wrong." And yes, it pisses us professional writers off to no end to be told we're talentless hacks because we work daily at our dream job (writing!) and get paid for doing it.
The motivations for writing are too complex to come down to an either/or, red-state/blue-state analogy. I refuse to be limited by Bukowski's tunnel vision. I understand where JulieAnn is coming from and we remain the best of friends. I'm not even sure we disagree on having passion for writing. We're simply at different points along what I hope are two different roads. If they are the same road, well... passion may not be enough. Only time will tell.
Oh, and Wanker, you can find my book on Amazon, too. Well, if I blogged under my real name you could. After writing something around a million and a half words of fiction (now THAT's passion), I finally got a book published... a tech book.
Sigh. I must deposit that royalty check now. It's such a hardship.
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