I have changed this post a little. It was initially a rant but now the question is: Why are writers so insecure?
Is it because writing is such a solitary pursuit?
Many writers that I know are also overweight. Is there a link?
I am not trying to be impolite, but I am wondering about the whole self-image thing for writers.
[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited December 09, 2004).]
Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :
Would you care to be more specific?
Posted by yanos (Member # 1831) on :
Because what we produce is important to us emotionally. If it wasn't, why are we sweating hours of something which probably won't be published?
Posted by Lord Darkstorm (Member # 1610) on :
Maybe some coments are so exact that it resolves the issue. It can also be hard to follow them sometimes without restating the same thing in a lesser way.
Or...maybe no one can follow it with anything that would sound half as good, and are afraid to try...
Posted by hoptoad (Member # 2145) on :
I often wonder if people's self esteem naturally crashes by spending such a lot of time alone. Especially when your best friend is a packet of Oreos.
[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited December 09, 2004).]
Posted by Jeraliey (Member # 2147) on :
I'm totally insecure.
.....is that ok?.....
Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :
Can't you delete the thread? I guess I would have to start a thread and delete it to see if it were possible. While this thread at present is somewhat pointless, I don't see anything that is mod-deletion worthy. To delete, I think you can edit the first post and click the "delete" box.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
Writers tend to live a somewhat insecure life, finacially, emotionally, and personally. That doesn't mean that individual writers are "insecure", simply that most writers must deal with insecurity.
Most Americans I know are overweight. I haven't really noticed that being a writer makes any difference.
As for the "whole self-image thing", that is rather a complicated question. Aside from my determination to write, I don't believe there is any part of my "whole self image" that really translates to being something that all writers must believe about themselves (that includes my love of reading, by the way--I don't believe that all writers must love reading as much as I do, nor do I believe the converse).
Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :
<Especially when your best friend is a packet of Oreos.>
I'll have you know my best friend is NOT a packet of Oreos. It a chicken strombolli.
Wait a minute! I ate my best friend!
Posted by Jules (Member # 1658) on :
quote:Why are writers so insecure?
Is it because writing is such a solitary pursuit?
I'm not sure about that. Here's something to consider -- are writers insecure, or do a lot of insecure people like to write? Creating your own world where you can control exactly what happens seems to me a very good way of escaping from insecurity. There are two ways of doing this, and writing is the one that doesn't usually get you locked up in a mental institution.
quote: Many writers that I know are also overweight. Is there a link?
Writing is an non-physical activity. Many of us spend time writing that other people might spend jogging, cycling, visiting the gym, etc. It's probably a contributory factor.
Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :
Who says insecurity is bad? It could be a virtue. Frankly, I would much rather associate with the insecure then the self-assured.
Who says writers are overweight? Do you mean professional writers? Or amateur? Or both? Orson Scott Card looks skinny enough. Roger Zelanzy looked stick thin in every photo I have seen of him.
And who says being overweight is bad? Perhaps, healthwise. I think modern day culture puts too much emphasis of image. I say, relax, enjoy some food for change.
My wife gets up 5:30 everyday to exercise. She is skinny. Her BMI index is what it is supposed to be. She thinks she is overweight. Nobody can tell her otherwise. I've tried reasoning. I've tried playing with the alarm clock. Who's to blame?
I would think science fiction and fantasy readers and writers would be more adapt at challenging cultural norms.
Posted by goatboy (Member # 2062) on :
My best friend is neither Oreos or Chicken Stromboli. Mine is Hersey kisses and Cheetoes. They just seem to go together so well. Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :
I refer to this book very often, because I find it so valuable. But in her book The Writer's Mentor, Cathleen Rountree says this:
quote:According to many writers, loneliness was the only constant in their lives as children. For those who as children developed elaborate fantasy lives, it is a natrual extension as an adult to call the imagination home...Perhaps being an outsider is mandatory to the writing life. Lonely children develop powers of observation and an exceptional capacity for empathy that serve them well in later life. And learning to entertain yourself at a young age is a habit that dies hard.
So, taking Ms. Rountree's comments to heart, and reflecting on my own psyche, I would say that it is not that writers are insecure, so much as that there are a certain set of psychological criteria that lend themselves to a person becoming a writer.
I, for one, very much relate to the solitary childhood as the breeding ground for my desire to write.
Posted by Silver3 (Member # 2174) on :
Same for me. But I think the main motivation is that you want to share your stories, so it's no longer loneliness. When I was a kid, I used to tell the stories to myself. I used to feel guilty about that. And then I found that you could actually share those stories and that it was called "writing". It was a liberation. I'm not sure whether the main motivation is that I can tell the stories to myself without guilt, or that I need to share them with others.
Posted by RFLong (Member # 1923) on :
Do you mean insecure in general or just insecure about their writing?
I think anyone will be insecure about their writing because you draw on a lot of personal stuff to create and pour so much time and energy into that action.
Perhaps we're getting back to the adage that a writer believes they are the best and the worst writer at the same time.
(Not sure if this makes a lot of sense - need sleep!)
R
Posted by Pyre Dynasty (Member # 1947) on :
I'm insecure but I'm secure in my insecurity. I think we're insecure because writing is a highly personal thing, and yet hopefully anyone can read it and judge you.
Posted by hoptoad (Member # 2145) on :
I see Dakota's POV and it applies to me too.
And yes there is an emotional investment in writing unless you are a hack.
Writer's are preoccupied with image. Especially fictionalists.
So are a number of other professions, mostly in creative idustry
Posted by Magic Beans (Member # 2183) on :
Whenever another person produces creative work, they put themselves on the line and open themselves up for praise, ridicule, or worse: indifference. Feeling the weight of that risk isn't insecurity--it's bravery. Never submitting for publication--now that's insecurity.
Posted by yanos (Member # 1831) on :
6'1 and 10 stone...Am I overweight? No! Is insecurity the desire to make your writing appeal to others?
