It's the first Wednesday of the month and time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. A big thank you to Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting this amazing group where writers with insecurities can connect and support one another. If you're interested in joining us, check at the IWSG here!
My insecurities this month are a bit more complicated than normal. Far from worrying about when I'll find time to write or how I'm going to get back into the swing of things, this month I'm worried about having something important to say. As F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said "You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say". And I can't help but wonder sometimes if the stories I write really say anything of value. They're fun and I certainly enjoy writing them, but is that enough?
Do any of you ever wondering if what you're writing matters? If you're words have any value? If they really say anything?
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I don't think much of the stuff I write has an important message. I write because I want to write, I try not to worry about what my stories say!
ReplyDeleteI often feel that way at some point in my stories, like, why am I even writing this? What's the point? Why does it even matter whether my characters get a happy ending, or any ending at all for that matter? But then I read someone else's story - which is often just some characters trying to make it through the mess their author has gotten them into, much like mine I might add - and I'm instantly intrigued and involved and never want it to end. Not all stories have to have some big meaning. They can be just stories, meant to entertain.
ReplyDeleteI write to entertain, so if there's more or a message, that's bonus.
ReplyDeleteYour deepest held beliefs will find their way into your writing, whether you're trying to put them there or not. A lot of times, I don't realize what my story really "means" until I'm finished and I've had some time away from it.
ReplyDelete"Do any of you ever wondering if what you're writing matters? If you're words have any value? If they really say anything?"
ReplyDeleteOh, gosh, yes! But I still write.
Oh, I think when you start writing because you have a "message" then it starts to sound preachy. Better to write a good story and then figure out what you were really saying after the fact. I've often found that my stories mean things I never had in mind while writing them; I only find the message later when I look back.
ReplyDeleteI believe that's why my stories take so long to punch out. Though I always write with humor, my stories have to have depth. I don't think messages have to be preachy, although many are. I like to think of my tales as thought-provoking...maybe something that sparks some critical thinking...
ReplyDeleteI feel this way a lot.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started writing, I wanted everything I wrote to offer a profound literary contribution. But all that pressure made my work heavy and awkward.
I'm now working on middle grade stuff. And I let the important messages take a back seat to character and plot. In the end, I hope it is still meaningful. But I mostly just hope someone will read it.
I worry about this the most with blogging, because why should anyone listen to me? But if something needs saying, then why shouldn't I say it?
ReplyDeleteI've recently been blowing the dust off an older series I wrote in my teens. I did just this, ask myself what the story was trying to say. I couldn't think of anything so made sure I made the story actually about something and then rewrote it. Sometimes you just need to do that.
ReplyDelete