"What's the point of writing if no one reads it?"

[sarillia]

...and I will also be rambling about the idea that everyone should be constantly working to improve

I only started writing less than seven years ago. A few times before that, I had started to write something but it never got past two handwritten pages and I never made a serious attempt at it. Then when I was 16, for reasons I still don't understand, I signed up for National Novel Writing Month. I loved it and I've done it every year since and I've also participated in a lot of the unofficial spin-offs.

So maybe I have a different approach to writing than most people because it was nothing but entertainment from Day One. I had no grand plans to be published or ideas about making a career as a writer. I have always been a very anxious person so from the start I told myself that I would not be showing my writing to other people. It was just for fun. Just for me. And I kept that up for a long time.

But people could not let me do so in peace. So many people kept asking me that question that I typed up there in the post title. They kept telling me how sad it was that these stories would sit on my computer forever only to be read by me.

What makes writing different from other pastimes? Obviously one big thing is that it produces something, but why should that come with an obligation to share that product with the world.

Speaking of obligations, that's another thing that I always heard. "If you don't show anyone your writing then you are never going to improve." Fair enough. But who said I wanted to improve? Why should that be a given? Why couldn't it just be something I did for fun? I realize that "having fun" and "trying to improve" are not incompatible but that doesn't mean they can't be separated.

I've come across this idea a lot that if you write or do anything creative then you should be trying to become great at it. Even in fandom, which has lately been derided as a place where people want to hear nothing but positive comments (which is apparently just awful), there are people acting like writers are breaking some kind of code if they don't ask for constructive criticism.

Things have changed for me. I've decided that I would like to try out the whole sharing and getting criticism thing. But I don't think that's the only valid way to write. There are hobbyists who care about nothing but how much fun they're having--I used to be one of them and it brought me a lot of joy--and I don't see why they should be looked down on so much.

Maybe someone who disagrees with me can make a persuasive argument. I honestly don't understand this, and I have a feeling that my attitude is just as incomprehensible to some other people.

Comments

[splinteredstar]

"What's the point of writing?" It's /fun/, now bugger off.

I mean. I think everyone should strive for self improvement as a matter of course. And people should accept honest responses to their work. And there's something about "I only want praise!" that rubs of ego-stroking.

I think part of it is the view of art as communication, of writing in particular as a way of speaking to people. Writing seems like you're trying to /say/ something, so why say it no one?

But yeah. There's nothing wrong with mucking around for fun. There are a lot of stories I have written in my head or written down that will never be shared with anyone. Story-spinning is reflex for me, and a relaxation, and a meditation. What I share and what I don't share is my own business.

[sarillia]

And there's something about "I only want praise!" that rubs of ego-stroking.

Honestly, I don't really see what's so wrong with wanting some ego-stroking. It kind of reminds me of insults like "attention whore". They want attention?! That's terrible!!

I'm going to admit something that's going to make some people dislike me on principle: I like to show off.

I have always been shy about sharing my writing but that hasn't been true of all my hobbies. I also like to knit and crochet and sometimes I show my work to people just so they can praise it. I especially like showing it to people don't knit and crochet themselves because they're less likely to notice the mistakes. The average person finds writing less esoteric than knitting and has a better frame of reference for judging its quality so they're less likely to go "I could never do that" and more likely to go "this is how I would change it".

I'm extremely self-critical. I have some very kind people like friends whose judgement I trust and therapists tell me that I'm way too hard on myself. So, with my knitting and crocheting, it's nice to let go of that and just bask in the "You made that?? omg that's amazing! It's so pretty!"

What if writing is that for someone else?

I firmly believe that criticism is only truly constructive when it's solicited. If the person is not going to listen to it then it's just not useful and when the critic knows that then it reveals itself to be for the sake of the critic rather than the creator. Which is fine. I enjoy critiquing things for my own sake and sometimes for the sake of other readers or watchers or whatever (I didn't include them in my prior statement because I'm mostly talking about amateur writing on the internet where there's no atmosphere of professionalism and what are called reviews are generally assumed to be for the creator rather than other readers), but I wouldn't provide a critique of someone's writing to them if they didn't want it. I don't think the default should be "wants criticism". I don't think that should be assumed. There are too many fragile people who are hurt by this attitude. And I don't mean "fragile" in a pejorative sense. I count myself as fragile in many ways.

But a lot of the people who disagree with me on this act so insulting toward people who don't want criticism that I feel like sticking a disclaimer between every paragraph reminding everyone that I appreciate criticism and that I am trying to work on my writing to make it better just so I can shield myself from vitriol. I know it's not necessary because everyone I've talked to here has been wonderful but I'm a little gunshy about this.

I want to apologize for responding to a lot of things you never said in your comment. In a lot of ways I'm still continuing my thoughts from the main post because you've reminded me of other arguments that I disagree with even though you didn't actually use them yourself. I just want to reassure you that I read your comment and I'm not accusing you of saying anything that you didn't. I have a bad habit of doing stuff like this and people have understandably gotten the wrong idea in the past.

Now I'm going to press "Post Comment" and hope I don't sound too awful.

[inkdust]

You don't sound awful. I'm one of the people who does actually use my writing to show off - not by letting people read it, but there's something hugely egotistically gratifying about someone asking what I do and getting to say "I'm writing a novel." Because the reaction is /always/ impressed. And I don't feel bad about saying it because I'm not exaggerating at all.

For actual reading of my writing, I have one friend I have read my rough drafts, for the sole purpose of getting to hear someone say "omg that's amazing!" Sometimes I have questions about whether something works well, and I always want her to let me know if she sees a real problem, but it's pretty much just for that ego boost. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It encourages me to keep going.

I'm also terrible at taking criticism, and I know I'm going to need to get a lot better at it, but I also don't think there's anything wrong with that, or with doing certain activities and not wanting constructive criticism about them. Especially for things that are just hobbies, sometimes improving through outside feedback isn't the point. I don't think you're wrong.

[splinteredstar]

I understand. Part of it is for me, personally, I don't trust straight compliments. Maybe it's a self-esteem thing, but anyone who doesn't mix critical commentary into the praise just reads as false to me. As polite nonsense because they don't want to say how awful it is to my face. Does that make sense? I fully admit that's a quirk of my own neurological mix, though.

Hmmmm. I think part of it is inherent in our culture - the idea that it is our purpose as human beings to produce things that are of use to others. We are also told to pursue excellence. There is an entire genre of stories (both fiction and cultural stereotypes) based around "lazy layabout who is content with mediocrity", and they always end with them learning to Work Hard so they can have Worth in Society.

So the idea that people are okay with not being perfect, and with having "subpar" creations is kind of... unnatural sometimes.

(I'm a sociology minor. Sometimes it shows.)

And I understand, but thank you for spelling it out. I miss social cues in person, and online it can be even worse.