"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

[agilebrit]

I think it's entirely up to you what you want to get out of it, and not anyone else's business, frankly. If you get joy from the simple act of creation, you are under no obligation to show it to anyone, nor to try to "improve," whatever that means in this context. If getting the stories out of your head and onto a screen suffices for you, then that's your deal. Anyone who says different is sticking their nose in where it doesn't belong.

And nothing says it's set in stone either. If you change your mind, no one should say "boo."

But I'm a big believer in free choice.

[lunabee34]

I agree with agiblebrit. I think that whatever you want to do with or get out of your writing is 100% your choice and right for you.

That being said, I don't understand the notion of writing just for yourself unless you are using writing as a kind of therapy, and I can see wanting to keep that private. I think writing is a wonderful tool for helping us to articulate our thoughts and work through our motivations, and that sort of writing I do keep to myself.

But for me, a story requires an audience. Storytelling is one of the fundamentally human things we do. It's how we make sense of the world around us and create meaning from our lives. And you can tell a story to yourself, sure. But that's the kind of writing that's a diary even if you're couching whatever it is you're saying in fictional terms. To me, writing is communication with someone else.

IDK

Again, although it's not a feeling I share, I don't think anyone is *wrong* for feeling the way you do.

[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.

[ayumidah]

I get this from my mother. She has yet to read anything I've written. She thinks because I don't let her read my writing, I've not let anyone read it. Which isn't true, I let a couple close friends read my original works and my fan fiction is out there for anyone who wants to give it a go.

The problem I have with letting Mom read is she has a number of books laying around the house that she only gets so far in, and never returns to. Or she'll say "I try to read, but I fall asleep". And an even bigger part of me fears that she'll judge me for the things I do write, or nitpick it like she does so many other things.

But even if I didn't want her, my friends or anyone else to read any of them, and just wanted to keep it to myself, that'd be my prerogative and I do have a couple binders full of stories that will probably never see the light of day, because I'd rather they stay for my eyes only.

[caecilia]

Nah, I totally agree with you. I've always wanted to be a professional. I decided that was my destiny when I was seven and, minus a few episodes of low self-confidence, I've been working toward that. But of course writing can be a hobby to some people. I think everyone needs some creative outlet. It's good for the soul. If someone's passion is piano playing and that's what they make their career out of, but they also write for a half an hour every day and are entertained by that and don't feel the need to show it to anyone, who cares? I also write for fun sometimes. And my ao3 is full of crackfic that I mostly wrote at 3 am over instant message for mine and my friends' entertainment.

There is no way to do it wrong and enjoying yourself is the most important thing, even when you're doing it for work.