What's In It For You?

By Jean Currie

(Previously published in BuzzWords Magazine)

I wonder if they've all got it wrong?

It amazes me how many books are published about writing and how many magazines are filled with an endless stream of articles on the subject. And then there are adult education classes, circles, seminars, workshops, distance learning schools, summer schools and even writing holidays in secluded cottages or near sun-warmed beaches. The coming of the computer with emailing and the Internet has introduced more tutors desperate to teach the way it should be done.

All these aids tell -
WHAT to write
WHAT NOT to write
HOW to write
HOW MUCH or HOW LITTLE to write
WHERE to get ideas
WHAT records to keep
WHERE to sell
HOW to prevent the taxman grabbing more than his legitimate share when the money comes pouring in.

The list goes on, but it seems to me that the most important point has been omitted. The first essential should be WHY.

There are numerous reasons for writing.

Some people are content to compose a single letter to the editor when something happens that gets under their skin. Others turn out a dozen or more a week and make a healthy addition to their pocket money by producing an opposing view to some topical news item, or using humour to take the stuffing out of some self-important, pompous twit.

Some take delight in scribbling stories for their grandchildren or writing of home to those who are far away.

Some like to keep a journal as a basis for an autobiography, or as a release, a secret outpouring of thoughts and emotions, not intended for other eyes.

Some want to record local history, the origin of place or surnames.

Some enjoy composing verse or sketches to perform for senior citizens and get their reward from the applause.

Some concentrate on preserving our dialects and words that our ancestors used for tools in their trades. If it wasn't for them old terms could be lost, when everything is made by robots.

Some know how to prune a rose, lay a path, cook an appetising dish, and yearn to tell. Some like to describe how to put together DIY furniture.

Some want to rewrite history, to tell us that the baddie was not as bad as we thought, or that our hero was not such a good guy.

Some think the way to pay bills is to retell the Cinderella story.

Some are fascinated by murder and the solving of crime.

Some like to fill their lonely hours by creating characters who become more familiar than their neighbours.

Some seek perfection. They do not crave best-seller status. They don't let anyone see their writing. They know there is a better way of stringing words together than they have yet found. They want their words to convey exactly what they intend without any ambiguity, to be sure that there isn't a better metaphor or simile or a stronger verb. They know they will never attain the perfection they strive for, but they must go on trying.

There are dozens of other reasons for writing. Perhaps the only thing they all have in common is the need for intelligible language to allow clear communication with the reader.

So, what's in it for you?

When you have answered the WHY, you may find many of the HOWs, WHATs and WHEREs are not needed on the journey. You can step out unhampered along your chosen road.

Enjoy the trip.

(By the way, would you believe there exists a species of human that has no interest in writing - for any reason?)