Your Loved Ones vs. Your Sanity
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That's hardly a realistic choice, and even if it were, it still isn't a choice. I'd quit writing in a second and never look back. If a person really has to think long and hard about this, well, it doesn't say much for their humanity or compassion, and without these, writing is meaningless, anyway.
In all honesty, when people talking about writing being a "write or I'll die" sort of thing, I find it incredibly sad. When people talk about writng being some holy calling, or the very stuff of life, it makes me wish they had a life.
That's hardly a realistic choice, and even if it were, it still isn't a choice. I'd quit writing in a second and never look back. If a person really has to think long and hard about this, well, it doesn't say much for their humanity or compassion, and without these, writing is meaningless, anyway.
In all honesty, when people talking about writing being a "write or I'll die" sort of thing, I find it incredibly sad. When people talk about writng being some holy calling, or the very stuff of life, it makes me wish they had a life.
I'd choose loved ones, every single time. Strangers also and even hated ones.
Writing, in any form, is not as important as your question alleges. The guilt you'd experience over letting someone die for your craft would bring you eternal writer's block anyway.
Writing, in any form, is not as important as your question alleges. The guilt you'd experience over letting someone die for your craft would bring you eternal writer's block anyway.
Bufty said:
. . . and it is the most likely contributor to my insanity.
A question like this makes me wonder about some people's home life.
Out of a hundred? Now that's not very nice.Leggs said:
Eh...why not enjoy writing? Can it be death by a dragon? That'd be really cool to write about.
Signed: Owner of a lonely vote.....
Signed: Owner of a lonely vote.....
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I have a hard time thinking this could even be a question. Life always wins over anything else. For crying out loud, published or not, writing isn't the stuff of life - it's just a thing we do.
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Define "loved ones" for me.
Because if it's just a traditional description of any family member, including aunts or uncles, well there's a few of those I could part with.
Because if it's just a traditional description of any family member, including aunts or uncles, well there's a few of those I could part with.
There is no way in Hell that I would give up my loved ones' lives so that I could continue writing. Not going to happen.
I'd never let a friend, loved one, stranger or enemy die for the sake of "my art". It is incredibly arrogant, presumptuous and just plain foolish for anyone to think that the words they put on a page are any more important than the least important thing in their reader's lives. It sounds harsh to say that but it is always a very dangerous thing when anyone starts believing that the sentences they write are destined to hold any special resonance with the society they write for. Or that their words are otherwise worth any amount of deceit, selfishness or lies necessary to obtain them.
And, unfortunately, some very great writers held a warped perspective on their art.
Arnold Bennett: "All the time my father was dying, I was at the bedside taking copious notes"
Willa Cather: "My art is more important than my friend" (when her friends begged her not to print a story she wrote about a mutual friend's disfigurement. They feared it may lead to the woman's suicide as she was in a delicate emotional state at the time)
Faulkner: "A writer's only responsibility is to his art" "If a writer has to rob his mother he will not hesitate. The "ode to a grecian urn is worth any number of old ladies"
Joan Didion: "I am a writer 1st, a wife and mother 2nd"
Cyrill Connolly: "There is no more somber enemy of good art than the pram in the hall"
The Quotes were taken from "The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes"
Now, it is, of course, impossible to judge a person's attitude towards life, loves and family from just a handful of quotes and I'm not trying to in these particular cases, but that doesn't change the fact that many great writers unfortunately lacked the humanity to equal their literary talent. I'm not judging the above writers-that'd be stupid- but given that they were serious when they made these remarks (if, in fact, they were) then that speaks a bit for how they viewed loved ones and life in general in relationship to their art.
I am hoping (and I get the distinct feeling) that the quotes above were said a bit more tongue-in-cheek than the words 'sounded' but there was a 'school of thought' of sorts held by some very well-known writers of the past that a 'true writer' should be willing to sarcrifice anything for their art. Sort of a weak justification for selfishness. The attitude was extremist, stupid and incredibly disturbing but Self Absorption and Egotism wasn't just limited to the hacks and wannabes.
I don't know if I'm getting off track (It's 1:30 am) and not to come off like an A-hole because I don't want Akuma to feel like I am attacking him when I say this-cuz I'm not- but anyone (including 'great writers' and hacks alike) who needs to honestly ask themselves whether or not they would let a loved one suffer, die or be neglected for the chance to 'improve their art' would be far better spent with intense self examination than they would at a typewriter or keyboard.
Faulkner's work is no more important or special toward the sake of humanity than yours or mine. Far better in a technical sense, but not 'more important'. No fiction writer is that important and the world'd have gone right on spinning even had Faulkner, Didion, or even Shakespeare, for that matter, never had existed.
Kind Regards,
BS
And, unfortunately, some very great writers held a warped perspective on their art.
Arnold Bennett: "All the time my father was dying, I was at the bedside taking copious notes"
Willa Cather: "My art is more important than my friend" (when her friends begged her not to print a story she wrote about a mutual friend's disfigurement. They feared it may lead to the woman's suicide as she was in a delicate emotional state at the time)
Faulkner: "A writer's only responsibility is to his art" "If a writer has to rob his mother he will not hesitate. The "ode to a grecian urn is worth any number of old ladies"
Joan Didion: "I am a writer 1st, a wife and mother 2nd"
Cyrill Connolly: "There is no more somber enemy of good art than the pram in the hall"
The Quotes were taken from "The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes"
Now, it is, of course, impossible to judge a person's attitude towards life, loves and family from just a handful of quotes and I'm not trying to in these particular cases, but that doesn't change the fact that many great writers unfortunately lacked the humanity to equal their literary talent. I'm not judging the above writers-that'd be stupid- but given that they were serious when they made these remarks (if, in fact, they were) then that speaks a bit for how they viewed loved ones and life in general in relationship to their art.
I am hoping (and I get the distinct feeling) that the quotes above were said a bit more tongue-in-cheek than the words 'sounded' but there was a 'school of thought' of sorts held by some very well-known writers of the past that a 'true writer' should be willing to sarcrifice anything for their art. Sort of a weak justification for selfishness. The attitude was extremist, stupid and incredibly disturbing but Self Absorption and Egotism wasn't just limited to the hacks and wannabes.
I don't know if I'm getting off track (It's 1:30 am) and not to come off like an A-hole because I don't want Akuma to feel like I am attacking him when I say this-cuz I'm not- but anyone (including 'great writers' and hacks alike) who needs to honestly ask themselves whether or not they would let a loved one suffer, die or be neglected for the chance to 'improve their art' would be far better spent with intense self examination than they would at a typewriter or keyboard.
Faulkner's work is no more important or special toward the sake of humanity than yours or mine. Far better in a technical sense, but not 'more important'. No fiction writer is that important and the world'd have gone right on spinning even had Faulkner, Didion, or even Shakespeare, for that matter, never had existed.
Kind Regards,
BS
BuffStuff said:
I suspect you have to take what any of these writers say with a bucket of salt. Many people say whatever they think sounds good at the moment, the thing they believe makes them look good as an "artist."
Now, in all honesty, I really enjoy writing, and I'd hate to give it up, but tehre isn't a writer alive the world couldn't get by without. And as much as I enjoy writing, if my sanity depended on it, I'd be looking for professional help.
I'm about 99.9% sure I wouldn't trade the life of my cats, or any dog I've ever had, for my writing. Sometimes it isn't about who you love, but who, or what, loves you.
Jamesaritchie wrote:
>>>Sometimes it isn't about who you love, but who, or what, loves you.
I Couldn't have said it any better, James.
>>>Sometimes it isn't about who you love, but who, or what, loves you.
I Couldn't have said it any better, James.
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MHO
This poll is so utterly dumb and stupid that I cannot think what motivated it except for some need to be cute.
Anyone who truly understands even the most rudimentary part of love, and conversely anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one, would look upon such a question and laugh all the way home.
If it was asked in seriousness and someone replies in seriousness by even considering "their passion for writing" as a possible choice, needs to really have some part of their head examined for extreme ego, self-graitification and certainly self-love.
If you are in danger of "loosing" your sanity due to such an event and choice, then I humbly suggest you never had your "sanity" to begin with.
This poll is so utterly dumb and stupid that I cannot think what motivated it except for some need to be cute.
Anyone who truly understands even the most rudimentary part of love, and conversely anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one, would look upon such a question and laugh all the way home.
If it was asked in seriousness and someone replies in seriousness by even considering "their passion for writing" as a possible choice, needs to really have some part of their head examined for extreme ego, self-graitification and certainly self-love.
If you are in danger of "loosing" your sanity due to such an event and choice, then I humbly suggest you never had your "sanity" to begin with.
I agree with everything said here, vis-a-vis my personal life.
But I must admit I know a couple of other families where, if I were in one of those, I might not be so sure.
caw.
But I must admit I know a couple of other families where, if I were in one of those, I might not be so sure.
caw.
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Honestly, this is a somewhat silly thread and I don't know why I'm posting except to say that if you ever experience losing someone, you'll know enough to give up everything just to have him/her back.
My grandfather was my main motivation for writing. He loved all of his grandchildren and never failed to show it. He called me his little novelist. When he died, I couldn't write anything for three months until I felt him urging me to finish, and so, I'm still writing.
But as much as I love writing, I'd give it up in a heartbeat just to have my grandpa back for one minute.
Writing is either a developed or inborn talent. No one can take it from you. But when you lose your loved ones, you'll have a better background of how clinging on to your sanity feels like.
My take on the question? I suppose your answer will either reflect your relationship with your loved ones, or will reflect your own personality.
My grandfather was my main motivation for writing. He loved all of his grandchildren and never failed to show it. He called me his little novelist. When he died, I couldn't write anything for three months until I felt him urging me to finish, and so, I'm still writing.
But as much as I love writing, I'd give it up in a heartbeat just to have my grandpa back for one minute.
Writing is either a developed or inborn talent. No one can take it from you. But when you lose your loved ones, you'll have a better background of how clinging on to your sanity feels like.
My take on the question? I suppose your answer will either reflect your relationship with your loved ones, or will reflect your own personality.
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gwendy85 said:
*sniff* How precious -- now I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes. What a heart's treasure your grandpa was and still is. Thank you for sharing him with us.
I think that the question is a little blood thirsty, but I just had a talk with my wife about this last night. I only spend an hour or so a day writing, but usually choosing to write means choosing to spend less time with my family. Even when I tried getting up at four thirty or five to write before eveyone gets up, that still meant that by 8 or 9 the next night I was too tired to be any use as a husband or dad. The reality is, most times I sit down to write I am choosing to write instead of being with my family.
Jamesaritchie said:
That, I believe, was the key point of the great movie Adaptation.
Anyway, maybe the key point here is how far down the list of important things writing has to be.
For instance, is it more important than spending a day at the mall with your offspring or spouse?
Would you censor your writing if you thought it would offend a relative?
Would you limit (or eliminate) your writing time if someone else in the family felt lonely?
Would you give up a great job (or at least a paying job) just because you didn't feel you had enough time to write?
Do you define yourself by your writing successes and failures far more than any other personal triumphs?
And other stuff like that....
Philosophers and theologians alike have debated for centuries on what deeds might condemn an individual to Damnation Eternal.
I suspect killing loved ones for the sake of Art just might be one such deed. Or even a dog.
I mean, look what happened to the guy who killed a dog on "Snakes on a Plane". So unless you want to get devoured head first by a giant CGI snake in a B-movie, it's best to put life before Art.
-JM
I suspect killing loved ones for the sake of Art just might be one such deed. Or even a dog.
I mean, look what happened to the guy who killed a dog on "Snakes on a Plane". So unless you want to get devoured head first by a giant CGI snake in a B-movie, it's best to put life before Art.
-JM
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