Yesterday was our last creative writing class of the
semester, and my students each had the chance to discuss their successes and
challenges over the past few months. Many of them were surprised by a newfound love
for poetry, and others mentioned an appreciation for the meditative moment that
we started every class with. Several students talked about their amazement at
the revision process, which warmed my little writer heart.
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| Narration & Description |
When we started discussing writing goals, I was disheartened
when a few students shared feelings of distress about the future. As it turns
out, some creative writing professors think it’s helpful to tell their students
that they’re never going to make it as a writer – they’re never going to be
Stephen King, and they’re never going to make money at this.
I struggle to understand the reasoning behind this scare
tactic. No one was telling me I was going to be destitute when I was an American
Studies major in undergrad. Why the obsession with dashing the dreams of young writers?
What does it accomplish besides chasing students away from the writing life?
What this message does is only assign value to something with
a dollar sign attached to it. Essentially, if something you are doing is not
quantifiable in terms of money, then it is not a worthwhile use of your time.
Must everything be in the pursuit of money? Do we not engage
in all kinds of things purely for pleasure? In my opinion, doing things solely for
the sake of a paycheck makes for a sad life.
The truth of the matter is this: it is hard making a living
as an artist of any kind, whether you’re a painter, dancer, writer, singer, or sculptor.
Creating art is a way of life, and it nourishes us in many ways beyond the
wallet.
There are jobs that pay you to write. One of my students got
an internship writing for a nonprofit. She’ll be collecting and telling stories
of people in the community, writing grants, and designing and editing children’s
books. That’s great, but writers will always have to carve out time for their
own writing. Very few people spend their whole lives sitting at a desk, working
on their own creative writing. Very few people get paid to dance all day, or splash
paint on blank canvas.
There is a myth that writing must be the end all, the
only thing you do with your time. If you are truly creative, you will find ways
to make money AND write.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t be honest with our students. If they
have questions about finances, we should answer them to the best of your
ability. Tell them that they should only write if they truly love writing,
because that is the bulk of the writing life. Publishing is cool, if you’re so
lucky, but even if it comes to that, it changes nothing about the writing
process: you in a chair at a desk with your favorite writing utensil.
I think you should write if writing makes you happy, if it
feeds something inside of you. Ask yourself: What is the ultimate goal for your
writing? Is it simply for the sake of having a creative outlet that is your
own? Does writing help you make sense of this life? Does writing in your
journal feel like speaking to your oldest friend, or cuddling up with a bowl of
chicken noodle soup? Is there a fire in your fingers that can only be quelled
by putting pen to paper?
We are creative writing teachers, not financial planners. My
job as a creative writing teacher is to keep my students writing. If a student
wants to major in creative writing, good for them! If they want to make a
living as a writer after they graduate, good for them. If the lights get turned
off or their bellies rumble with hunger, they’ll get a job that pays the bills
and fills their pantry. If they love writing a lot, they’ll do it still,
regardless of the job and the bills and the kids. Because the act of creating
something that didn’t exist before feeds a part of you that isn’t quantifiable with
dollar signs.
