Am I crazy because I write, or do I write because I’m crazy? I read once that writers ask each other about the how, when, what and where of our personal writing processes because we are really asking, “Are you as crazy as I am?”
Although I personally lack the credentials to deem one mentally ill, I have embraced a tongue-in-cheek craziness in regards to my own writing processes. For me, writing does feel like giving birth, and I have given birth so I consider myself qualified to proclaim this truth. Much like pregancy, the idea is there, and it will not go away until it's complete. Most of the time, it’s a one-liner that places itself on my to-do list; I must complete the story around that one blip of language. Sometimes I hear a story, and I know that I must flesh the story out on my own terms. I somehow have to make sense of it. Most of the time it’s an editor telling me, “You will write this.” And I do, although sometimes painfully with little sleep. I finish the task, and let it go, knowing that my deepest thoughts and overall self will now be subject to criticism.
Since the first episode of Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Emmy-award winning “Writers,” I have watched hoping for a simple answer to that question. “Are you as crazy as I am?” I’ve learned that “crazy” comes in the form of “passionate,” “humorous,” "talented" and countless other descriptors, summed up to the writer’s eye. We all write for different reasons. Some of us have a deep need that is only met through the written word; some of us write with habitual ease comparable to showering or tying shoes. Some of us write to relay a truth to society, and some of us write in response to that truth.
When I approached the producer of “Writers” with the idea of a blog, I envisioned a place to assuage a bit of the author’s solitude. I’d noticed at the end of each episode, these published, often award-winning writers offered host Gene Edwards gratitude for the opportunity to sit around the Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s “Writers Table.” As a spectator, I feel that same gratitude, a small sense of validation that I’m not the only one out there. I’m not crazy; I’m a writer.
“Renegade Writers” featuring Barry Hannah, William Gay and Ron Rash premieres Thursday, Febraury 1st at 8pm on Mississippi Public Broadcasting. Welcome to the table y’all.
Although I personally lack the credentials to deem one mentally ill, I have embraced a tongue-in-cheek craziness in regards to my own writing processes. For me, writing does feel like giving birth, and I have given birth so I consider myself qualified to proclaim this truth. Much like pregancy, the idea is there, and it will not go away until it's complete. Most of the time, it’s a one-liner that places itself on my to-do list; I must complete the story around that one blip of language. Sometimes I hear a story, and I know that I must flesh the story out on my own terms. I somehow have to make sense of it. Most of the time it’s an editor telling me, “You will write this.” And I do, although sometimes painfully with little sleep. I finish the task, and let it go, knowing that my deepest thoughts and overall self will now be subject to criticism.
Since the first episode of Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Emmy-award winning “Writers,” I have watched hoping for a simple answer to that question. “Are you as crazy as I am?” I’ve learned that “crazy” comes in the form of “passionate,” “humorous,” "talented" and countless other descriptors, summed up to the writer’s eye. We all write for different reasons. Some of us have a deep need that is only met through the written word; some of us write with habitual ease comparable to showering or tying shoes. Some of us write to relay a truth to society, and some of us write in response to that truth.
When I approached the producer of “Writers” with the idea of a blog, I envisioned a place to assuage a bit of the author’s solitude. I’d noticed at the end of each episode, these published, often award-winning writers offered host Gene Edwards gratitude for the opportunity to sit around the Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s “Writers Table.” As a spectator, I feel that same gratitude, a small sense of validation that I’m not the only one out there. I’m not crazy; I’m a writer.
“Renegade Writers” featuring Barry Hannah, William Gay and Ron Rash premieres Thursday, Febraury 1st at 8pm on Mississippi Public Broadcasting. Welcome to the table y’all.
posted by emilyb @ 11:13 AM
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