Too B Ore Knot 2 Bee...
So...I was pondering something the other day (that’s right, people, I ponder!), after reading a post by Eve over at The Disco Mermaids’ site. The question she posed was about who you want to be as a writer, and she gave a great list of certain famous authors and the characteristics of their writing styles.
It got me thinking along another (albeit similar) line…
Given the choice, and assuming that you could do so consciously, which would you rather be…the famous, *rock star* writer who has hordes of frantic followers? You know, the one who lands on the bestseller’s lists every time you put pen to paper, cranking out 1-3 so-so novels every year until, eventually, you can hire “interns” to do the actual writing and you simply sit back and collect royalties checks just by attaching your name to the manuscript?
Or, do you want to be the deeply, poetic, and long-suffering writer (of the Pulitzer Prize winning variety), who is conscientious of pairing each word to form beautifully crafted phrases that make the reader weep from the sheer exultation of your prose, and creating intimately moving pieces of real, ground-breaking literature? Oh, and did I mention that as that writer, you will live in relative obscurity for most of your life, but that future generations will reference your work in their Master’s Dissertations for years (and, many long, years) to come?
So, which would it be? Millions of fans now, in this lifetime, screaming your name and throwing their panties (or boxer briefs, as the case may be) outside of your book signings… or having your name used to describe a style of writing, like Dickensian or Hemmingway-esque?
I don’t know…“Derting-ism” has a certain ring to it, but I kind of like the idea of sipping Pina Coladas on the veranda of my winter home in Maui too!
How 'bout you??
It got me thinking along another (albeit similar) line…
Given the choice, and assuming that you could do so consciously, which would you rather be…the famous, *rock star* writer who has hordes of frantic followers? You know, the one who lands on the bestseller’s lists every time you put pen to paper, cranking out 1-3 so-so novels every year until, eventually, you can hire “interns” to do the actual writing and you simply sit back and collect royalties checks just by attaching your name to the manuscript?
Or, do you want to be the deeply, poetic, and long-suffering writer (of the Pulitzer Prize winning variety), who is conscientious of pairing each word to form beautifully crafted phrases that make the reader weep from the sheer exultation of your prose, and creating intimately moving pieces of real, ground-breaking literature? Oh, and did I mention that as that writer, you will live in relative obscurity for most of your life, but that future generations will reference your work in their Master’s Dissertations for years (and, many long, years) to come?
So, which would it be? Millions of fans now, in this lifetime, screaming your name and throwing their panties (or boxer briefs, as the case may be) outside of your book signings… or having your name used to describe a style of writing, like Dickensian or Hemmingway-esque?
I don’t know…“Derting-ism” has a certain ring to it, but I kind of like the idea of sipping Pina Coladas on the veranda of my winter home in Maui too!
How 'bout you??
Comments
I'm still (anxiously) waiting for my copy of the Emerald Tablet to ship...I can't wait to get it!!!
The fact that Danielle Steele has her own aisle in the bookstore only makes her prolific, not profound.
Wouldn't it be great if life were that simple?!?!