You Don’t Get to Choose Whether You’re a Writer
In this month’s Glimmer Train bulletin, there’s a lovely piece by Kathryne Young called “On Writing, Not Writing, and the Writing Life.” Here’s a brief snippet: Joan Didion writes, “The…
In this month's Glimmer Train bulletin, there's a lovely piece by Kathryne Young called "On Writing, Not Writing, and the Writing Life."
Here's a brief snippet:
Joan Didion writes, "The impulse to write things down is a peculiarly compulsive one, inexplicable to those who do not share it, useful only accidentally, only secondarily, in the way that any compulsion tries to justify itself."
My mother told me something similar when I was young: you don't get to choose whether you're a writer; your only choice is whether to be a writer who writes or a writer who doesn't. What she didn't tell me then, though I'm certain she knew, is that if you're a writer and you're not writing, you will never quite be happy.
Or go straight to the entire Glimmer Train bulletin!
Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).
