I was going through some of my favorite quotes last night and came across one that said something about how you should only write if you would die if you couldn't. And another one which said something along the lines of "If I only had six minutes to live, I wouldn't stress...I'd just type faster." Or something like that.
Which got me to thinking, would I die if I couldn't write?
Honestly, no, I wouldn't die. And I wouldn't spend my last few minutes on Earth writing either.
But then, I thought about something else that we've talked about before. We discussed on several occasions how even when we aren't writing, we are still writing. Story ideas and scenes and dialogue and characters and settings and everything that goes into our stories continually swirl through our brains whether we are committing all those things to paper or not.
So no. I wouldn't die if I couldn't put my thoughts on paper. But I don't think it would be even remotely possible to shut of my internal writer. It's just part of me. It's how I see the world. There is always an internal monologue in my head, always. Have you ever scene The Holiday (Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black)? You know how Amanda (Cameron's character) is always hearing those voice overs (she makes movie trailers and keeps hearing these voice overs describing her life). That is EXACTLY how it works with me. I'll think about a scene or see something in real life that sparks a thought, and it's like watching a movie scene in my head...sometimes with narrator and sound track playing in the background. :D
I'd never stop thinking about writing everything down, but I'd survive, I think, if I couldn't. But for the rest...no, that's a part of the unique pile of quirkiness that is me :)
How about you? Would you die if you couldn't write?
15 comments:
it wouldn't be dying exactly, but it would feel like it. and i wouldn't spend my last minutes with my laptop. my family and friends come first.
Interesting thoughts. I would definitely not die. I would miss it though. :)
Ditto to all of this! Loved The Holiday, and you're so right--it's totally like that for writers.
Awesome post, Michelle!
Just like you, I wouldn't die, but the stories wouldn't stop coming either. And I'm happier when I'm writing them down.
Critiques and submissions are another story...
The Holiday is such a cute movie. Yeah, I wouldn't die. I do have higher priorities over writing. I would die if I had to be eternally separated from my family. That's the most important thing to me. Writing is great, but not essential for breathing. I would, however, be very depressed if I couldn't write anymore.
I agree with you. My internal typewriter would be going a mile a minute like it always does!
I would definitely go a little crazy if I didn't have this outlet, but I wouldn't spend the last few minutes of my life writing. I'd want to spend them with my loved ones.
This has given me a lot to think about, though since I'm not sure where I draw the line. If it was illegal to write, say, YA paranormal romance, would I do it in secret, consequences be damned? Would I risk my life to pursue my art, endangering my family?
Thought-provoking post!
Physically, maybe not, but internally, yes. I die a little every time I lose something or someone I love.
Okay, first off, great comparison to The Holiday. I love that she's always hearing those voice overs. That is hilarious!
And second, I don't think I'd die either. But I don't think I'd be as happy, since I'd have to live with all that emotion and angst inside of me. Writing is my outlet for the depressing emotions. So yeah.
Nope. Though, I'd get really cranky sometimes since writing is my outlet to process overloaded emotional crises. I'd live on and probably find other things to be passionate about...I'd read more, for one!
I wouldn't die but, I'm not sure I would say that I was truly living either.
No, I wouldn't die if I couldn't write, although I'd be sad and frustrated, and it would take me a while to adjust to the change. But I'm pretty certain I'd find something else to do.
If I couldn't get my stories down on paper, okay. I could survive. But, if I couldn't have my internal writer? Yeah, I would definitely die. Being able to tell stories (even just in my head) is how I deal with everyday life. I would probably go insane if I couldn't do that. Although, I do find it a bit ironic that the voices in my head keep me from going insane. ;)
I think I would die inside (figuratively, not a literal death) if I couldn't write. I have had terrible writer's block for the last year (just recently started coming out of it and writing more), and I didn't feel like myself. I felt like I was living someone else's life, like all my creativity had just disappeared. Like it had died. But thankfully, I did NaNoWriMo this year and won, and I've gotten great ideas since and feel much more alive.
I definitely agree with the feeling of "writing" even when you're not putting words on paper. It's the best feeling in the world.
I wouldn't die, but I'd be a bit grumpy if I couldn't write. Plus my characters wouldn't be very happy with me. They hardly shut up now. lol.
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