No Shame In Being A Wannabe
March 6th, 2010
It’s not easy to take up writing and be taken seriously. Many, many people write - seven per cent of Australians according to one source - and so few are published. It’s the cruel fact that underlies the writing life. Those who know the industry understand this, they also know that what is published is largely dictated by the market and that many incredibly talented writers are passed over and never get their chance.
But it’s not really common knowledge in the non-writing world that this is the case. Unpublished writers are plagued with questions like, ‘And how’s that little book you were writing coming along?’ and ‘Got a publisher yet?’ People politely taking an interest? Yes, sometimes - but also a faint undercurrent of scorn, with the unspoken label ‘wannabee’ hanging in the air. Adding this inevitable response to the traditional self-doubt of a writer, accentuates the secrecy and isolation of the writing life. Nobody wants to be seen as a ‘wannabee’.
If you were spending your free time building a canoe or learning a language you would not receive that look, the one that says, ‘you ego driven wanker.’ One occupation is deemed a hobby, the other tainted with serious unmet ego needs pointing to a quite possibly unstable headcase who was denied the breast during a crucial window of their infantile development.
While that may indeed be the case, there is no shame in it, however, to my way of thinking. Aspirations to become an author, or an artist or an actor are nothing to hide away or apologise for. The work required to get even close to success in these areas is substantial - and anyone who works that hard for a dream has to be due some respect.
Adopting what one believes to be the ’style’ of one of these occupations, without putting in the necessary hard work, without doing the research but with an over inflated sense of self importance because you do aspire to these occupations, is possibly something of a shameful act. The writer is no different, in most respects, to the non writers in society, no better, no worse and not distinguished by the mystical hand of genius tapping on their shoulder each morning. There is one small detail that does distinguish the writer from the general population - the willingness to put in hours of toil for little financial gain, but that’s about it.
I kept my shameful, dirty writing secret hidden until very recently. I couldn’t bear the patronising curl of the lip, the snigger, the ‘oh yeah.’ So it’s a huge thrill to come out and say ‘My name is Phillipa Fioretti and I am a writer.’ I’ve met people, many people, who write and who look down and confess to me that they are unpublished. I want to say don’t apologise and don’t lose heart - what you are doing by writing stories and imagining worlds and people and places is a very human thing to do. It transcends the daily scrabble and gives you a place to dwell in, a place not confined by status, occupation, income, looks or any other social ranking. The Urban Dictionary describes a ‘wannabe’ as ‘wanting to be something you are not’. But if you ARE writing hard and in a disciplined way, you can’t technically be a ‘wannabe’, now can you …
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Categories: general, on writing | Tags: creativity, imagination, publishing, writing
8 Comments
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Fantastic post Phillipa. It’s bloody hard work and it is very trying when you see that look on people’s faces (maybe imagined) that says all I’m doing all day is sitting at home twiddling my thumbs. Writers woork bloody hard. Everyone says they coud write a novel if they only had time. But just see what happens when they actually try. It takes guts, deterination, coruage, persistence, and faith. Huge amounts of faith.
Ah sure, you know yourself.
I find the writing is much easier than the getting the damn thing sold to agents/publishers. I give myself a sly chuckle these days at that innocent, ‘I’m writing a book!’.
Because wot I now kno is that finishing the book is just the start of the journey!
You’re 100% spot on. The worst question I recall is ‘So what have you written?’ And I’d maybe say, I was working on a book. Or maybe not. Because I couldn’t deal with the pity and condescension after a while.
Because the facts of publication are so little known, that outside … See morethe very small publication world, no one knows them. Then too, because most people have been to school and believe they can write a paragraph or a story because they had to do it in school, they think writing is easy. And so how thick are you that you can’t do this thing well enough to get published?
And compounded in my case is the fact that I’m a military historian–now just how much mental instability can you read into that, above and beyond the straightforward: “You boring old twat.”
Alexander, that hard yakka doesn’t stop once a publisher takes you on (as you’ve heard me say before). Writers don’t waft about thinking higher thoughts and letting their minions do the boring bits.
Edwina and M., this whole issue just underlines, for me, how important the companionship and understanding of other writers is. They are the ONLY ones who ‘get’ it.
You’re so right, Phillipa. The hard yakka begins when a publisher picks you up!
Love the blog - particularly the last line!!
Have had more people than I like to remember ask me who I’m being published by and when I say ‘Hachette’ they frown and go ‘Oh never heard of them. Are they small?’. I normally laugh and ask ‘Would it matter if they were?’
The difference between aspiring and being on the shelf is usually one person’s opinion. In our case the lovely Bernadette Foley saw something she liked and took us on board. For every other yet to be published, it’s a matter of finding the right desk for that manuscript. It’s a matter of writing that story no matter the sneers, the self doubts or the disbelief!
All this is a long winded way of saying whether a writer is aspiring, published or just tinkering they are on a journey they should be proud of! Stand tall!!
love this post -
I think there is a lot of power in telling people you are a writer - or that you are writing a book or stories or painting etc. Some will sneer - and some will make fun - but inside all of them - a little spark will go off - and the brave ones will tell you all about their passions and hopes and dreams.
Because the truth will set you free.. (even though I still shake and feel a bit sick when I say - I am a writer!)
Nicely put.
Helene, when people ask me about Hachette I’m tempted to say it’s a bloke with a photocopier in his back shed and an aunty who runs a bookshop. I don’t, of course, but size seems to matter - as you point out - in this context.
Favel, mate, you have your ticket now, you’ve crossed over to Publishedland and you no longer have to shake when you confess to your writing sin. I like your point about lighting a small flame in the mind of the person asking about one’s writing. All of a sudden its safe for them to shyly tell you what their dreams are because you are on the same wavelength. It can be really inspiring to hear of what others furtively do to feed their creative need.