The Responsibility of Writing

There is, I think, a responsibility to writing. To some, it might be called a duty, like military service or serving with the Peace Corps. For others, writing might be nothing more than a hobby, time used to scribble a few poems or scratch out an essay or two.

Given what I’ve mentioned, the responsibility can vary by degree. Let’s look at some examples:

• For some, writing is a requirement. It is engrained. Writing is the means of communicating the ideas in their heads to whatever audience will listen. Therefore, those people must write. Given those conditions, that writer grinds away at churning syntax. Food be damned. Relationships be damned. Other interests be damned. The writer has become responsible to those ideas in his or her head, and there is no turning away from what must be done. Time, money and resources are all pointed at accomplishing those goals.
• From those most fervent (see above), we move to those people somewhere in the middle. These are many of my friends. They “write on the side” and much of what we hear via Twitter or Facebook postings that they simply do not have the time to write (at whatever moment) are usually those encumbered with other responsibilities. Those might include a career doing something separate, a spouse, children, illness both mental and physical, education or a number of other duties that gobble time and resources.
• Still others may like to write and do something else. Their passion for writing is as fierce, but they may have other passions like archeology, Warhammer and sailing. They like to write. They do write, but Rome will not fall if they do not finish those paragraphs this week. Their portfolios are replete with hobbies and adventures, and writing may just be a means of recording the memories of everything else.
• And don’t forget the quiet ones. They may be scared for success or failure. There’s also the idea they might be shy people, able to read and consume their own stories, but are reluctant to give them to others. A friend of mine in Colorado is  Julliard-brilliant classical guitar player. It took me two years just to get him to play one song for me. He plays for himself and his wife. That’s it. That makes him no less brilliant a player nor does it mean the fire isn’t there to play. We probably hear less from these folks because they are honing their skills without advertising it to us through a social media platform.
• Finally, there are people who just like to hang out with writers because they have  imagination, initiative and direction. These people say they are writers, too. However, they are probably writers in the same way that Justin Bieber a thoroughbred jockey. They talk a lot about writing. They even concede to be working on something now and then. However, it is rare that you hear about an actual query letter written let alone sent. Their responsibilities have nothing to do with communication of ideas to audience. Rather, they are clutching onto a dream, living vicariously through someone else’s success.

I find myself somewhere in between. My desk is littered with notes and outlines of ideas for stories. However, my budget of time and resources for writing, especially lately, is minute. I still feel a tremendous responsibility to get these ideas, plots, stories and anecdotes from my head into something everyone can see. I also have a burgeoning career, a spouse and a 4-year-old daughter. I discover that I must program the time or I won’t get it. Worse planners and those less assertive might have even worse luck in letting those other responsibilities gobble them up.

So, your turn. Where do you sit in the hierarchy above? Or, did I miss one? Tell me in the comments.

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