Adam Heine is one of my favorite people on the web, and it has nothing to do with his love of ninjas. (Okay, maybe it does a little.) He writes about sky pirates, which I also happen to love. I know, loving ninjas and pirates is against all nerd laws, but that's how I roll. Oh, and he and his wife foster children in Thailand. Cool, no?
A Writer's Education
by Adam Heine
It's hard for Professional Aspiring Writers to justify hours and hours (and years and hours) of time spent on a hobby that doesn't pay. It's hard to ask my wife to watch the kids so I can "work." If nobody pays me, and the likelihood of publishing success is comparable to winning the lottery, can I even call it work?
Well, it feels like work. And I treat it like work, sitting down to write or blog or social-network every day—planning for a book deal and a career that may never happen. But what kind of job demands years of uncompensated service before giving you even a chance at wages?
All of them, it turns out. It's called college.
College is 4+ years of work that pays nothing and (these days) doesn't even guarantee a job at the end. That's exactly what we're doing when we sit at our computer, typing a story nobody may ever buy.
It's better than college, because it's free. Better because it's easier to hold a job while writing than studying. Better because if we don't get a job with our first degree (i.e. novel), we can write another and learn more.
So next time you shut out the world to write, remember you're not wasting time on a gamble. You're studying to be a writer. There's no guarantee of success, but what career offers that? (Shoot, I recently had a friend get turned down at MCDONALD'S. If burger-flipping isn't guaranteed, nothing is!). So long as you live life, working to get published is as valid an education as any other.
Keep writing. It's your education.
I agree. It may *seem* as likely as the lottery, but you have the ability to contribute to its outcome, it's not based on chance, and in the meantime you're creating something meaningful.
ReplyDeleteTime spent pursuing a dream is time well spent, I say :D
I think that's a great analogy, and it's a great attitude towards writing too that we can all learn from. As a college teacher, I try to help my students see that they should take full advantage of their college education, because they don't want to get to the end of their senior year and realize that they missed out on so much of what they should have learned. I'm thinking I'll print out a copy of your blog post and show it to them, because even if not all of them are aspiring writers, they could still learn something from this post.
ReplyDeleteOoh! this made a lot of nice sense, actually, considering I am in college at the moment. And I have to agree whole heartedly that it's much better because it is free. :) I needed this, thank you!
ReplyDeleteWell, odds of publishing are probably smaller than the odds of getting a job after college, but your point is a great one!
ReplyDeleteWant to know what's even harder than holding a job and studying or holding a job and writing? Doing all three at once.
Sometimes, I wonder where my free time is. ;)
How about writing and going to college? :D
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I'm in my second year of university and I really have learned more writing than I have in school. Thinking of dropping out. ANYWAY, this is a great way to look at our crazy writerly way of life!
ReplyDeleteWicked post! Love the last line, "Keep writing. It's your education." So true. (Hugs)Indigo
ReplyDeleteThanks for validating the many hours spent working toward writing goals. Happy writers are validated writers! Thanks for all the great posts... :)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!
ReplyDeletePlus, writing's fun. And I don't have to worry about my roommate locking me out of our dormroom while he gets laid.
ReplyDeleteUltra-like! And very much agree with! :)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant. I'm going to remember the writing to college analogy when I have to defend writing as work. Nice post. :)
ReplyDeleteGood point! Although if you're going to college to get better at writing do they cancel each other out? ;)
ReplyDeleteAdam, great post. I often wonder why I am doing this for a reason. You state the reason so well. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I remember having more free time in college than after. If I'd been disciplined enough to write (instead of playing Half-Life and The Sims all day), I might be published already!
ReplyDeleteSo do what I didn't, folks: discipline yourself :-)
That's a great analogy Adam, thanks! As long you're always learning, it can't be a bad thing - and hey, we just might get published at the end of the road [g] And then we'll be on a new path...
ReplyDeleteI also support the alliance of pirates and ninjas. Who could stop us (until cyborgs, I mean)?
ReplyDeleteProfessional Aspiring Writers...awesome way of thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteI've been one long enough, Jayme, I decided to coin a term. Feel free to use it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and you actually have to pay butt-loads of money to go to college. At least we don't have to put tens of thousands of dollars (or more) down to get an education in writing. Loved this post!
ReplyDeleteThat is so true, the practical effort to becoming a good writer is so frequently ignored. That's why I'm always wryly amused when the media says a breakout writer has appeared from nowhere.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great message.
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't love ninjas and pirates (especially the way YOU write them)? Sign me up.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with your post. You can study about something all you want (and study is good), but if you want to master it, you have to practice.
Oooh - I needed this right now! I'm stuck in the winter doldrums complicated by the why-am-I-wasting-my-time-on-this-novel mantra that loops endlessly through my brain.
ReplyDeleteAnd since I also have the college degree that did NOT come with employment, I can relate.
This is right where I am -- thank you!
ReplyDelete"So next time you shut out the world to write, remember you're not wasting time on a gamble. You're studying to be a writer."
ReplyDeleteLove that. :) I'm going to be studying a lot this year...
Great post! I'm passing this one on via Twitter!
ReplyDelete1. Whenever I play Apples to Apples, ninjas and pirates trump any other card.
ReplyDelete2. Nice analogy. A good way to help people understand that, no, good writing doesn’t happen overnight.
Thank you. I needed to hear that.
ReplyDelete