Thomas Mann was a German novelist. His quote on today's blog says: 'A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.' Does that make you scratch your head? Shouldn't it be easier for someone who is actually a writer?
I believe he meant that a writer has one objective--to create a perfect piece of writing. You know, and I know, that is far from easy.
Writers learn the tools needed and hope to write flawlessly. Nice thought, but we are all human with human failings. Even so, we can certainly strive for perfection. Sometimes we come close, and then we have a period where we leave a great deal of room for improvement.
What we want to do is use every tool in our writer's toolbox, to write with passion, and to edit ruthlessly. Those 'other people' Mann refers to are the ones who don't have the knowledge that you do. When they have a need to write something for a newsletter or for a class assignment, they tend to dash it off. When they complete that first writing, they sit back and declare it finished. You and I know that is not finished, instead it is only the first draft of what could be many.
If writing is more difficult for writers, why do we pursue it? Because we have a drive within us that tells us we must write. It is a passion, no different than the ballerina who must dance, or the football player who absolutely needs to be on the field. We need that inner drive to succeed.
For writers, writing is more difficult because it requires more time. It's not a hurry-up kind of art.
We keep on writing, not because it is more difficult, but because we love to write.
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