A Dissenting Opinion – Chewing Glass

The following is an email I received on this morning’s post, The “Published” Author. Since it’s really too long for a comment, I asked permission to post it. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Some content has been redacted for the author’s privacy:

Please bear with me while I do a little dissecting of your current post…

No one sits down to write anything without the thought of publishing it…do they?

My point exactly — If I don’t intend on publishing, why am I then still doing it?

Well, it seems everybody and their brother has a blog these days.

True. Again, my point exactly — if my dog had thumbs, she’d too have a blog and probably do a better job than me. On top of that, a dog with her own blog could be a fantastic angle and interesting.

Everybody—so I’m told—is on Facebook.

They are. But you left out Pintrest. I have more readers on FB than I do to my blog….and actually more freedom to be myself, by evidence of some hilarious conversation threads I’ve been a participant in over the years. But I still don’t consider that publishing.

I just heard someone in the back say, “Oh but that’s not real publishing!” Yes it is.

No, it’s not.

I tell you there is no magic in holding a book in your hands with your name on the spine. Anyone can do it.

There is a huge difference between holding a book with your name on it, picking up a magazine and seeing your byline and cracking stupid jokes on a social networking platform. And books don’t print themselves….someone else has to agree that it deserves to contribute to the destruction of the forests to make the paper it gets printed on.

So when did I first think of “publishing” my book? I guess when I sat down to write it, because I wanted it to be read. It wasn’t just for me. And, for me, if it were only ever read by one other person, I would consider that a success. The message got to somebody. What they do with it from there is up to them.

You had a purpose.

And then there’s the stuff I write just for me that goes “unpublished.” Both types of writing are worthwhile because the former is meant to help others get through life, and the latter is meant to help me get through life.

I doubt my twisted wisdom will help anyone get through life. If everything happens for a reason, if everything is part of the grand plan of life — then why didn’t I follow the writing path when I was young, when it really was what I wanted to do? Why did every decision I made after than one, lead me to where I am right now?

Well there’s a lot to talk about here. I disagree with the very strict definition of publishing that the author insists upon using. Yes, a book or magazine article must pass through an editorial filter to wind up in print, but my point was that just because someone, somewhere, gives their assent to the basic content, it doesn’t make that content any more valid than say a blog post or humorous story told on FB.

As to what is interesting and what is not, we can never know for certain, if the thing we spent hours, weeks, or years working on is going to be of interest to anybody. If no living soul was interested in what I wrote, I would either a) have to learn what interests people and write about that, or b) continue to write about what suits me regardless of who reads it. Again, the question that must first be asked is why write? If you don’t enjoy it, if it provides no release for something deep inside you, there must be better things to do. Writing well is hard. Personally, I keep at it because I enjoy it and I’d like to write well some day, or if not well, then at least better.

And yes, I believe everything happens for a reason. The reason may be as simple as it is what I chose to do. I think we can all agree that we don’t always choose well. The difference comes in after we choose poorly—or when we think we have—what did we learn from this to help us down the road. I am living proof that redemption is possible and even probable.

It sounds like this person likes writing. I can say that I have read some of this author’s stuff and it is good. I hope they can decide to keep at it in what ever form best suits them.

If anyone else has a comment on this, don’t be shy. Share with the class. That’s why we’re here.

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