Work Is For Suckers:

I Want To Write!

Work Is For Suckers:

I Want To Write!

by

Joe Schwartz

A writer’s job is to dream, to conceptualize ideas no matter how fantastic or

sublime in mere words alone that others may read them, be entertained, and even possibly
become enlightened. There is no harder artistic discipline available. You, as a writer, can
only be enjoyed with severe commitment. No one is entertained by watching your book.
Nobody is fully engaged by listening to your stories despite the popularity of recorded
books. Words have a rhythm and cadence the mind alone speaks with to the reader.
When I was a young man I was a stupid reader. It was upon my discovery of
acting that I was first trained to observe language, to hear the authors’ intention within
the words. Even though at age sixteen I had been a full-time reader for more than a
decade, I was but a word glutton. I consumed words with no more discretion or
appreciation than a pig at a trough. My training as an actor taught me to read with
purpose. I, however, am the exception to the rule.
In this modern age people are busy. If you expect to get someone’s attention and
keep it, then you better be damn good. You are in competition with TV, iPhones, the

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Work Is For Suckers:
I Want To Write!

Internet, DVDs, video games, and ten other gadgets yet to be invented that will devour
time, precious spare moments somebody could be using to read your work. Towards that,
all I can say is thank you God for the Kindle.
The first question writers must pose to themselves is what are they writing for? If
the answer is money or glory, then do yourself a favor and stop. These are sidebars to the
craft. The person, the audience if you will, should be yourself first and possibly alone.
You should be your own worst critic, never your best cheerleader. Perhaps the worst
writing I have ever read was by those in love with their work. Criticism is not a friend to
them, but an enemy that will destroy the vain. A good writer has no illusions as to
perfection. A tenacious writer will always complain in the face of praise that they always
could've done better, but simply ran out of time.
Let's assume though you are a good writer. Now what? The second question that
then must be asked is if there’s an audience out there who will find your work credible.
Maybe. The best writers have doubts. This pressure can be overwhelming. Nobody is an
instant success. Your first novel may get published, but probably will flop. Along with
your second and third. The tenacity to continue in spite of such disappointments separates
the men from the boys.
I have friends, authors who are tremendous writers published by big houses, that
still work forty hours a week at brick-and-mortar companies for a paycheck and health
benefits. They get up hours earlier than necessary to prepare for work so they may write.
After a long day at work, while their families sleep, they write.
The bottom line, the unspoken mantra that drives them all is this: A writer
without readers is worthless. I presume it is the same with any discipline. If you wanted
to be an Olympic athlete, would you train when it was convenient or would you give it all
you could everyday of your life? It's raining, I'm tired, I've got school or work or both
today are excuses champions never speak.
That leads to the most important, final thing every writer must ask of themselves
when they sit down to write. Whether it is a sentence or a string of words that stretches
into the thousands.
How bad do you really want this?

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I Want To Write!

At this moment, I too am still waiting form my "big break." I have one book to
my credit, but it is self-published. Notwithstanding this fact, I have been shameless in its
promotion. Book signings, interviews on public radio, Facebook and reviews on-line
have been but a handful of methods I've used to expose my work. To date, it has been a
little over a year, and although I have received remarkable praise by complete strangers, I
do not have a publisher to my credit, much less an agent. However, by November I will
have completed two more novels that I will furiously submit until either I have exhausted
all resources to publish or I can basically accept what I have written is not all that
interesting…right now. If that isn't self-righteous overconfidence, I don't know what is.
The thing to remember is that despite all the unhappy moments, the anxiety, the
doubt, and the outright self-loathing, you wrote a book. Time will tell if you’ve written
something worth reading. Until then, write everyday.
Life is short. Stories are forever.

Download ‘Joe’s Black T-Shirt: Short Stories About St. Louis’ for free at
Scribd.com or purchase a real copy at Lulu.com.