Now I haven't been on Substack that long, and I haven't posted much here. However, I've been struck by a couple or more things concerning writing. One of them is that people when they discover and become part of the Substack crowd they seem to be pleased that they have found a place where they can share their writing and express themselves. They are happy they are among the company other writers. I suppose there is a sense of camaraderie. There is also some deep inner sense to share. I've seen a lot of people remark on what motivates them to write.
Me, I guess I'm not into sharing as much. The only social media I've been on for many years is Facebook. I don't think that much of Facebook. Unlike Substack where there are writers and intellectuals and creative people, Facebook is a platform mostly for meaningless self-promotion. I now only log on to Facebook (every few weeks) to check and see if I have any messages from anyone that I know, or knew, that are/were actually friends; people I've met, known or have engaged with in meaningful conversation at some point in my life. Then I log off. I don't want to waste my time with ridiculous posts, such as telling me they went to Walmart today or baked cookies today or whatever other rubbish they decide to waste my time with. It's definitely not a place to post your writing or express meaningful thoughts and perhaps discuss them. I have rarely posted anything on FB. Like, perhaps once a year or two at the most, and not my writing. It does give me the opportunity to see briefly if an old friend or acquaintance that I once had or worked with is still alive and well and maybe find out what they're up to. I have yet to find true writers on FB, although they're probably there. Maybe I just don't remember.
In contrast to FB, on Substack I can reasonably count on the fact that there are smart people here, writing substantive, interesting posts. This is definitely not always true with FB. There are a lot of lame-brained participants. Sorry, FB, but you're not quite up to my intellectual standards. For me, it's a time-waster. Much of it is pointless drivel. And no, I don't do Twitter (X), TikTok, Instagram or any other social media platforms. I don't consider Substack to be absolute social media, or at least not social media in the context of those other platforms.
A miniature anecdote: I was told once or twice by one former family member, that the reason another (former) family member hates me so much was that I was such an intellectual. He hated intellectuals. I guess then being an intellectual (and writing) is a bad thing. I don't really believe that, but apparently some do.
Anyway, so, when I found Substack, it was a breath of fresh air. Like minded individuals who have something of value to say (and it's uncensored). Interesting articles and plenty of them. I have difficulty keeping up. My interests are wide and varied. It must be difficult for the algorithm to pin me down. I'm curious and will read anything if it sparks my interest.
I'm still trying to figure things out on how Substack works. For instance, some formatting and italics don't work at all in my posts. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. I've learned some things as time has gone on. But it's annoying. It must just be me.
So, getting back to the question, why do I write? Well, for me, basically, it's a creative release. Initially, I don't write to make money, that's not my primary motivation; however it would be nice. I have that ginormous unfinished epic type novel — that for now I have given up on. (You know about this if you've read my article, 'If You're Not Published, Are You A Writer?') I really don't write to share. I write for myself. I know there are those out there that say, "Bullshit!" — you write for an audience and for monetary gain. Writing to me is a challenge, a challenge to see what I can do.
Most of what I've written most recently (for myself) are short stories — other than the unfinished novel. I call them my Twilight Zone stories. Most of them have odd twists to the ending. I've also written nonfiction stuff — again for myself. My hope perhaps was to compile a collection of short stories for publication in book form. Maybe that's just a fantasy. I don't often share these short stories — rarely. I have no impulse to do so. I have let some people read them; educated professionals who I can trust to give me an honest, thoughtful answer if the stories are any good. So I just want to know if it's not crap. The responses I've gotten are that I'm a talented writer, they really enjoyed the stories. Okay then, I'm not writing garbage. If I let someone read an short excerpt from my unfinished novel, they want more ("But, what happens next…??").
My point is, that I do primarily write for myself with a distant hope of maybe someday getting published. Everything I write is a challenge to my Inner Self to see if I can do it. Can I create something that is worth reading? It's that satisfaction. I will admit however that I have plenty of unfinished short stories or writing projects. I would lose interest in them or whatever. Blame it on the Muses. Sometimes I would take an unfinished piece and finish it years later. And sometimes Life itself gets in the way, especially at the present point. I can't write when I'm stressed.
I have several short stories and poetry no one may ever read. I don't much care. Perhaps, if I had written them with an audience — readers in mind, they may never have been written. I write for myself.
Since my youth I was always creative in some way; art — painting, drawing, pottery or whatever. But, I didn't write. I couldn't write anything creatively. I can tell you that when I was in High School, the English teacher told the class that we each had an hour to write a story of any kind. My mind was totally blank, empty. At the end of that hour I had written only two sentences. I almost failed that class. I squeaked by though.
I have always been an avid reader. Especially Science Fiction and Fantasy by mostly classic authors; Bradbury, Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, Zelazny, Simak, Hoyle, Donaldson.... After years, at some point I think my subconscious absorbed all of it by a kind of osmosis. And, suddenly I discovered I could write. There must have been a sort of creative revolution in my psyche. As an author friend of mine said, "David, you're just a late bloomer." He liked what I had written.
At that point, I started checking out books on writing from the public library. But, I wanted books like that in my own personal library, so I frequented book stores (especially Barnes & Noble) looking for the absolute best books and references on writing. Mostly fiction writing. I have in my collection around 100 or more books on that subject. I wanted to learn and make sure I was doing it right. However, I admit I do often break what is called 'fiction writing rules'. Even so, everything seems to work fine. I have never attended any writing classes or workshops. I'm self-taught.
The unfinished SF/Fantasy novel I started writing on a dare. An email friend dared me to write a short story, the initial setting or basic idea which she provided for me to work from. She loved what I wrote, wanted more, and more, and more. It turned into a novel. I believe it is currently about 140,000 words. Maybe more. I'm not good at word counts, as the novel is written in separate sections or parts. And, it's still going — sometimes. I continue it as I go, as I might be inspired — or IF I'm inspired.
My writing can be sporadic and random and depends totally on if I get that inspiration. I know that some professional writers essentially say you have to 'just do it'. I know that Stephen King said, "Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work." I have that quote posted on my wall, for all the good it might do, but it really doesn't work for me. I just end up looking at a blank page. Exercises to increase creativity/inspiration don't work either. Writers will be different. I am.
I know the 'experts' on Substack say you should write, write, write — post, post, post. But my writing follows my inspiration. I don't especially write to gain more and more followers, which appears to be the main motivation or goal, the main reason for others to write here. Currently, I don't write to make a dollar. No one would probably pay to subscribe to me anyway. You may not see much of my writing on Substack. Maybe an occasional Note. I can't say for sure. But, I'm here, and hope to stay.
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