5 ms·

This is a fair point but it's worth noting that lots of good writers don't seem to enjoy writing. This where quotes like "writing is easy, you just take a blank

This is a fair point but it's worth noting that lots of good writers don't seem to enjoy writing. This where quotes like "writing is easy, you just take a blank page, open a vein, and bleed" come to mind. David Foster Wallace seemed to use writing as a way to treat his various depressions and ailments - as a way to "continue" almost.

Mz 9y ago
I often write because I NEED to. I don't necessarily enjoy it per se, but I upvoted dang because I can relate to "an unwritten essay is like an uneaten piece of cake." That writing lives inside me and makes me crazy if I don't let it out. It may not be the most fun I have ever had, but it has a need to happen. So perhaps enjoyment isn't the write word, but pg is describing a thing akin to a hunger that must be satisfied. Dang doesn't have that impetus. I do. So I write. Perhaps someday I shall get read as well. ;-)
- chauhankiran 9y ago
  Same here, many of my diary pages are filled with garbage, just because thoughts make my mind crazy and to overcome with this craziness I write occasionally.
ellius 9y ago
The author of "On Writing Well" amusingly makes this point. He was part of a panel with one other presenter who was a sort of "life coach instant fame" type. The life coach talked about how easy it was to let the words flow; the author talked about how every word was an agony. Different strokes.
dang 9y ago
You're right, but I think we're talking about two different levels. The level on which writing is notoriously hard is deeper than what I mean, which is more the craft of the thing once you do get going. I imagine musicians are better if they like their instrument, too; which doesn't mean they always want to play. I'd be surprised if DFW never enjoyed the mechanics of putting words together. Depression kills enjoyment, but that is a separate issue.
- mercer 9y ago
  > I'd be surprised if DFW never enjoyed the mechanics of putting words together. Depression kills enjoyment, but that is a separate issue. From what I've read he was raised with a great love for words and read the dictionary for fun as a kid. On top of that his writing is known for being 'meta', which is very much about the mechanics. He always struck me as a writer unusually excited about the mechanics, unusual words, the structure of his articles and books, and so on. As for his depression: I can't help but wonder to what degree his writing might've actually worsened his issues instead of treated them. Whenever I read something of his I cannot help but feel like it's both a diagnosis and example of a particular class of issues that is very much worsened by dwelling on them too much. Like an active alcohol writing about alcoholism and self-triggering a desire for more alcohol. Of course perhaps that's exactly what makes me love his works so much, because they seem honest and very accurate. Maybe that kind of accuracy is difficult to pull of if you're writing purely from memory or imagination.

Mz 9y ago

I often write because I NEED to. I don't necessarily enjoy it per se, but I upvoted dang because I can relate to "an unwritten essay is like an uneaten piece of cake." That writing lives inside me and makes me crazy if I don't let it out. It may not be the most fun I have ever had, but it has a need to happen. So perhaps enjoyment isn't the write word, but pg is describing a thing akin to a hunger that must be satisfied. Dang doesn't have that impetus. I do. So I write. Perhaps someday I shall get read as well. ;-)

chauhankiran 9y ago
Same here, many of my diary pages are filled with garbage, just because thoughts make my mind crazy and to overcome with this craziness I write occasionally.

ellius 9y ago

The author of "On Writing Well" amusingly makes this point. He was part of a panel with one other presenter who was a sort of "life coach instant fame" type. The life coach talked about how easy it was to let the words flow; the author talked about how every word was an agony. Different strokes.

dang 9y ago

You're right, but I think we're talking about two different levels. The level on which writing is notoriously hard is deeper than what I mean, which is more the craft of the thing once you do get going. I imagine musicians are better if they like their instrument, too; which doesn't mean they always want to play. I'd be surprised if DFW never enjoyed the mechanics of putting words together. Depression kills enjoyment, but that is a separate issue.

mercer 9y ago
> I'd be surprised if DFW never enjoyed the mechanics of putting words together. Depression kills enjoyment, but that is a separate issue. From what I've read he was raised with a great love for words and read the dictionary for fun as a kid. On top of that his writing is known for being 'meta', which is very much about the mechanics. He always struck me as a writer unusually excited about the mechanics, unusual words, the structure of his articles and books, and so on. As for his depression: I can't help but wonder to what degree his writing might've actually worsened his issues instead of treated them. Whenever I read something of his I cannot help but feel like it's both a diagnosis and example of a particular class of issues that is very much worsened by dwelling on them too much. Like an active alcohol writing about alcoholism and self-triggering a desire for more alcohol. Of course perhaps that's exactly what makes me love his works so much, because they seem honest and very accurate. Maybe that kind of accuracy is difficult to pull of if you're writing purely from memory or imagination.