Why writers write, even when they can’t make a living out of it

Neera

Patti Miller’s article in last weekend’s The Sydney Morning Herald is depressing. Although nothing she says is new, most writers are already painfully aware that they can’t make a living from their writing and hence they need to look at other means in order to survive, she fails to give hope to new writers.

In her article, The writer’s life: belly dancing to make a living, Patti lists the paid jobs she did since she left school in order to support herself while writing. The list is exhaustive – nanny/ house slave, waitress, housemaid, nurse-aide, artist model, women’s center organizer, arts event organizer, university lecturer, TAFE teacher, writing workshop tutor, manuscript mentor, and editor.

She surveyed more than 50 well-known published writers and found that all of them, at various times, had to supplement their income from other sources.

She then raises the obvious question.

If writers cannot earn a living from writing then why they are doing it.

A fair question. An important one too.

But she fails to satisfactorily answer it. At least not to my satisfaction.

Earning money is not the sole purpose of choosing a profession. There are many professions other than writing where the money is not good but people still choose them. All the artists and academics fall into this category, so do the people working in the emergency and health services.

There are many reasons, why writers write.

I am reading a book by Meredith Maran, Why We Write, where the author has interviewed twenty writers, a mix of genders, genres, ethnicities, and ages, and asked them the same question.

Their responses are impressive at the least and touching at the most.

Terry Tempest William gives his reasons as “I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. I write to create fabric in a world that often appears black and white. I write to discover. I write to uncover. I write to meet my ghosts. I write to begin a dialogue. I write to imagine things differently and in imagining things differently perhaps the world will change.”

Armistead Maupin wrote, “I write to explain myself to myself. It’s a way of processing my disasters, sorting out the messiness of life to land symmetry and meaning to it… Sometimes I write to explain myself to others. Thirty-forty years ago I told my folks I was a gay through the Tales of the City character Michael Molliver.”

Mary Kerr writes, to connect with other human beings; to record; to clarify; to visit dead. “I have a primitive need to leave a mark on the world.”

Kathryn Harrison said, “I write because it’s the only thing I know that offers the hope of proving myself worthy of love… I write, also, because it’s the apparatus I have for explaining the world around me, seemingly the only method that works.”

David Baldacci goes to the extreme, “If writing were illegal, I’d be in prison. I can’t write. It is a compulsion.”

Writing is a compulsion too for Gish Jen. She goes on to say, “Writing is part and parcel of how I am in the world. Eating, sleeping, writing: they all go together. I don’t think about why I am writing any more than I think about why I’m breathing. Its absence is bad, just as not breathing would be bad.”

George Orwell wrote a whole book “Why I Write” to explain why he writes. He gave four reasons which pretty much encapsulates everyone else’s reasons too:

  1. Sheer egoism. “To be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get your own back on grown-ups, etc.”
  2. Aesthetic enthusiasm. “To take pleasure in the impact of one sound on another, in the firmness of good prose or the rhythm of a good story.”
  3. Historical impulse. “The desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.”
  4. Political purposes. “The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself is a political attitude.”

But I think for many of us writing is a vocation, a calling, a life’s work.

And when you start pursuing your calling, it is not easy. It is rich and fulfilling but not easy.

Your life’s work causes you more pain than ease, but it is worth it.

It provides you with a purpose, an opportunity to make a difference, a legacy to leave behind.

We write because every one of us is searching for a purpose in our lives. A purpose that is beyond material success. A purpose that could justify our existence in this world. Writing provides that purpose.

It allows us to make a difference, a real difference in our lives and in the lives of other people.

Think about it, how much other people’s writing has helped you understand life, show you the way, guide you out of misery and help you become a better person. This is what you are trying to do with your writing – help others.

Your words can make things easier for someone else is big enough a reason to continue to write.

That is the reason the writers will continue to write even if they are not able to make a living out of it.

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

5 Benefits of writing by hand

Neera

If you are in the same age group as me, then the chances are you have ditched writing by hand in favor of typing. And if you are a millennial, even greater chances are that you have never written by hand since you left school. But if writing is your vocation then you should seriously consider writing your first drafts by hand.

Even then some people can’t resist the invitation of a blank notebook and a fancy pen and I am one of them. To me a pen and paper are magical. Give them to me any time and I will be lost for hours.

Each morning, I get up, brush my teeth and settle down to write. Of course with my favorite Uniball pen and my daily diary with lovely botanic print. I have a rule – not to reach for any digital device until I have written three pages.

Of course, I developed this habit from Julia Cameron’s classic book The Artist’s Way where she recommends writing three pages in longhand. “Pages are meant to be,” she says, “simply, the act of moving the hand across the page and writing down whatever comes to mind.”

I found writing by hand a great way to access anecdotes and information from my subconscious. The things that surface, sometimes my conscious brain is not even aware of them.

Here are five proven benefits of writing by hand.

1. It helps access long-stored memories

There seems to be some special connection between the act of writing by hand and the memory vaults of our brains. Moving one’s hand across the page seems to open multiple locks at the same time.

Sometimes my hand can’t move fast enough to capture all stories that keep pouring out. Then it doesn’t matter how I capture them – whether in fragmented sentences, incorrect spelling, or unfitting words – as long as I capture write them. Because if I don’t, they will get locked up again.

2. It enhances mindfulness and creativity

According to a study performed at Indiana University, the mere act of writing by hand unleashes creativity not easily accessed in any other way. A high-tech magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows that writing by hand increases neural activity in certain sections of the brain, much like meditation.

“This is perhaps the true magic of a pen,” writes Nancy Olson in Forbes, “it transports us to unexpected places, on wings that require no more than a timely shot of ink to keep them aloft, destination unknown. And in the process, the mindfulness writing engenders encourages calm and creativity.”

3. It results in better composition

Research reveals that students who write essays with a pen write more than those that used a keyboard; they also wrote faster and in more complete sentences.

4. It prevents distractions

Working at the computer is full of distractions. The easy access to the internet, email and pop-ups keep tempting you to stop mid-sentence and do a little check. Half-an-hour later when you get back to finish that sentence, the train of thought is gone. But when there is only a pen and paper is in front of you, you tend to go deep inside, and what surfaces even surprises you.

5. It helps retain information better

In the process of writing, a particular area of ​​the brain is used, the so-called reticular activating system (RAS). It acts as a filter – it blocks the processing of extraneous information. By drawing letters with a pen or pencil on paper, we better concentrate and force the brain to consider what we write carefully. Virginia Berninger, a psychologist at the University of Washington, explains the differences between the pen and the keyboard: “You make more movements because each letter has its own set of elements, and working on a computer is monotonous – you only need to press a key each time.”

When you write things out, you create spatial relations between each bit of information you’re recording. Handwriting activates parts of your brain involved in thinking and working memory, and allows you to store and manage information. The movement associated with the pen and your hand can help you encode and retain information long-term.

The Benefits of Handwriting vs. Typing 

Many people get frustrated by the slowness of writing by hand and reach straight for the computer. Typing might seem a fast way to put words out there and spell-check and in-built thesaurus provides additional support in polishing your work but they take away the trance-like state you enter into when you are writing by hand.

But that is where the real writing comes from – from your subconscious.

Think of writing by hand as meditation. Your writing may not sound spiritual or even meditative but it is a valid form of meditation that helps you move from fast to slow, from shallow to deep, and from the logical brain to an artist’s brain. It gives you insights you never would have reached with your conscious brain.

Give it a go.

Not just give it a go, build a solid habit of writing by hand.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Turning a blog into a book

Neera 2 Comments

Earlier this week I disappointed Life Story Blogging participants ( a three-month course I am conducting at the University of Third Age ) when I told them that publishers won’t accept their content for a book when it is already published on a blog. It won’t be considered as ‘fresh’ or ‘unpublished work, which is what most of the publishers are looking for when they select a manuscript.

But then there are so many writers who are publishing books based on their blogs. Some books came into being only because the blogs became immensely famous. Books like Julie and Julia and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck come to mind.

Blogging has changed the writing industry forever.

The Internet allows anyone with a computer and an internet connection to be an author. Thousands of bloggers around the world are writing their thoughts and experiences and sharing them with the world through blogs. They do not have to go through the same agony of collecting rejection slips as authors used to do before the age of the internet. Today many writers are earning their living through just blogging.

A lot of effort goes into writing good content for a blog.

Your effort doesn’t have to go wasted. Your blog is a repository of the work you did for years and chances are not all the people have read all your work. You can turn it into a book. It has been proven over time, that it doesn’t matter how easy it is to read on screen, people like the convenience and condenseness of a book.

You can select a theme from your blog and turn the relevant articles into a book.

I have several themes going on in my blog which is just eighteen months old. I have been diligently saving my articles into relevant categories. If I continue to build them the way I have so far, in not so distant future, I will have enough material for three or four books.

Alternatively, you can turn the whole blog into a book in its entirety.

That is what I intend to do with the blog I have started with my Life Story Blogging course participants to write stories from my early life. At some point, I intend to turn that whole blog into a book.

Why should you turn your blog into a book?

Because you should be paid for your work.

The internet has conditioned us to expect everything for free. Remember the days when you used to buy newspapers, magazines, and books. Now everyone expects to read them for free. That is the reason so many writers continue to provide good stuff for free. But the good stuff should never be for free.

Self-publishing is the way to get paid for your work.

There are several tools available that can turn your blog into books

As I was researching it, a very timely article popped up in my inbox by Desiree Johnson, a content specialist for Bluehost (the hosting service I use for my website), listing a number of tools that can turn your blog into a book.

Here they are, as summarised by Desiree Johnson:

Into Real Pages is the easiest tool that allows you to import your blog directly to their website and create a book out of it. You can choose which type of book you want to produce. You can customize your cover and further customize your content after it has been uploaded. Prices start at $26.50 for a softcover book with forty pages.

PixxiBook provides a similar service with support for a wider range of hosting services including Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger, Squarespace and Wix. However, it doesn’t allow you to customize your content and cover after it has been uploaded. Their pricing starts at $40.00 for fifty pages.

BlookUp offers one of the most versatile services in terms of which content can be imported and made into a book. They support blogging standards upheld by Tumblr, WordPress, and Blogger, and they also support creating books from your Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter content. Like PixxiBook, BlookUp only produces hardcover books. You can customize your cover, similar to both Into Real Pages and PixxiBook. Books created from blogs via BlookUp start at $25.00 for one hundred pages.

Into Real Pages, PixxiBook, and BlookUp all specialize in single books.

If you are looking for self-publishing your book and need multiple copies you need to look at different tools.

BlogBooker lets you import your blog, much like Into Real Pages, PixxiBook, or BlookUp, but instead of a printed book, you receive a book-format PDF. They allow you to import content from Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, Ghost, Medium, TypePad, and Twitter. Pricing starts at $18.90 for four unlimited-length BlogBooks.

48 Hour Books prints books in bulk. While you cannot import your blog directly to 48 Hour Books, you can import a PDF. 48 Hour Books provides an enormous amount of options that extend well beyond paperback versus hardback. Pricing starts at $13.70 per book for basic paperbacks of fifty pages, and there is a minimum order of ten books. You can also purchase an ISBN and barcode from 48 Hour Books for $125.00 each (paperback, hardback, ePub, etc.).

BookBaby is a managed service that offers whatever you might need to become a published author. Their services include (but are not limited to) editing, professional cover design, ISBN’s and barcodes, and even Facebook and Instagram Ads optimized for authors. BookBaby provides all these services and more in a package called “Complete Self-Publishing Package.” This services package contains everything you will need to do if you decide to self-publish including twenty-five custom-printed books, direct-to-reader sales, and worldwide distribution. Pricing for BookBaby’s Complete Self-Publishing Package starts at $1,699.00 (keep in mind that all prices are in US dollars).

Here you go, something to keep in mind when you are ready to publish your work. Keep in mind you need to proofread your final version before turning it into a printed version. It might be a good idea to engage a professional proofreader if you intend to sell it.

Whether you are looking to turn your blog into a book for a coffee table conversation piece or as a record for your family history or you want to become the next bestselling author there are tremendous resources readily available to do just that.

Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

Telling stories with images

Neera

Look at the above image. Does it talk to you? 

Does it make you stop for a moment?

Do you wonder what the guy is looking at?

What is he thinking? 

You almost construct a story in your head. He is looking at something distant, something that has made him stop and stare at it. He is reminded of a life moment that changed the course of his life. And he is wondering, am I on the right track? On this wet path, in this wilderness, after doing all I wanted to do so far, why am I feeling so empty? So alone?

I had never thought of photography as a medium to tell stories. 

I must admit that my photography skills were limited to taking family and travel photos.

But when I came across Matt Parker’s site Images With Stories, I got fascinated by the images he had posted there and the stories they invoke in the viewer’s mind.

The ease with which we can take photos these days with our mobile or digital cameras is causing frustration rather than satisfaction. We click mindlessly without even bothering to learn a few simple techniques that can result in much better images, the images that excite us and excite others as well.

“A good photographer,” says Matt, “takes pictures that prompt a reaction in people. Their work provokes discussion. As a result, their photography is satisfying and worthwhile.”

Sounds like storytelling?

A good photographer is a storyteller. Like a storyteller, she picks which stories to tell and which bits to highlight.

Finding a purpose in photographs is the first step. Why are you taking these photos? What you want them to say with them? Once you start asking these questions, the stories start becoming apparent.

Concentrating on creativity rather than technology, you can do a lot even if you don’t know much about photography. Some of the techniques Matt suggests on his site are:

  • Have a theme. When taking photographs, look for a theme and take photos to exhibit that theme.
  • Use compositional techniques by considering foreground, middle ground and background.
  • Create analogies with photographs. A cold, foggy winter day in the middle of nowhere might mean longing, while fog might represent a blanket of security.
  • Add words to your images.

Yesterday was a perfect day in Canberra. Blue skies with white clouds. I decided to test my newly acquired knowledge and drove to the Stromlo Observatory to take some photos. A van full of cyclists pulled in the parking lot simultaneously as I did and I had my theme.

I took several photos of the cyclists. Using some simple editing techniques, I made a photo journal on the theme of cycling.

Here they are.

Bunch of cyclists taking off their cycle. As soon as they got off they headed straightway to take their bikes off, the carriers. I am very proud to be able to capture all of them in action.
I love this shot. A slightly hesitant cyclist practicing a bit on the plain area before moving on to the rough mountain track. Notice the car and the observatory dome in the middle-ground and the hills in the background. Clouds add a lot of contrast on a perfectly sunny day.
This is one of my favorites. The big foreground represents the roughness of the track. Notice the ease with which the cyclist is going, not bothered at all with the rough terrain.
This is a beautiful family shot f a mother and two sons again around the theme of a bike.
I love this shot. Weary cyclists taking a moment to take in the view.

This image shows the domes of the observatory. I noticed a cyclist coming towards the domes. I took four shots. In this shot, I managed to catch him right in the middle of the frame. — Image by the author

We all own phones which have better cameras than the real cameras used to be even a few years ago.

Use some of Matt’s suggestions and take some photos. Who knows, you might start a new hobby.

Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

The Portfolio Life

Neera

Both my parents retired in their late fifties. After leading an active life for nearly forty years, they sank in the emptiness of retirement. They did what others of their generation were doing – lead a life of leisure. Unfortunately, it had an adverse effect. Their health deteriorated and their minds got stagnant. They lost a sense of purpose which led to boredom and eventually various illnesses.

When I ‘finished working’ early last year (I hate to call it retirement) almost at the same age my parents did, I was determined not to make the same mistake. I planned to use the third phase of my life doing things I always wanted to do, a concept well described in David Corbett’s groundbreaking book The Portfolio Life.

David Corbett, a thought leader on life transition, worked with senior executives from corporations, professional services, education, and government for many years. He observed that his clients often set their sights on “one more job” or career to set them up for a comfortable retirement but had little to say about what might happen when that goal was met. He found that people didn’t pay attention to their longevity track.

He wanted them to think long term.

The much-heralded gift of living longer in good health has opened up a whole new arena, a new adventure that could last for three or four decades after initial careers are done.

In his book The Portfolio Life, he shows a new way of thinking and living in extended middle age.

“Portfolio Life” offers a compelling alternative to traditional retirement.

Retirement was once relegated to winding down, but now it holds the promise of our most significant and passionate years, a time when we can be ourselves and contribute.

This new stage of life is made more meaningful when people crate a balance of work, learning, leisure and family time, giving back, and whatever else has been simmering on the back burner of their hearts and soul during their careers. The balance can be tailored to one’s personality and situation. I call this a life portfolio because it holds an intentional combination of passions and pursuits. Those who do best at it step back early on, question whatever they may have learned about “retirement,” envision new possibilities, and plan ahead.

If you are a lifelong learner and have a desire to make your life count in a deeply fulfilling way, you ought to consider leading a “portfolio life.”

Our life is not just the work, home and social commitments. It is a whole lot more than accumulating money and things.

Think of your life as a portfolio of activities, all of which make you who you are.

In a nutshell, a “portfolio life” is about who you are.

My portfolio, for instance, consists of writing, blogging, sketching, traveling, and teaching, not to mention the time spent with my family and friends, as well as on my hobbies and pastimes.

All of these things make me who I am, and without one, I’m not complete.

Thinking of my life as a portfolio of activities helps me embrace change and explore the possibilities that will come with an additional 20 to 30 productive years. I am living my life by design and on my own terms.

The so-called ‘retirement years’ are the best time to create a life expressly for yourself.

Once I had fulfilled my primary responsibilities of raising my children and looking after my parents I was free to devote the remaining years crafting a genuinely rich life doing things I always wanted to do.

Initially, I had just one passion – writing. I created a blog and started writing regularly. One thing led to another and I added sketching, cartooning, painting and teaching to my portfolio.

I am busier now than I was when I was in the workforce. I am working longer but looking healthier. I have never been as happy as I am now.

We are not only living longer and healthier lives but also tackling a life stage that did not exist twenty-five years ago. A new arena that could last three or four decades after our initial careers have ended.

According to Corbett, in the future, we will all be “portfolio people,” thinking of vocation not as a single career but rather as a whole body of work.

Instead of wasting the best time of your life in aimless activities, use it to create your “portfolio.”

So many of us have a career at the center of our lives for decades – probably since we left college. When we reach retirement we are often faced with the question, “What do I do now?”

The concept of ‘portfolio life” is a great way to find a new meaning for our lives.

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

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5 Reasons why writers should show their work

Neera

In my early days as a writer, publishing anything with my name on it was the biggest challenge I faced. Self-doubt and lack-of-faith in my own creativity were limiting my growth.

I couldn’t understand why I was underestimating myself so much. This was not the case when I was in school.

In school and later in college, I would write an assignment and submit it for appraisal without any qualms. My writing skills were rudimentary then, yet I never underestimated myself.

When I chose writing as a hobby and started writing articles and stories I was too scared to share anything even though my skills as a writer improved a lot since the college days. The more I wrote, the more I got scared of sharing my work.

Why?

The answer lies in expectations.

In school, I had nil expectations from myself. As a middle-aged writer, I want to write like a professional.

My skills might have improved but so are my expectations.

When I understood that, there was no other way for me other than face my fears head-on.

I started a blog and began putting my work out there. Even though no one was reading it, but the act of ‘publishing’ my work did wonders for my confidence.

Here are the five benefits of showing your work.

1. Showing makes you accountable

When you are regularly showing your work, whether, through a blog or through writing groups, it keeps you accountable. We all are guilty of breaking promises to ourselves, but we do whatever we can in our power to keep the promise we make to others. This year I have promised my readers that I will put out two posts every week. Now I plan my posts in advance and schedule them for the days I know I am traveling or busy with other activities. Similarly, I have never missed a submission to my writer’s groups.

When you show your work regularly you keep track of how far you have come and where you’re headed. The accountability forces you to do the work you should be doing.

2. Showing helps you improve

It is very easy to get slack when no one is watching. Your diary writing can get sloppy but the piece you are submitting for critique or the post you are writing for your blog has to be your best effort. You are bound to get better and you are bound to improve.

When I was newly married I didn’t know how to cook. I learned cooking following recipes from books and got better at it by receiving praise from family and friends.

Think of your writing as cooking. If you cook something you will not stash it in the fridge or throw it in the bin. You will share it with your family and friends. Often they will praise you which will inspire you to cook frequently try different recipes. And if they make suggestions for improvement you will make sure to incorporate it next time you make that dish.

The same goes for writing. Keeping your diary or stories in the bottom drawer is akin to keeping your cooking in the fridge. Incorporate feedback from readers and writing groups help improve your writing just like it improves your cooking.

3. Showing inspires you to do more

Your portfolio grows one piece at a time.

One poem, two poems… three poems…ten poems.
One story, two stories… five stories… twenty stories.
One article, two articles… ten articles… one hundred articles.

When you see it growing, suddenly you start seeing your own potential. Your faith start building and you want to create more. Quality doesn’t matter in the initial stage but quantity certainly does.

Whether you’re a poet, fiction or non-fiction writer, it’s time to stop worrying and start sharing.

4. Showing help develop an ongoing connection with your readers

Writing in isolation is limiting. As soon as someone starts reading your work and provides you some feedback you develop a connection with your reader.

When I started blogging, for months, nobody was reading my posts. Then one day I received a comment from my gym buddy who was also blogging, I was over the moon. Soon we started commenting on each other’s posts. That simple act created a valuable feedback loop.

You can also share your process of writing – what are you learning, what are you experimenting with, your challenges and how you are overcoming them.

By sharing your process you reap the benefits of self-promotion without icky feelings. People are often just as interested in how you work as much as the work itself. By sharing your process, you invite people to not only get to know your work, but get to know you — and that can lead to new readers, new projects, and all sorts of other opportunities.

5. Your work is your resume

If you want to be a professional writer, you got to have a resume. Austin Kleon suggests a different kind of resume in his book Show Your Work:

Imagine if your next boss didn’t have to read your resume because he already reads your blog.

Imagine being a student and getting your first gig based on a school project you posted online.

Imagine losing your job but having a social network of people familiar with your work and ready to help you find a new one.

Imagine turning a side project or hobby into your profession because you had a following that could support you OR

Imagine something simpler and just as satisfying: spending the majority of your time, energy, and attention practicing a craft, learning a trade, or running a business, while also allowing for the possibility that your work might attract a group of people who share your interests.

Blogging is a great way for writers to show their work and improve as a result.

Since watching my own improvements I have become an advocate of blogging for writers.

Blogging allows you to write for others which forces you to polish your work as you go. I never edited my diary pages nor I rewrote journal entries, but I faithfully edit my posts multiple times. The fact is that I spend more time editing my posts than writing them. As we all know the mantra of writing is – ‘rewriting.’

Blogging also makes you get used to writing to deadlines, build a readership, experiment with different types of writing and get feedback.

But if blogging is not what you want to do, then there are other ways of showing your work. Writer groups provide a safe, friendly and encouraging environment to share and receive feedback. Online writing forums, social media and writing under a pen name are other ways to share your work.

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Photo by Nicole Geri on Unsplash