I'm not writing the Great American Novel
When people ask me about my husband, as they sometimes do, I always say he’s wonderful, he’s smart and that he is a writer (all things that are true about Mr. Monkey). About 50% of the time people respond by asking some variation of “So, is he writing the Great American Novel?”. This is, I imagine, a question that annoys anyone who writes, wants to write or thinks about describing themselves as a writer. It’s dismissive and mocking and implies that if you haven’t published a specific thing (The Great American Novel, for example) that they have heard of, then you aren’t actually a writer.
I have no hesitation about describing Michael as a writer. Beyond the fact that he writes beautifully, writing is at the center of who he is. I think he sees the world in words and ideas. I suspect that he has voices in his head sometimes. I think that there are characters that exist in his mind that are as real to him as I am. I love that about him.
I haven’t ever published anything and I certainly don’t aspire to writing the dreaded Great American Novel but sometimes I daydream about maybe writing something good and true and interesting. I daydream about being brave enough to show someone other than Michael. I daydream about describing myself as a writer without feeling like I am somehow bragging or exaggerating myself. I sometimes feel the same way about describing myself as a runner or an athlete. I feel like I’m waiting for some certificate or something that comes in the mail from the official accrediting agency of writers/runners/athletes/whatever that says I have met the standard and I am that thing that I aspire to be.
I find myself wondering today where the line is between doing something and being something or if there even is a line. How much to do you have to run/write/sing/act/etc before you add the “er” at the end and can describe yourself as a runner/writer/singer/etc? Is it enough to just do something a lot? Do you have to be good at it too? Do you have to do the thing that you want to be in a public way for it to count? If I sing like Ella Fitzgerald but I never leave my house, am I a singer?
What do you think?
I have no hesitation about describing Michael as a writer. Beyond the fact that he writes beautifully, writing is at the center of who he is. I think he sees the world in words and ideas. I suspect that he has voices in his head sometimes. I think that there are characters that exist in his mind that are as real to him as I am. I love that about him.
I haven’t ever published anything and I certainly don’t aspire to writing the dreaded Great American Novel but sometimes I daydream about maybe writing something good and true and interesting. I daydream about being brave enough to show someone other than Michael. I daydream about describing myself as a writer without feeling like I am somehow bragging or exaggerating myself. I sometimes feel the same way about describing myself as a runner or an athlete. I feel like I’m waiting for some certificate or something that comes in the mail from the official accrediting agency of writers/runners/athletes/whatever that says I have met the standard and I am that thing that I aspire to be.
I find myself wondering today where the line is between doing something and being something or if there even is a line. How much to do you have to run/write/sing/act/etc before you add the “er” at the end and can describe yourself as a runner/writer/singer/etc? Is it enough to just do something a lot? Do you have to be good at it too? Do you have to do the thing that you want to be in a public way for it to count? If I sing like Ella Fitzgerald but I never leave my house, am I a singer?
What do you think?
posted by Mrs.Robinson at
4:02 PM
3 Comments:
Excellent questions my friend. I've thought that too, how many miles do I have to run to be considered a runner? Can you really be considered an actor if all you do is go to auditions and wait tables? Are you really a singer if you were just in Ace of Base?
By
kel, at 9:14 AM
Kel, you crack me up. But seriously, I sometimes label myself a "singer" when I'm talking to folks. It is easier to say that one word than to say, "I enjoy singing, minored in voice in college, sing at church and with various other choirs, have done the occasional wedding/funeral/women's retreat/etc." Yet even with all of those credentials, I still sometimes feel like a fraud using that label.
By
Jo, at 2:24 PM
amazing how much we are trained to only allow ourselves, to feel ok about, that "-er" if we make liveable amounts of money from whatever it is we are "er-ring." says a lot about what our society in general values.
i personally like what mrs. monkey said about mr. monkey -- that writing is the center of who he is. i think that if your thing is your center, then you can proudly tell everyone you are it.
hello, my name is christine marie hamel, and i am a writer, photographer, and teacher.
By
Chris, at 9:46 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home