How can you Love creative writing, but don't want to write?

Question

Is that even possible? Can you claim to LOVE creative writing and want a career in it, but then say in the next sentence that you don't want to spend the time writing a book, and you don't want to teach writing to children (or adults), oh, and you also don't like technical writing. What other options does that leave you?

How can you possibly like creative writing when you don't even want to spend your time writing? Do you think people like that only see a paycheck, celebrity and fame and nothing else? Do you think people like this actually like creative writing or are they just fooling themselves?

Tell me what someone like this is actually thinking, because I'm dying to know.

Answer 1

REASON 1:

well... i would have to say i may be a person like this. so i do believe that one can love creative writing but despise writing itself. I, personally, love creative writing as a form of expression and like to get out what ever i want to from it. however, the act of writing sometimes frustrates me. this is because i am extremely self conscious about my abilities and do not think i'm good at it at all. This can make the idea of writing itself difficult because i don't think i'll create something that other people would like.



but just because i hate writing, does not mean i should throw it all away. that just means that i should work hard at it if i really am passionate about it.



REASON 2:

a more simple reason could be that the person enjoys writing for herself/himself, but when forced to write, like in school, he/she does not enjoy it. at all

Answer 2

People like this see a paycheck or fame, but not the joy that comes with writing a novel or short story. There is no way anyone can understand unless they try, and too many people are too damn lazy/ignorant to even contemplate "wasting their time on a book"!

Do ask how this makes sense i ntheir heads, because I don't see how you can possibly expect to become rich or famous without actual work. In fact, very few writers make enough money to quit their day job. It irks me to no end that someone can expect this! They have NO IDEA what writers go through. Aside from the fact that not every writer gets published, it is very hard to complete a good novel.

Writers suffer; they thrive on cafine and work long hours everyday in order to finish that next chapters, or flesh out that flat character. Although you sit down and type, the creative process is often a grueling one, and can leave you so frustraited you want to rip your hair out. Writing, for me at least, is 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration, and 100% editing. Yes, editing is the hardest, if not most important, part.



It is embarrasing to think that people claim to have the patience, dedications, and adoration for writing it takes to be a writer. No lie, it takes much, much more, but if you aren't born with those traits, you weren't born to be a writer. They lie. You cannot love writing until you have cried over that beautiful passage, beat your keyboard, spent time with characters you love and are annoyed by, and WROTE!



Hope I helped to some degree,

Lena

Answer 3

Stephanie's right - I think such people are in love with the idea of being a writer, or the fantasy of what being a writer is like, rather than in love with writing. They probably like the idea of having legions of adoring fans all over the world, and of being able to walk into any bookshop and see whole shelves filled with their books. As dreams go, it's fairly harmless. They're just not particularly aware of what you have to do to fulfil the dream - or choose not to be aware of it. They see the occasional successful outcome of the process (the Dan Browns and JK Rowlings) and don't see how long it took those people to get where they are now, and how many others started the journey and never finished it. When they read a book (assuming they read, which some of them seem not to), they don't see all the time and effort that went into making it - all the false starts and rewrites, all the editing to make the prose seem effortless and natural.



Other artistic fields are just the same. You must've seen the auditions for TV talent shows with all the wannabes who think they're going to be the next Beyonce or Freddie Mercury (showing my age there...) but can't carry a tune in a bucket. Sports teams get people turning up to tryouts who can't kick a ball in a straight line (even for sports where you don't kick the ball). Theatre companies see people who think they're the next Patrick Stewart but can't remember their lines. And so on...

Answer 4

It's called writer's block. It's what happens when you really want to get something down on paper but the plot bunnies have run away from you. The best way around it is to find a funny or intriguing picture and write your interpretation, get your most random out there friend to be your muse, or just start without knowing where your going and see if it sounds at least moderately decent. Then you can go back to loving writing and actually writing stuff too.

Answer 5

It's possible that some people like the idea of writing, because they enjoy reading and feel like they themselves are good writers, however they do not want to devote the effort to actually writing. This aloofness may be because they are worried that they will find out they actually aren't as good at writing as they thought, or because they won't even get published-- In short, the fear of failure.



Other than that, I'm not really sure. Perhaps they want to get a job writing articles or advertisements, things like that.



It is [sadly] quite possible to enjoy something but be too lazy to pursue it.



That's just my theory on it ;P

Answer 6

I absolutely love creative writing, as long as it's on my terms. Sometimes I don't want to write a book purely because the idea I have is brilliant for a short story, so I don't want to write a book. I don't want to teach writing because I always feel like I'm still learning, and creative writing isn't something you can conquer. You are always learning the art.

Answer 7

so you are in love with the idea of creative writing. Maybe you can be a storyteller. Maybe you are creative and only like to come up with the story. You should consider getting a partner who is not so creative, but loves to write. That is what some famous writers do. :)

Answer 8

This is funny, because you just described me exactly. This idea is not such a bad thing, so I dont think you should discard it or put it down so quickly. I want to write what I WANT to write. I dont what to be told how i should do it, what format, what language tools. I want to write freely and be creative, whatever comes out of my pencil. There doesnt have to be rules to writing, many dont understand that. I dont want to write a novel, its not my thing. I dont want to teach english to grade school children, because that is not what i want to do with my life. One day, I would like to publish a compilation of all my writings together, all unrelated. Mixed poetry, mixed short stories. Look at Jim Morrison for instance, go to the library and check out one of his poetry books. From page to page each story differs from the other. His work is fantastic and takes me into another world. This is what I hope to become one day. I want people to understand that the imagination has no limit. Go wherever you dream. Hope this helps :)

Answer 9

Some people want to do this, but arent really sure how or dont want to spend all the time and effort doing it, its so much easier just to say it. Those who say they love writing and dont write, obviously dont like to write as much because they dont do it. Some people might want to do it, but dont have the time or just dont know how.

Answer 10

I love creative writing but only when I feel like it, I hate writing at school and stuff like that.

Answer 11

If you don't like writing, you don't love writing. They should try reading instead.