The Writing Life

This being my second class with Professor Ramos, I am somewhat used to the disjointed story that from time to time jumps around without much cohesion.  That was my first impression of Dillard's book.  She offers up much insight into the life of a writer and the challenges that are regularly faced by people bold enough to sit in front of a computer and trudge up page after page.  It is clear that she feels writing is a challenge and without much effort a writer will not succeed.

I was particularly drawn to a passage that stated, "The written word is weak.  Many people prefer life to it.  Life gets your blood going, and it smells good.  Writing is mere writing, literature is mere.  It appeals only to the subtlest senses- the imagination's vision, and the imagination's hearing- and the moral sense, and the intellect" (17).  I struggle with her assertion that the written word is weak.  That is a statement that is completely open to interpretation.  The written word is magical and when created properly can do wonders.  It ispires people to do great things, it moves people to see situations in a new light, and can teach people many new things.  The only merit in her statement is that when compared to actually living and experiencing life, written words lack a sense of reality that cannot be duplicated.  That shouldn't be a knock on writing though.  They are completely different entities and should be treated as such.

Dillard can help me as a writer because it is reassuring to know that even the professionals struggle mightily with their work.  When you see a writer like Stephen King spit out a lengthy work every year you wonder if he ever struggles, but I'm sure he does.  The important thing to remember is that writing is fluid and must be treated as such.  If you can't do that then the struggles will continue.  I know I struggle and as long as I can deal with the writing process being exactly that, a "process" I will hopefully continue to improve.