Why so Many People Want to Be Writers

It is, in a sense, a delightful development that so many people nowadays want to be writers. But there is also a darker backdrop to this desire: a huge rise in loneliness.

FURTHER READING

“In no other age can so many people have harboured such intense ambitions to become writers. The longing one day to turn out a book – probably a novel or, less likely, an autobiography – lies close to the center of contemporary aspirations. This is – at one level – a hugely welcome development, a consequence of widespread literacy, higher educational standards and a proper focus on the power of books to change lives. But looked at from another angle, it may also, in private, be the result of something rather more desultory: an epidemic of isolation and loneliness. The army of literary agents, scouts, editors and writing coaches testifies not only to our love of literature, but also, less intentionally, to an unaddressed groundswell of painful solitude…”

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CREDITS

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Creative Seed

[paulbarnett]

"Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those that do not write, compose or paint, can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic and the fear inherent in the human condition." Graham Greene

[mightylion]

Message to every writer in the world. Do not lose your drive, do not allow anyone to taint your vision . 📑📖📝

[AbsurdExistentialist]

"It Was A Bad Idea, But In My Defense, I Hate Myself: An Autobiography"

[hktheassassindroid]

Actually, I want to write because i enjoy creating worlds and stories

[mateuszdworak]

Thanks for ruining my passion by turning it into some deep, psychological problem. I knew I could count on you.

[libraryofthelabyrinth]

Writing isn't always a substitute for socializing. It holds its own merit.

[lethallizard]

Personally, my urge to write comes from my poor verbal communication skill, and the desire to reveal my thoughts to a wider audience, and fearing I will never be heard.

[pastiche]

You are associating everything with relationships.There are other reasons for writing too.

[KajsaBernhardina]

I don't agree with this video, but it is an interesting theory. I write precisely because it helps me think. As an introvert I can't really think in social situations. I am too focused on being nice to the other person. But when I write, it is like I have a dialogue with myself. I love it, because it forces me to question my own ideas and get to the core of my emotions. I can allow myself to be vunerable without feeling like a burden to someone else.

This video seems to forget one crucial thing about art and dialogue: Art IS dialogue. Just another form. We dont need to choose between having true friends and creating art. Both are very good indeed! Some things are hard to express, we can't just say them. We need time, words, narrative. Writing brings something out of you that you simply cannot force in normal conversation. However, this video is right that we should be more open and patient with out friends. We all have a story in our heart, worth a thousand pages.

[brandonfraterphoenixbowers]

This is a very closed-minded idea. Not all writers are like this. There are endless reasons to write, publish, or just write for the enjoyment of it. Many people that write journals and/or diaries simple want to record their lives because of the energies they have of life. They love life to the fullest and simply want to a means of recording it. To say writers are depressed isolated individuals is an insult to the millions that write that are not.

[anastasiachristina]

We all want to be writers but we still want to afford ramen noodles for dinner.

[staculette]

I don't agree at all with this one. I don't consider myself lonely, I love my friends and all. But social interaction is not enough to bring you happiness and fulfillment in life. I could never be able to create a world in my mind by "talking". For that I must sit down alone and think, and it brings me much more satisfaction than any direct interaction with a human being. In my opinion, indirect interaction (art, science, philosophy) is greater than direct interaction, even if the second one can be the most appealing...

[deonprince]

I just woke up, and had an intense desire to write. This notification came up.

[JimastaJ]

I see the angle this video is coming from but I strongly disagree. Writing should be a relaxing and cathartic process. Conversation can often be very manipulative and nebulous. I write to make sense of all the messed up human interactions I have. I'm at my worst when I interact with people without writing about those experiences. Making music is the best way to deal with heartbreak. Additionally, I hold in a lot of anger and resentment so it's easier to express that anger in a rap song as oppose to yelling or getting frustrated with the people I care about.

[jaredcook]

I think people may have misunderstood the point of this video. Wiring is an art form with many of its own merits and motivations, but a common underlying one that's found in many modern writers is that isolation. Many of those writers would give up the ghost if they attained what their hearts yearned for, but the ones that loved writing as advertised would keep at it nonetheless since they truthfully love it

[AbsurdExistentialist]

"Literature's loss might, in the end, be humanity's gain."
I want to remember this.

[Amina]

As a girl who aspires to become a writer since when I was 11, I feel obligated to say something here. I didn't start wanting to become a writer because I had an unhappy childhood or because there were nobody to listen to me back then, but rather because I was so touched by a book titled "The Happiness of Kati" and really wanted to create a novel that could make people feel touched like what I felt back then.

Although I do agree that writing, to many people including myself, is a mean to be heard, I feel a bit disturbed that the video kind of giving off the vibe that writers only write for themselves. I believe that true writers don't just write for themselves, but to serve a bigger purpose like reaching out to those facing similar situation so that they know that they aren't alone. One book that came to my mind is Roxanne Gay's "Hunger, " a heartbreaking and insightful autobiography about her relationship with food and her body.

A decade has passed since I started dreaming to become a writer. Now I am collecting stories of people I have encountered in my life so that I can all this a plan, and not just a dream. Although I haven't complied them to become a novel, I know that I will do it one day when I've gained the wisdom and insight to crystallize what I have experienced through others. I wish to become a writer who can share stories of those who doesn't have the platform to share their voices to wider audiences. Chimananda Ngozi Adichie once said in her TED TALKS that "many stories matter." If we can live in the world where many people become a writer, people won't feel lonely being alone because they will know through reading that there are many others struggling with similar issues and that many people have overcome those.

[felixw]

I agree that writing comes mostly from suffering but also I disagree that it would be better or even possible to replace the benefits of reading with the benefits of socializing

[sgjr]

I've read that 1 in 10 Icelanders is a published author, but Iceland is always in the top 10 in happiness related lists. I believe that writing can offer a degree of creativity and meaning in an otherwise quite meaningless life and if that's the case more people should practice writing down their thoughts on various topics, not to be published but to get a better view of themselves. Don't take my word for granted, I have no experience on the topic but I'm actually thinking of buying a notebook naming it "meditations" and start writing.

[Mailylion]

Yeah, well, you know, that's just like your opinion man...