My Goal in Writing
The amateur writes for himself, the professional for others. The amateur writes because he has something to say, the professional because he wants to be heard.
To the amateur, putting words on paper is an end in itself. He writes because he enjoys the process—enjoys watching as his mind grapples with ideas and turns them into sentences, his fingers writing them down, never to be erased. He enjoys coming back to an old piece and, through it, connecting with his mind as it once was. He gains pleasure from this—both expressing himself in the moment and viewing his past expressions of self.
For the professional, writing may be an act of self-expression just the same—hopefully it is. But other concerns crowd it out. The professional has an audience to satisfy. He must write not only what he wants to say but also what he believes they want to hear. The greater the audience, the greater the pull—away from self-expression.
The moment you make writing your career, you become dependent on it—on the approval of other men. As a result, your writing suffers. It loses integrity. You can no longer write freely, creatively, independently. You must always keep your customer in mind.
This is a shame, for it kills the greatest value you have to offer—a unique perspective that is purely and personally yours.
I believe the world needs more of this—more unique voices. They need not be heard loudly. They need not reverberate. They just need to be there.
My goal in writing is to offer such a voice. I do this not for anyone’s sake but my own. I write because I enjoy it. I publish it here, on a blog, in case someone wants to listen in. You are welcome to do so, or not—the writing will be here just the same.