Writing Notes: Why Authorities Worry About Young Writers

'No, Ma'am, I didn't do my homework: but I wrote three chapters of my spy thriller and I just got the hero out of the villain's clutches and I have this brilliant part that I'm can't wait to get to where the girl goes and --'

If you're a writer, it's hard enough to get anyone to understand you.  If you're a young writer, it's doubly hard, because we are supposed to be focusing on more important things -- on school, on work, on sports, on impressive things like that; things that will get us places in the world. When it comes to parents, teachers, and other authority figures, it's worse. Anyone who isn't a writer simply can't understand what's so wildly wonderful about sitting in front of Word and typing for hours on end. After all, we could be out playing basketball, or studying for that exam next week, or doing some chores, for goodness sake. Or, as it happens for me, just doing one of the million and ten things that always need to be done and are really important things to do. So why are we just sitting here on the sofa typing?

They just don't get it. Usually, they mean well. When you're sitting in front of a computer, you don't really look like you're doing anything. I'm pretty sure that computer programmers, cyber-security specialists, web designers, and people like that are also misunderstood before they start getting paid to do what they do. But writers seem to get it worse, because, honestly, what are we doing? Writing. What's so great about that?

The people who complain are often people who care about where we're going. They want us to succeed. That's why they nag us to do something. Often, they think it's wonderful that we write and they loudly tell us we should get our books published. But still, they don't understand. It doesn't work like that. 

'I'm probably not going to publish this book.'

'Why not? It's great.'

'Actually, it kind of sucks.'

'Then why on earth are you writing it?'

The million dollar question. Why am I writing this junk? I'm a teenager. This stuff is trash. Why don't I wait until I'm twenty-something, when I've been through college, have a major in creative writing, or something like that? 

Kit Reed wrote in her book Mastering Fiction Writing: 

'You're going to have to write a lot of [trash] in your life before you write anything good, so you might as well get started.'

There's nothing I believe more firmly. I've been writing for eight years. I've written a lot of trash. A lot of trash. A whole lot of trash. Out of eight years' writing, I have maybe one completed book that I actually consider OK, and still I know that it is lacking in a lot of art -- it's just the essentials that I like. (And the fact that it's done.) It's enough to discourage you. It definitely discourages all those people who see you slogging away, day after day, skipping your assignments, getting no exercise. They look at you and they say 'what's the use? Why are you doing this?'

It's easy to get annoyed at them for not understanding. But it's also easy just to explain. 

'I'm working on the next Harry Potter series. I'll give you a signed copy when it's done.'

If either of us is still alive.