Thursday, July 10, 2008

Hypotheticals...

Nathan Bransford has a great question over at his blog. Now, I love me some Nathan Bransford, but here lately, I've found his posts a little...not as good as usual. But these hypothetical questions he throws out there are really interesting...

Question #1: Let's say there was a seer who could tell you definitively whether or not you have the talent to be a published writer. Absolute 100% accuracy. But. If the seer person said no, that's that. Final answer. Would you want to know?

Question #2: If the seer person said no, you don't have the talent to be a published writer, would you still write?
...So....what's your answer? For me: 1) I'd want to know. Her answer would either be yes--and I'd be inspired; or no--and I'd be too stubborn and would write more just to prove the old hag wrong. As for question 2: I *want* to be published. I want to be loved for writing. I want small children to clap at me when I enter the bookstore. But even if I knew none of that would happen, I'd still want to *try*.

I really like what these hypothetical questions are really saying: would you write even if you were doomed to fail? I hope everyone's answer is yes--the Spartan fight to the death side of me wants my writers to write or die trying. But of course...there's also the depressing reality, the pansy-doubting side of my conscience with the constant questions of "Am I wasting my time? My money? Is there something else I should be doing in life?"

Good thing the Spartan side of me killed off the doubting side of me a long time ago :)

4 comments:

TerriRainer said...

Spartan....hmmmm, I had to try and refocus on what you wrote everytime you mentioned Spartans!

I agree, writers don't write to be rich and famous (although we CAN dream), they write because they have stories to tell, it's like breathing at times, you just MUST do it, good or bad, published or not.

:) Terri

Unknown said...

I must admit, I did have some half-naked Spartans from The 300 in mind when I wrote that... :)

PJ Hoover said...

Ok, I saw this hypothetical question and thought "come one - what kind of seer would see that"?
And I love your Spartan analogy! it's totallly right on. I'd fight to the death :)

Unknown said...

Thanks! I am somewhat enjoying this new idea of my conscious being a half-naked Spartan. Who yells a lot. With a sword.