(this picture is from my bday forecast on the site)
Wow. Bummer. Guess I'll plan exciting birthday adventures for another day. No worries, though... next year my bday is all happiness and good weather:
Now, I take this with a grain of salt, seeing as the meteorologists on the major news networks can't always accurately predict the next day's weather, despite their advanced Doppler Ten Billions. And that's ok by me, predicting the future even with scientific tools is a bit of a crapshoot.
But the Weather Wiz got me thinking. If you could look into your future as a writer, would you?
For me, I'd have to say no. I mean, sure, it'd be great to find out that something I wrote went the distance, from agent to editor to publication and good sales (yeah, totally J.K. Rowling sales). But I know me... when I plot out the endings to a story, then actually writing the thing becomes a total chore. Writing is fun for me when things reveal themselves along the way. If I knew I were going to be successful, then the journey and the hope and the excitement and the possible heartbreak or possible moments of squeeeeeee! would all be gone.
I wouldn't want to have the moment I (someday) get an agent and the moment I (someday) get my book picked up and the moment I (someday) have a cover designed for my baby and (someday) see it for real in a bookstore... well you get the idea, I wouldn't want to miss out on those moments along the road. (And if I knew I wasn't going to be successful, would I still want to write? Probably, because publication is not my only driving force, but... what a downer! It would definitely change my perspective). So often in real life, just like in our characters' lives, it's the journey...
I wouldn't want to have the moment I (someday) get an agent and the moment I (someday) get my book picked up and the moment I (someday) have a cover designed for my baby and (someday) see it for real in a bookstore... well you get the idea, I wouldn't want to miss out on those moments along the road. (And if I knew I wasn't going to be successful, would I still want to write? Probably, because publication is not my only driving force, but... what a downer! It would definitely change my perspective). So often in real life, just like in our characters' lives, it's the journey...
No, not that Journey...
That's the one. Would you want to know about your writing future?
About anything in the future?
Posts
12 comments:
I love this post and I completely agree. The passion and power is in what could be, not in what is certain to be. I think knowing that great success was assured would probably stifle the creativity to get there... thereby changing the future (and don't get me started on that flux capacitor). :)
Great post!
You know, there is the thought life IS like the novels we read and write, the story is already complete but the reader doesn't know what the ending until they get to it and are either satisfied or angry.
Then again, I always like to read the last line on the last page. Usually it is taken out of context anyway, most of the times I am wrong if the writer is excellent which makes the journey much more invested for me. I am crazy this way though, don't mind me.
The reason your birthday is stormy on 2012 is cause the world is gonna end. Obviously. lol
I agree, great post!
Hmmm... This is like asking if you want to know where and when you're going to die.
Okay, maybe not that extreme.
Yes, I would want to know, but really, if I find out I'm going to die when I'm 110 or that it's going to take 20 years to get published then life and writing lose their sense of urgency.
My mantra is to live each day to the fullest. To me, that includes writing something (or revising) virtually every day. Do I want know that my books will be on the shelves one day? Yes. But I think I'm okay with just believing.
But ask me again in a few years. I'm still optimistic it's not going to take 20 years. ;)
Nope, I want to go ahead and live it all out. I expect I'll be published someday, and I want to live through the surprises.
Oh totally!! Oh yes please - if there's a sure fire way of knowing my future, I'd go for it!! LOL!!!
I don't like surprises - well I do - nice ones only though!!
The weather link is addictive! Thank you!! :-) Take care
x
hmmm.... i wonder if that weather thing predicts rains of blood for 12/21/2012... ya' know - the coming apocalypse...
no. i don't want to know.
2 years? Pshaaa. We'll all be dead in 2012 anyway
I think the only thing I would want to know in the future is if Monster Baby grows out of her contrariness. She just turned 6 and probably won't make it to 7 if she keeps it up.
Sometimes I want to know if all this agony is worth it. Will I actually get an agent or query 100's just to get nowhere? But other times, you are right- I want to experience these things as they happen. It's like finding your christmas presents before Christmas- they aren't a surprise anymore.
There's no way I'd want to know. And I don't believe in fortune tellers or anything, but I've always avoided things like that like the PLAGUE because no matter when they tell me, it won't leave my head, even though I think it's totally bogus. I'm crazy!
Life is better left handing out surprises. :)
I hate surprises so I would look into the future. I would record it all and not do the crappy stuff. :D
Huh... Interesting. But I think you're right. I wouldn't want to miss the surprise and excitement. Plus I'm of the belief that you can't change the future, so I always think looking into the future is pointless. Plus, because I like to watch people and the patterns of their decisions, I can sometimes guess at a possible conclusion, and I already hate knowing things ahead of time and waiting for people to catch up. SO I think looking into the future for my writing career would just drive me completely nut-so.
Interesting thoughts. Thanks for sharing yours :)
Post a Comment