Write only what you love, and love what you write. The key word is “love.” You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for.” — Ray Bradbury
Today’s quote comes from science fiction author Ray Bradbury, author of The Halloween Tree. It embodies the optimism of writing before (or as) the grief and sadness of impostor syndrome sets into our souls. Bradbury was a consummate believer that writing was what motivated him at all times, and I think his joy is contagious. His quote “Write only what you love…” makes me think about writing and one’s calling as a writer.
For this post, we will analyze the quote as it relates to hating your work, and how finding your calling with a specific writing form can bring that love back.
Writing as a mechanical function
- The Fantasy
I can remember writing mindlessly for hours, churning out page after page of fiction, convinced I was going to be a novelist some day. After all, I had grown up reading the best in fiction (due to my mother’s love of reading), and I knew deep down that I wanted to write for a living.
Seemingly, fiction was the way.
I could put on a cool hat, smoke a bunch of cigarettes, and pump out short stories that would fill magazines and books, and I would be lauded for it by the critics. A Great American Novelist, of the highest caliber.
- The Reality
I found out that writing fiction is an endlessly tiresome affair that brings with it more misery than joy. Not for everybody, but certainly for me.
At that point, I wanted to explore journalism. What’s not to like about the idea of covering breaking stories and working a beat? How romantic! The reality is a lot harsher and more unforgiving. Long hours, low pay, and a lot of pushback from just about everybody you run into, from the community to your coworkers.
Fiction did not pan out for me (stories, poems, or novels) , and journalism was a laborious drag. Writing, in my best estimation, was not for me.
Finding the love in writing
However, I had a passion for writing and eventually took a separate track into teaching, while blogging on the side. Through strange adventure, or side quest, I found my writing purpose.
All of this is to say, maybe there are other avenues of writing to take rather than the one you are on, especially if you don’t love what you do each day. Writing is not easy, so crafting language under duress is only punishing yourself.
Perhaps there are other avenues to check out:
- Editing
- Marketing
- Content Management
- Technical Writing
- Copywriting
And those are just for employment. For hobbyists and aspiring authors, perhaps drilling down deep into your likes and interests can pull something out that is more true to you–something you would prefer to write, such as persuasive or informational essays.
Conclusion
With all that said, we have to acknowledge the importance of writing in our own lives. Sure, journalism didn’t work out. Fiction writing was little more than an exercise in storytelling.
Nevertheless, writing is an essential function of our lives, so there must be something out there for us to write that will bring us that love.
Maybe it’s blogging, or maybe for you it is journalism, or maybe it is fiction writing. At the end of the day, whatever it is, it must bring love!
Works Cited
Bradbury, Ray. Zen In the Art of Writing. Ray Bradbury enterprises. 1996.
