A cantankerous writer

Sometimes you are not a writer but just trying to be one

Writing a book is not that simple, it takes courage to write a book. Writing a book means you yourself become void and hollow. You put every thought, emotion, feeling, instinct, experience on  a few lines of paper. To me it is an act of suffering. Sometimes your pen follows you and sometimes it ceases to reveal your undetermined emotions. Writing means becoming a criminal in your mind where your thoughts haunt you, where fear gets you every time, where your imagination falls into an endless limbo without aiming to touch the ground.

  My question which I ask myself many times is why do I write? When writing something haunts me so badly. Why do I feel voidness in my soul? When I can't feed lines with proper words. Why do I cry? When I feel I can't write anything anymore. When they(critics) say writing is an art which only few possess, I ask them how? I want to tell them it is neither an art nor it is some talent, it is just a simple way to express your regret which has haunted you throughout your life. Regret is that compelling instinct which fills soul in the writing. To me writer is one who is unsuccessful in his life. When a writer can't achieve anything in his life he writes inspirational books. When he can't settle his life affairs, he writes fiction so that he can reason himself. When he wishes to master the nature and fails, he writes poetry. Hence writer lives in a universe where everything is followed by failures.

  Despite all this, sometimes when I am alone I think of becoming a great writer who is respected everywhere he goes, and for achieving it I had to be good at failures because failure represent how good I am at writing and how far can I go in this small universe of writers. I want to feel that pain which will help me to stray away from the norms of so called "modern society" so that I an always look at them with hate and hostility. So that I can deliver them the same pain with my feelings such that they will respect me just to keep themselves away from me. Only then I will be able to write what they call

"Writing".

Author's Note

Important note : This story is about a writer who is upset with the world not about me. And just because this writer is upset he sees things with hatred because he thinks these people are responsible for his failures and tries to write against them which make him a great write because now he is not writing he is expressing his feelings which are much more power than mere words.
Please don't forget to write reviews...its important to me

Reviews

[Kathy Van Kurin]

I for one am glad you decided to be vulnerable and put your true thoughts on paper. The human condition is messy at times; chaotic, difficult- etc, etc,. I needed the inspiration that I am not the only one who ever had doubts about my motivation, goals or dreams. Keep up the good work; your on the right track. I am a very newbie writer with just three poems so you are to me a great success.

[Bear]

This is true for many people who want to write but not do the work that it takes to be a writer. I can feel his frustration and the self-hatred he reflects outward, so you have captured his emotions and negative demeanor but I don't know if I would continue reading this story as is. So let me ask you a question: What is there about this man and his opinions on writing that would make me want to read more? That is my way of saying you didn't have enough information the who, what and why. Tell me more about who the guy is and why he thinks the way he does and what he is going to do about it. Now what you have written is very well constructed and reads so well it practically flows. I can't wait to see how you weave words together and let us see the story still hidden inside your mind :~)

[alanwgraham]

Your subject, the writer, is a very confused person as evidenced by your description of him! Writing can be emotional, it does require (for all!) great effort and it helps if you also have inate talent (an indefinable quality!) You can't 'think' about becoming a great writer you have to just get on with it. I can't agree with all the negative stuff about becoming 'void and hollow' or being 'good at failures' . These are no recipe for becoming a great writer - anyway, no matter how much we wish it, it is not open to us to become a Shakespeare or a Dickens! Of course, i am talking about the subject of your story!
Alan
If you would like to read my own story 'Walking to Zero' I would appreciate it!
Well done.
Alan

[I am that I am]

A writer who feels unfulfilled in themselves will be unfulfilled with everything they write. Their words will be words of un-fulfillment. The world they bring to life in their stories will be an unfulfilled world. Every word they utter and jot from pen to paper; will breathe un-fulfillment, and reek of its stench. If the unfulfilled writer wishes to become fulfilled through his writing alone, he will not find fulfillment. He is looking in the wrong place. He must become fulfilled in himself, through himself. Only then, will his creation ooze the puss of fulfillment; and his words will preach nothing but fulfillment to all that lend him their ears. His world and the world he brings to life through his words will be worlds of fulfillment. All of this was possible only because he, himself, was fulfilled. Only then will he call his work what they call "Writing".

Excellent work, Usman.

[Usman Muhammad]

I don't know what to write..amazed by your review. Thanks for your encouragement

[barleygirl]

I definitely get the attitude of angry hate & frustrated ambition. I would've protested this nasty-feeling treatment, had I not read your author's note to find out this is the intended tone. In the first paragraph, "you" is the pronoun, but then it switches to "I" for the rest. I prefer using "I" becuz "you" feels a little offensive to me, when this angry explanation is being aimed at ME (the reader) & seemingly ALL WRITERS thru the use of the pronoun "you". It makes me want to say: NO THAT IS NOT TRUE FOR MOST WRITERS! (but again, I see this is supposed to be describing an angry writer blaming others).

Most offensive is this premise: "To me writer is one who is unsuccessful in his life." . . . & the following examples. Your examples are well-stated in support of this view, but it's just an offensive viewpoint. Again, I understand this person is angry about lack of success, perhaps, so you've nailed that nasty attitude perfectly.

I don't think this piece successfully pulls off what you're trying to do here. This doesn't read like a story about an angry frustrated writer becuz it appears to be a non-fiction essay in style. Thus, it feels like you are actually trying to convince the reader of the truth of these skewed viewpoints which many writers would take offense to, becuz it feels like the message is aimed at all of us.

Maybe if you first describe this unhappy guy, like maybe he's sitting at a bar with his laptop, scrapping one after another beginning to something he's writing. Then we would understand these viewpoints are coming from this frustrated person & this is not a persuasive essay lambasting all writers. Just an idea.

[Usman Muhammad]

Thanks for your review Barleygirl. Yes, now i too realize that it i should have given some introduction of this "Angry writer". In future i will keep these points in mind.

[Rute Noiva]

This is a very interesting point of view and certainly makes you feel the 'writer's' anger at having someone telling him if he is writing is 'good enough' (to what, exactly, eh?). While I don't agree with his views on failure leading to writing or the absolute lack of an art or talent there, it does leave the reader with the very real notion that writing is not just sitting down and typing a few twitter-grade idiocies on a page. What I would suggest, however, are two or three lines introducing that 'rejection letter' or 'crushing critic' scenario right at the beginning, just to give a better notion of why he is so disgruntled right up front

[Usman Muhammad]

Thanks Rute Noiva...From my first writing i have learned a lot. Yes i believe i should have introduced this writer in first few lines. Consider it my mistake which i will try to minimize in my next writing.

[Rute Noiva]

Please, don't consider it a mistake. I am merely making a suggestion. You might feel that leaving the readers thinking about the issue before realizing why the writer is so unhappy could prevent them from thinking that the writer is just saying those things out of anger and making excuses to cope with the critc's words. And this would also be fine. Frankly, the text you put up just leaves me wanting to read the rest of the story.

[Usman Muhammad]

I hope this "writer" will try best to tell "his" story in upcoming stories.

[Lady Lola]

Very strategically written to provoke a reaction in fellow writers.

Your 'disgruntled writer' character might want to read 'The Death of the Author' by Roland Barthes -- a famous essay about how stories are just stories and say nothing about the writer, but their interpretation says eveything about the reader.
While I don't completely agree with Barthes' theory, it goes too far in my opinion, I do agree that writers predominantly want to tell stories and don't just want to talk about themselves, e.g. live out fantasies on paper about success where they have experienced failure in their own lives.

[Usman Muhammad]

My "Disgruntled writer" says he will definitely look into "The Death Of The Author", He says he totally agrees with your point of view .

[Tinman07]

I think the reason it takes courage to write a book is not to become void, but because you end up revealing your inner self... maybe only in subtle ways, but there nonetheless.
For a work of fiction to succeed there has to be something that reflects how you feel, and you then allow others to recognise any voids within you. Usually this will only happen because they recognise the same void within themselves... or any emotion, really. I think empathy is one of the main reasons we like a piece of fiction.
To say that a writer is unsuccessful in life is wrong... I believe a writer is someone who has something inside that he wants to share. It may be a belief, or an emotion, or perhaps a lack of emotion?

For me a successful writer is one who can create characters you can empathise with, and care about. If you don't care whether the characters live or die, fail or succeed... then why read to the end?

Writing is a skill that you can hone or develop, it is easier if you are a good communicator verbally as it will enhance your vocabulary and help you understand what an audience might expect (...and what will shock and/or surprise them).

[Usman Muhammad]

Thanks for your review , i believe that every writer has not same story, no author shares the history of struggling before getting famous. Some just write a book and get famous and afterwards nothing... every author has his own reasons. I believe in complete freedom of writing where your writing is not based on some universal principles, but on your personal experiences. My motto is to forget everything before writing and just write what your mind tells you to, not to write some same theme stories, writing is all about creativity and showing the world its true face.

[Tinman07]

I agree with you... some authors do only have one story to tell, but all have something of their own to bring to the tale.
Also yes... tell your own story, don't just change a few details to retell someone elses - unless you have something new to add.
There have been a number of stories which have retold Shakespeare, not least was West Side Story, the retelling of Romeo and Juliet in 50s New York.

[Usman Muhammad]

Thanks sir for encouraging me

[SkinlessFrank]

Not sure that I agree entirely with your thesis of failure and writing. But I see some truth in it. It is well put, and like yourself I think that writers, because they are not entirely at ease in this world, retreat into that place where they can create, dream, and experiment with reality and relationships.

[Usman Muhammad]

Thanks for your review , i believe that every writer has not same story, no author shares the history of struggling before getting famous. Some just write a book and get famous and afterwards nothing... every author has his own reasons. I believe in complete freedom of writing where your writing is not based on some universal principles, but on your personal experiences. My motto is to forget everything before writing and just write what your mind tells you to, not to write some same theme stories, LETS revolutionize writing.

[outspoken1234]

It is good and I feel where you are coming from on this topic. I myself write stuff other then poetry and I understand the emotions you are trying to convey to the readers.

[Usman Muhammad]

Thanks for your review.

[outspoken1234]

Your welcome