They say, “Writing’s a lonely gig.”
Dadgum wrong. Writing is about the people.
Without readers, artists, and fellow nerds, writing is like shouting to an empty insane asylum, funny farm, nut house, or any other synonym you can think of.
Laze back in your chair and think about some of the art you’ve consumed lately. No, not literally eaten. I mean art you’ve savored. Books you slow-read. Video games you let seize you by the schnoz.
Rumploads of people are behind that art.
What “they” meant was, “Writing’s got moments of loneliness.”
It’s lonesome as hell sitting at a desk cranking out words hour after hour. If you write, you’re a writer, so you take pride in your story no matter what stage it’s at. You want to give this glorious, writhing mass of story and tragedy and romance the time and detail it deserves. So you tuck yourself behind some rocks in your writing cave and block out all reality so you can steep yourself in the story you write.
That’s one moment of lonely shiz. One day. One time period, however long it is, where it’s you and the art and nada goddamn thing else.
After that, it’s the people with whom you share the art that make the geek-outs happen.
Take a gander at the writers, artists, and game designers whose work is out there.
Exactly. It’s out there. Not in some crusty old laptop, dusty closet, or fusty file.
Those creators take pride in their art and have fun with it. Then they put it out there. Whether that art makes one person grin or a million people go "Hoo yeah," they share it.
Eventually, those writers and artists and game designers make enough material that it draws more attention. The more attention it gets, the more choices they have to make about where they want the art to go. What to build with it. What message to send.
If you started your artistic journey believing that it’s a lonely gig, that’s because you start at level one. Book one. First painting. Frick yea, those solitary moments happen no matter where you’re at in your journey. Once you get a ways in, take a look around you.
Peer at your peers who’ve gathered to support you.
Glance at the pants in which you’ve walked hundreds of art miles.
Mingle with every single human being who crammed their faith into your work like an arcade junkie slapping coins into the machine.
Lots of people there, right?
The journey gets less lonely, I promise.
There are a lot more people intrigued by my writing now than there were two years ago. Part of that is ‘cause I sucked harder than a Black Hole brand vacuum at writing back then. It ain’t bestseller material now either, but it’s gotten better. The time investment and the gathering of fellow artists and the journey are better learning experiences than simply staying lonely and isolated for fear of your art failing. Now there’s a bigger crew of creators chippin’ in.
Creators bring so much bliss into the world. The act of sharing art, geeking out over it, and learning how to make it even more amazeballs is so genuine that people can’t help but come together over it.
Like this artist here: Beki Yopek. Look at the friggin’ awesome art she’s created for this goofnugget’s urban fantasy blog!
And this bonus piece here!
Raid the Other Works page on this blog to feed your brain with books I've been marinating. Got this work in progress completed. Started querying agents with this novel. This time last year, there was no way my shy-ass self could have imagined an urban fantasy web series and a wordplay blog. Couldn’t have made it this far on the journey without Beki’s crazy-good artistry.
You're fantastic, Beki! Thanks a trazillion!
To the creators reading this: Keep at it. Build that book, grow that game, paint that portrait. YOU are one of the rumploads of people behind the art that makes others grin their rumps off. So give yourself a pat on the rump. You earned it.