Writer – A Hunger Artist

(and how to feed him)

How fortunate I was that Bar Rafaeli agreed to pose for (my favorite magazine) Esquire. Because I googled and googled and googled. Here, try it yourself. Sexy writer. Cute writer. Hot writer. Nothing. Number of satisfactory images = 0. And in print – is equal to zero. Therefore I do thank Bar for providing a cover image for this post. Because being a writer is simply not sexy.

However, I don’t know about you but I’ve never met a mediocre writer that supports himself from writing in my life. I’ve met mediocre manager, trader, chef, designer etc. And all of them can support themselves from their mediocrity. But a person who specializes in writing fiction and lives out of it – never.  Because only the best writers manage to live from writing. To make money, the writer has to be the best.

Come to think of it, it seems that the profession of a writer is one of the world’s most unrewarding professions (miners, I’m sorry!) However, that same miner goes and digs and get money for his work. Or a doctor. Or if it’s a question of art, vocal performer can go and sing at many Talent or Idol shows (not saying it’s ideal). Only a poor writer has nowhere to bake his trade, nor where to practice it, let alone live from it. Even if he writes and publishes a book, he can hardly make money instantly (and he will have to wait for new earnings until his next book). The personality of a writer is simply not interesting. No one will ever call him to be in a reality show. In a quiz. Charity event.

Not even to pose for Playboy. What? You have to admit that on the very notion of a nude writer on the cover of such magazine, you don’t envision anything like Bar Rafaeli. Because a writer (that is solely a writer) is a poor creature who writes. Smells of tobacco. Wears heavy, thick eyeglasses. Gives philosophic speeches. Barely washes himself. Survives from literary criticism. No, being a writer is by no means sexy.

However, the fact that writers are not sexy – it is the fault of authors themselves. Yes, I understand completely. It’s so romantic to be a penniless vagabond who sacrifices material world in a search for true art. Living in a fantasy world that they will understand how genius you are only after you die, when your (torn) underwear will be sold at auction. And it’s so (frickin’) cool to spit all over evil capitalistic society, and preach about the need for monetizing true values.

And I understand that, I do. Someone put that idea in their heads that things just don’t go this way. Parents. Society. Friends. Teachers. Circumstances. Other writers. Blame whomever you want. I know very well that all those voices shouted: To be a writer?! Why do hell would you want to do that?! There are at least 1000 reasons against this idiotic impulse. And most of the writers allowed themselves to be crippled by these opinions. And they soon begin to think that it wouldn’t be bad if they pay their bills once in a while (for a change). That it would be nice not to live with their parents next year, when they turn 47. They don’t have to be rich, but if they could only afford new clothes. And then they begin to work as copywriters. Or teachers. Or bloggers. Journalists. Like anything but – writers. Agreeing to live as nits aware of their talents and spend their whole life wondering why they cannot succeed.

However, to succeed in his work (yes, work) of a literary artist, writer has to get rid of these foolish beliefs that were imposed to him by aforementioned people (or he did it to himself, again – blame it on whoever you want).

Let’s start with the most famous prejudice writers have – they are the best. Yes, all their life they’ve been told just how amazing they write. Maybe they didn’t get the Nobel prize, but their teachers and relatives always said that their school assignments were spectacular. Maybe they even picked up a small award. Or they were published in a local papers. And that’s really all they need to confirm their immortality in this world. But wait. No. For God’s sake, no. Knowing grammar and how to group a few sentences in something nice does not make you a writer. My brother plays football once a week with his friends but a call from Arsenal hasn’t yet arrived. You need to learn to write. You need to write. You must be (too) serious about writing. You have to devote all of your spare time overcoming writer’s skills because, once again, only the best succeed. And even after several years of serious writing, you will only scratch the surface of this inexhaustible source.

When they write their first literary work, writers expect that their novel is a bestseller right away. And if they fail at first, they are usually on the verge of a suicide. I don’t remember seeing first Picasso painting hanging in the Louvre. Or the Rolling Stones playing their first album on tour. Unlike other artists who in their early stages of creating know that they are only at the beginning of the road, writers arrogantly think they know everything. And when you are a beginner, you’re mostly doing it all wrong. And writing one book is – just a start. No, it’s not that other people don’t recognize your brilliant talent and are unable to see the genius in you. Persistence is very important (very, very important). And learning takes time. But the sooner you learn, the sooner you become a writer. Everyone know that Harry Potter was rejected 12 times before it was published. Elizabeth Gilbert worked as a waitress and received rejection letters for her stories for 6 years (years!). Orwell wrote propaganda war material in order to survive and didn’t became successful until he was 40 with the Farm. Hemingway wrote an article on how to live on $ 1,000 a year in Paris (yes, from his own experience). Therefore, start working on yourself. You don’t need to wait for the world to recognize you. The world needs to wait for you.

But the problem is that most writers think it’s enough to be a writer (and that this is their sole responsibility). It is enough to write a book. Just as it is enough to finish college and your dream job is coming. Or have a baby and it will bring itself up. All the time you have invested in writing a book will be enough to replace the promotion of this spectacular work. Now is the time to sit back and soak up your own ingenuity. And then just watch how this book slowly dyes.

Yes, writers are (mostly) introverts and find it difficult to think like business people and sell themselves. But it’s a very, very wrong way of looking at things. Writers do not sell themselves, they sell their work. And if they don’t sell – they will not succeed as writers and will forever remain dissociative person. Because if only you (and your grandmother) understand the size of your work, nobody understands you and you write only for yourself, I strongly recommend that you switch to keeping a diary. But if you want to be a writer, you can not be just a writer. You have to be eager to publish, advertise and sell your book. You have to fight for your baby in the same way that a lioness is chasing a gazelle for her cubs. Be a shameless promoter. Caregiver. Trader. Entertainer. And cold blooded professional.

No, do not expect of people to like you automatically if you’re good. Being good is not enough. Tell people that you are a writer. Build your audience. Look at all the ways you can promote your literary work. Writing does not end on the day you publish a book. On the contrary, you did end writing but this is just the beginning of your work and you as a writer. And now is the time to show that you deserve the attention of the world. Yes, it’s not easy. It may seem tiring. Bring you to the edge of a nervous breakdown. However, everything will be alright. And also fun. And nice. And emotional. And nowadays it’s easier than ever to speak to the whole world. And that is an incredible advantage you have.

If writers want to feed themselves, they should first realize that writing is really talking about your own ideas that you let pass through other people. As seeds, ideas grow and spread. It’s so easy to be a writer who complains about the crisis, weather and overall injustice. To play in the third league for the rest of your life. Not to be sexy at all. And since this is a game where only the best succeed, good writers are exclusively those who give the most out of themselves. Who are trying their best to contribute to the cultural content of the society. Who disregard others’ question: why on earth do you write?! On the contrary, they are striving to present their work in a way it will reach out to people who normally don’t read, and who, when they have finish a last page of their book, experience catharsis. Yes, there are 1000 reasons why a writer as a profession will never succeed. However, if you bring all your focus on only one reason why it could, very quickly it will remain only: how on earth do you write so good?! And that will change everything, because through the words a change begins.

And in the beginning was the…