The Glamour of Writing

The other evening I was sitting around with the my writing group, the gang responsible for the illustrious little blog you are currently reading, pondering the very nature of writing itself. It's been said before and will be said again that writing is a lonely business. You can social network as much as you want, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to you, the computer, and whatever freaky little story you've got wandering around in your head.

My friend and fellow contributor to All Things Writing, Kaye George said, "It isn't about glamour. It's about hard work."

Ain't that the truth!

I sometimes think about writers who were well known not only for their work, but for their lifestyle, too. Truman Capote comes to mind because he was a fixture on the New York social scene for many years, a kooky little guy with an annoying voice that made writing seem...cool. Or F. Scott Fitzgerald. The parties he and his wife, Zelda, (now why doesn't anyone name their kid that anymore?) were legendary. True, he may have been a raging alcoholic with lots of issues but hey--he still made writing appear glamorous.

I don't need glamour to be a writer and as Kaye pointed out, writing is hard work. If you spend all of your time doing the social network thing, when you do you have time to just write? Granted, we live in a time where social networking, blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and dozens of others are important for a writer to use in order to attract a following. But a some point, do you lose sight of why you are social networking in the first place?

Writing isn't glamorous, but it can be rewarding. I would love to hear other thoughts on social networking vs plain old writing time. Drop a comment and share your thoughts with the gang from All Things Writing!