I've worked in bookstores for a long time, from mom 'n pop shops to the last brick and mortar institution still standing. I've also written a lot. I am constantly flabbergasted at how much literature there is in the world. Sometimes it kind of makes me cringe. I suppose it's all just people trying to communicate with other people, but books are a strange thing to me at this point.
First and foremost, I think it's because they are time-consuming. It's a pretty big commitment, especially in this fast-paced digital environment, where the choices are as endless as one's imagination, to really sit down and commit to a book. Even the world's great literature goes largely unstudied because the newest John Grisham just came out.
I'm just about to finish up War and Peace, and I completely recognize that one could devote a lifetime to the study of this single book. I listened to it on audiobook, mostly while I was cleaning the house. I can say I've gotten through it, but I didn't really 'experience' it.
It's strange, because the more I read, the more I get the idea that a lot of what needs to be said or understood in this world (everything, maybe) has already been said and forgotten again. All new literature (most art, really) is just a rehash of stuff that people said (maybe in different languages or cultures or time periods) hundreds of years ago.
These thoughts sometimes cause me to stall out. I wonder, with my own writing, what I should contribute. Especially living in a time where quote-unquote 'alternative' voices are really where the interesting art is coming from and what society is most interested in cultivating and experiencing. Rightly so.
It seems to me as though white males have just about exhausted every topic they are qualified to speak about, and all of the real stuff worth reading is coming from women, people of color, the LGBTQ community. So, as a white male, what is my responsibility now? Where should I be focusing my artistic efforts? I've got all the time in the world. I'm privileged and stable and working at my full capacity. Is it really in anyone's best interest for me to write a funny tale about vampires or lawyers or other bankable bullshit?
I don't think so. I think it's time for us to push the medium, or let it die. And if I can't, I should not feel bitter that no one pays attention. I feel like there is some responsibility to be careful with what we pump into this world. I'm constantly questioning the value of my own contribution. And I'm much harder on others. Sometimes (not all the time) I just feel like the world doesn't need any more art for entertainment sake. Like we've peaked with all of that and if you want to watch a sci-fi show, just watch The Twilight Zone. Everything else is just a rip off of that and even THAT show was based on older archetypes. How many John Grisham books does one need to read? Wouldn't just the one do?
I don't know, maybe I'm getting old, or missing the point. But I feel like the idea of art, and the best art still accomplishes this, should be to push our imagination, to help us progress in our consciousness and therefore improve our understanding of our reality and make us more effective elements therein.
Sometimes I feel like art for the sake of entertainment has gotten out of control. Like an hour of television used to be good for people who toiled all day. But now, we take little micro-entertainment breaks every time we pull our phones out of our pocket. The escapist, distractive, entertainment version of art has gotten so out of control that it leaves no room for real enrichment and fulfilling development. It's why I have to take periodic breaks from social media.
So, during this month, November, National Novel Writing Month, I am pledging to slow down and think about my production. I'd urge you to do the same. I realize that fulfillment and self-satisfaction, exercise and exorcism, and communication are all valid reasons to create simply for the sake of creation, but I'm just trying to exercise a little caution. I'm all for word vomit, I'm just trying to be careful about who else I pull into the action.
Beyond potential readers (who I've never had to really worry about), there are, of course, the fictional characters to consider. I try to remember that these are real people, no less real than ghosts or dreams or our waking life, and if I'm going to play god, I'd better do a good job. I have to check my motivation in putting these people in jeopardy. Are my reasons just and justifiable, or are they self-serving? And if my motivations ARE self-serving, which self is it, and is it worth it?
Just some stuff to think about.
[Note: I realize the silliness of writing about temperance of writing. The general point is: if you think it's worth it, it is.]
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