What Authors Have Forgotten, by Andrew Johnston

 What

Authors

Have

Forgotten

By

Andrew Johnston

There is so much to be done as an author. Our tasks go beyond writing, promoting, and marketing ourselves. We must deal with life's pressures like anyone else. This includes choosing a side in just about every argument political or pop culture related. All of this has caused us to forget something very important. Something that is being done, but no longer for ourselves. We write because we must.

The greats of the writing world dealt with what we do now. However they didn't allow it to separate them from their craft. They wrote at odd times of the day. They stuffed a cigarette between their lips and muscled out a page or chapter while nursing a whisky. Some met their deadlines and others asked for extensions. But they never forgot their most important task as an author. To write.

Modern day authors are caught up in writing to a niche readership. They are worried about hurting feelings or hammering the popular message home. Writing is political. Books are political. Guess what though? Books aren't obvious about it. Every page in every edition or volume in a series has no place worrying about who will be offended. Your greatest challenge as an author is to insight emotion. Failing at that means you have failed. And as far as your messaging let it flow smoothly through the narrative. You take so much away from your craft and story should you do the opposite.

I mentioned writing because we must. It's what I believe authors have forgotten. There is one major reason and it might very well crush your soul. We stopped enjoying it. All that I have said about modern day authors is a result on no longer enjoying writing. It tells readers the need and passion for the craft isn't there. You see it in bestsellers and debuts. You see it in many established authors books.

I understand we live in a different world than the days of Isaac Asimov and Octavia E. Butler. The mission remains the same though. To write because we have to. To write to insight emotion. We just have to get back to it. We have to allow ourselves to write. We have to ignore the people online peering over our shoulder. They aren't your ultimate critic. You are.