Writing Independence:
Since Independence Day will be coming up soon, I wanted to
reflect on the word, (independence) and think about what it means for writers.
In the US
we celebrate Independence Day because it was the day that we declared
independence from the British and became our own country, bound by its own
laws. We separated ourselves from the way we had always done things and decided
to start fresh. The fore fathers wanted our country to run differently than it
had when we were under British rule. So, they created their own documents, (the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights). They discussed what we, as a society,
should and should not do and they wrote that all down, so that centuries later,
we still follow those words. They are our rules we live by. That is powerful
when you think about it; written language can be so strong and meaningful that
people still read it, still recite it and still follow it. Written words can,
in fact, stand the test of time.
As a writer that makes me feel many things, empowered,
nervous, prideful, and yet wary. As you can see, my emotions are quite
conflicting. On the one hand, I feel empowered that when I write something it
could influence someone else, cause them to think certain thoughts and feel
certain emotions. Hopefully, I am making people feel good and think positively.
That is always my goal. However, I am also aware of the fact that, especially
now, everyone has this ability. With social media such a strong part of our
culture the written word is perhaps even more powerful than it ever was before.
Every single person has the ability to write/type their thoughts, opinions,
feelings, etc. and have them read by an endless number of readers. So what does
this mean? Does it make my words less effective? Does it make me less of a
writer? I worry sometimes that it does. Sometimes I feel that when anyone can
do it, it makes each individual less special. But, I am conflicted with this
and I guess my feelings depend on whether I am having a half empty or half full
glass kind of day. If I am having a half full glass day, I would say that
writers should never fear. Yes, anyone can write, anyone can publish their own
words, but does that make your work less valuable? No. When writers put their
heart and soul into their craft, when they are dedicated to it and believe in
its positive power then they are special. Everyone has their own unique stories
to tell, if they take the time to write them and publish them, they should be
proud of themselves for doing so, not everyone has the guts to share their
stories.
So what about independence? What does that word mean for a
writer? The definition of independence is; (autonomy, self-sufficiency,
freedom, liberty, and so forth.) So do writers have those things? I guess it
would depend on their view of them. As a writer you have the freedom to write
what you like and what you believe in. You also have the liberty to send this
out into the world in many different ways. You need self-sufficiency to be able
to do these things, as it is very often difficult, (not to mention expensive)
to hire others to do these things for you. However, there are, of course,
industry rules and standards and because of this, in some ways, you do not have
autonomy. For example, depending on what you are trying to write, what you
produce may or may not be considered meeting the standards by the experts. Do
your research if you are a writer that wants to be taken seriously as a writer.
There are word counts that give your writing a certain title. If you are
publishing a “novel” most experts say that means between 60,000-100,000 words
and depending on the genre of the novel. Many are expected to be no less than
70,000 and most are expected to be less than 150,000. If you self publish
something that is 25,000 words and call it a novel, the industry experts would
laugh, because to them, that is absolutely not a novel, unless it is for
mid-grade only. Instead, it is actually a “novella”. So writers are held to
certain expectations and therefore do not have the complete freedom to write
whatever they please and call it whatever they please, especially if they want
to be taken seriously by industry professionals. So, do all writers have
independence? Technically yes, because they can write anything and especially
now, they can publish it on the web or self-publish with things like
Createaspace on Amazon. However, if you are someone that is trying to be looked
at as a professional author, then no, you do not have complete independence. You
have to follow certain industry rules and standards. This is no different than
any other industry however. Can anyone try to heal someone if they are hurt?
Sure….they physically can try, should they? No, because they have not been
trained and they should know how to follow medical protocols. Can anyone act as
a therapist? Sure……should they? No, they have not had training. See where I am
going dear readers?
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