On being a writer --- an irresistible compulsion!

by Richard L. Weaver II

I have always been fascinated by authors, even put them on a pedestal. In my mind they possessed knowledge, ideas, and wisdom that exceeded those of ordinary mortals. And when I was asked in 1973, by Dr. Saundra Hybels, to write a textbook with her, I thought that I possessed nothing at all that satisfied my conception of what an author should be. I was neither trained sufficiently nor at the proper career stage—four years out of graduate school—to merit such an anointment, and yet I was brazen and cavalier enough to agree to do it.

Since then, the textbook I wrote with Hybels is in its tenth edition (eight with its current publishing company and two with a prior publisher), another textbook has seen eight editions, another one, three editions, and several others one apiece. There have been close to one hundred academic articles, numerous chapters in books, and more than a dozen published speeches and the same number of published essays. I chronicle these events not so much to convince readers that I am, indeed, a writer but more to convince myself. It is the same problem I mentioned in the first paragraph: at what point do you have the knowledge, ideas, and wisdom to think of yourself as a writer?

There have been a number of influences in my development as a writer. Although I can credit my mother for her interest in and support of her son and his small writing efforts, and I certainly can acknowledge all my English teachers, and I must always note the contribution of my dissertation advisor, one influence—drilled into my consciousness as a graduate student at Indiana University—had to be the “publish or perish” conundrum [a perplexing thing] that I was told would be, like it or not, my Holy Grail—the sacred cup from which I would sup—if teaching in higher education ended up as my profession. “Publish or perish” has the power to both motivate and persuade—and it did. “Publish or perish” remained perplexing just as long as I had nothing to offer to satisfy its glutenous appetite.

I have no negative feelings whatever about the pressure to publish work constantly in order to further or sustain a career in academia. It was that pressure that made me competitive when it came to acquiring a tenure-track faculty position, and frequent publication, too, was my route to improving my visibility within the speech-communication field. I was fully aware that instructing undergraduates alone—although I dearly loved teaching—would automatically place me out of contention for available tenure-track positions, but I never felt this was wrong nor an unjust weighting of what was required to survive in academe: it was clear from the outset.

A couple of things occurred during my years as an academic writer that have influenced me to this day. First, to write academically required that I read academic books, journals, and articles. There was no way I could publish my own insights and research without knowing what else was going on in the field—and how it was being reported. Thus, my reading has always been confined to nonfiction, first out of necessity and then out of choice (maybe habit).

In whatever field or genre you choose, you have to discover what to say as well as how to say it, and that takes time.

Second, I had to follow the form and structure of academic writers. For me this was a difficult prospect since I had to publish academic articles because of the “publish or perish” dictum, and early in my career I began writing textbooks. Textbooks had to meet academic standards, of course, since it was my faculty colleagues who made the choice to use my textbooks. At the same time, however, they had to be written for students (non-academics), because if students did not find them approachable and readable, they would not only set them aside, but they would make it clear to their professors they did not like the textbook. I have always found this dichotomy difficult: how academic is too academic, or how unacademic is too pedestrian?

The way I made the distinction between writing academically and writing textbooks can best be illustrated in the difference between the way you write and the way you talk. Writing tends to be more formal; speaking tends to be informal. Written text tends to be more dense, with careful organization, and more complex language structures. Spoken language has simpler constructions with repetition and rephrasing—and it sounds spontaneous and natural.

What the “publish or perish” pressure did for me was to establish a habit of writing. It secured an approach to my discipline (and to life in general) that had me always on the lookout for new, interesting, and challenging ideas to write about. This willingness to be observant and constant awareness of and alertness to surroundings are important qualities for writers.

What many who aspire to be writers may not realize is that writing is often lonely and isolating. Writing is hungry for both time and emotional energy when some might rather be using both in other ways. There are days when you would like a life, when you would rather stop and find something else to do, or when you just want to throw your hands up in frustration and say, “I give up, that’s it, no more!”

Another aspect of writing many aspiring writers may not want to hear is that it is hard work. Some would prefer doing the research and not the writing. Some may even just want the title, “I’m a writer,” and do none of the work it takes to be a writer. One writer even said, “Oh to just ‘be a writer’ and ride along from speaking engagement to book club. Too bad I have to write in order to call myself one.” Often it isn’t the writing itself that is so difficult, it’s the tightening it up, then tightening it up again that draws all the fun from it. This is when it becomes hard, hard work.

Most writers have always wanted to write, felt compelled to express themselves, and wanted to make a difference in the world by inspiring, entertaining, or otherwise affecting their readers. Writing, for me, fulfills a need. Although it can be lonely at times, at others it can be terribly exciting. Because it exposes me when I write, it takes courage, and each time I sit down to do it, I overcome my insecurities, experience an emotional release, and enjoy my irresistible compulsion.

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At allycarter.com, there is a great essay entitled, “101 Tips on being a writer,” by Ally Carter who is the author of the Gallagher Girls series. If you want to know how to start, or what to do, or how to prepare, this is a great essay.

Craig Harper discusses prospective writers to write from the heart, be prolific, let people see your personality, plan, use a thesaurus and dictionary, have an ideas book, don’t be a chicken, ask for feedback, and read your material back to yourself. This is a worthwhile essay.

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Contact Richard L. Weaver II