What's It Matter?

A couple of months ago while at a networking mixer a new acquaintance asked what it is I do for a living. I'll never forget the response I got when I said I'm a freelance writer. He looked at me blankly and blurted "Yeah, well everyone's a writer if you give them a pen." Of course, I wasn't about to just let that go. So I sucked in a deep breath and calmly countered with, "True enough; but not everyone can write well." He poked the olive drowning at the bottom of his martini and said "What's it matter? Half the population can't read anyway." When he said that, I knew I had him. I quickly flashed my best and brightest wise-ass grin and asked "So, who's your favorite author?"



He didn't have one. He doesn't read much. Muttered something about not having enough time and reading makes him tired anyway, before he excused himself to hit the bar for a refill. I shrugged his comments off and moved on, secure in the fact that I'd successfully one-upped him.



On the drive home I found myself thinking about what he said. Everyone's a writer if you give them a pen. It irritated me. The whole next day his comments assaulted my concentration to the point that I actually stopped writing midday. Instead I started to examine why in the world I was allowing what this guy said to bother me, even a little.



See, it wasn't really what he said that nagged at me, but that there is really some truth to it - a basis in fact. Not that I think him right, no... not for a moment. But after close consideration I do think him rather, well, average.



Let's face it; there's a large percentage of folks out there who do not regard writing as an art, or even a skill. He's one of them. With the world gone e-mail and the art of the letter all but dead, most people are not what could be characterized as practiced writers. I'm sure the fella was not altogether off base in his assumption that half the population can't read. Now I don't mean that literally. I'm certain that a greater percentage of the industrialized world can and do read, I'm just not convinced that they are practiced readers.  If we're not writing letters (I don't know about you, but the majority of e-mails I receive are not by a long shot well constructed so I won't count them as letters) and not adhering to basic writing and language principals will we recognize mistakes while reading books, magazines or the newspaper? Does it matter if I strive to write well, or will my efforts simply go unnoticed?



After much deliberation I've concluded that yes, it does matter if I write well and yes, my efforts will probably go unnoticed... and they should. By all. No one should take note of smooth, accurate writing. If it reads in such a way that not one person notices a thing about the writing other than the story itself, then I have done my job well.



I suppose it is true that everyone with a pen, or these days, a keyboard can write. Not everyone is going to appreciate a well written and compelling story. Not everyone reads or reads often enough. My martini sipping acquaintance got that right, and he'll probably never become aware of what he got wrong. So, what's it matter?



Maybe it's not for him to know, or even worry about. But as a writer, it is my job to contemplate such things. To elevate my work  - whether it is writing the copy for an advertisement, etching an article, scribbling an essay or immersing myself in constructing novel length fiction. It may never matter to any other person who reads my writings, but it means everything to me.



What's it matter? It matters plenty.

Integrity

Whatever happened to the simple premise of holding oneself to a standard of personal and professional integrity? In the recent past this question has arisen ad nauseam. We've all been inundated with news stories and commentary that highlight the decline of seemingly any standard - even low standards - for personal, governmental, and corporate conduct. The Enron debacle, Martha Stewart insider trading, Prisoner abuse in Iraq, The New York Times reporting inaccurate and even utterly false stories! You KNOW there is a downward spiral of integrity when even the exalted New York Times can't be trusted.



The abuses seem to be running rampant, that is, if we are to believe the media who are ever-ready to gleefully saturate the evening news and morning paper with such reports. No one seems to be immune to the lure of dishonesty. Why pay when you can steal it? Why be honest when lies are so much juicier than the truth? Heck, even our nations Presidents bend the truth or outright lie to suit their needs, lest we forget the lurid Clinton/Lewinsky scandal or the notorious yet still missing weapons of mass destruction.



Lack of moral code spills over into everyday life, well... everyday. I have a client who owes me a substantial amount of money. It's been months. Think she cares? Then there's the mechanic who tried to convince me I needed an $1100.00 repair, when all I really needed was a shot of Freon in my air conditioner. Thankfully one of the gentlemen he works with "Figured out the problem" when I let them know there was no way I could afford such a repair at this time. Amazing.



All of this has caused me to examine how writers approach integrity in creative writing. It's so subjective. Characters, plots, motivations all drive the creative work, but how do we define creative? Hasn't everything been done before? Realistically, we all give our characters different names but hasn't every personality - every divisive flaw been already written? Our plots and stories may not be as fresh and unique as we'd like to think they are. Chances are examples can be found throughout literature of similar works that precede even what's currently on the fiction best seller list.



Is it okay to borrow so long as you are not actually stealing? I struggled with this question, and finally came to the conclusion that in the world of creative writing - you bet it is.



As long as there have been stories there have been new slants. Redirection of plots, reinventing character "types" and expanding or narrowing motivations all bring the writer as close as possible to originality. It is not a lack of integrity to borrow from what has come before so long as in the process the writer creates something that can stand on it's own as an original work.



Each of us must define for ourselves our creative standard of integrity. New stories simply could not be written with out it. Perhaps creativity is the last bastion yet to be corrupted by dishonesty. Curious that in a world dominated by the lie, what creative writers find most engaging is the truth.