I have to confess that I’ve become a bit impatient lately with people who say they would like to write, but who don’t actually do any writing.
I can’t think of many circumstances, even in times of the greatest extremity, when it would be totally impossible for someone to write if they really wanted to. Wars, after all, have given rise to some of the most affecting and enduring poetry imaginable.
So, here’s an existential question — is a writer who says they would like to write, but who doesn’t actually write, still a writer? I’d be inclined to say the answer is probably no. They are in fact someone who says they would like to write but who is doing something else with their time instead. They can become a writer any time they like, though, by actually doing some writing.
To look at it from another angle — I would very much like to be a giraffe keeper, but I’m not actually keeping giraffes because it would require a lot of things to be in place which are not easily within my power to put in place. A herd of giraffes, for one thing.
But it’s easily within my power to be a writer. I can write pretty much anywhere, any time, if I choose to — all I need is something to write on and something to write with.
And until the herd of giraffes (and a natty keeper’s uniform) come my way, I’ll roll up my sleeves and crack on with some more writing.
