It's all About the Whole Picture

Boy I don't know where this is going. Come along for the ride, kids.

I've been reading (well, re-reading to be frank) Stephen King's book On Writing. This proports to be his text on the art and craft of writing, but in truth I've found it to be more of a memoir of personal history and philosophy that grants insights into how one of the most prolific and active writers of the last century views his work. That doesn't mean there aren't valuable lessons to be learned from the work. There absolutely are. There is one phrase in particular that I have found myself coming back to over and over again, both in my reading of the text and my examination of it as it relates to my own work.

"Life is not a support system for art. It's the other way around."

Fuck me, but that's true.

I'm someone who strives for balance in my life. Balance in work, in art, in relaxation, all of it. Unfortunately, I am also something of an extremist. Writing is not my full-time gig, I do have a real world job. I am also incredibly privileged to be able to say that I truly LOVE my full-time job. I put as much of myself into it as I can, and it is a hefty workload. A 70 hour work week is not uncommon in my job, especially in the summer and autumn seasons. I don't half-ass it, I don't clown with it, and I don't make excuses. I am as honest in my work as I am in my writing. I also have several hobbies that I work with on a daily basis, not to mention making time for family, for my friends (okay I'm not great about that part, but at least I try), and all that is not even mentioning the necessary bullshit of life! Doctor visits, oil changes, spending hours on the phone with customer service just because the blue light on the router has turned red, yada-yada-yada. It's all noise, it's all chaos, it's all bullshit.

So where the fuck does writing fit in?

I've been writing stories as long as I can remember. I am cursed with an unfortunately vivid imagination, and it's too easy for me to become lost in a daydream. For me, writing is the great leveler, the great soother, the balm that makes everything easier to deal with. I write because I love it, because I need to write, because if I don't take the time to put stories down on paper, I start to fray at the edges (trust me on this, I know from experience, unfortunately). And I take my writing seriously too, damnit. When I sit down to write, I am sitting down to work. Just because I enjoy the work doesn't mean it's not work. I treat it with gravity and professionalism, and I devote a great deal of time to thinking about it.

But, it's not the end all be all. It can't be. It could be. Writing could easily consume me, pull me down into its dark, secret rabbit hole, lure me through its tunnels until I can't find my way out again. And then where am I? Without the larger pieces of my life, I'm no better off than if I wasn't writing at all. I think that is why Stephen King's quote resonated so deeply with me. Writing isn't a complete life. But for me at least, life is not complete without writing.