I talk a lot about writing. Constantly. I’m now realizing that it sort of makes its way into so many conversations and at times, without me even realizing it. At first, there was sort of a mild embarrassment once I found out that there not only aren’t many writers out there, but so many more who just aren’t interested in the subject. These could be friends, family, or otherwise.
I don’t get on social media as much as I used to, but one thing I noticed was that the statuses in which I got the absolute least attention were those in which I talked about writing. It didn’t matter what I said; a “like” here or there, but as a whole, probably much less than when I spoke of just about anything else.
Here’s the funny thing about that. I didn’t care. I still don’t.
Sometimes I do post just to let others know this or that about other topics. I’ve been on Facebook and Twitter long enough to know exactly what will get me the “likes” and “retweets” and what won’t. I know that writing mostly won’t, except mainly from other writers, which I still appreciate because again, there aren’t many of us out there.
I probably talk more about writing on social media than anything else when I actually am on there. That’s because I am so passionate about it. I write poetry, I’ve written books and a few years ago, I have ventured into the world of screenwriting. I am working very hard to become a professional screenwriter one day when my Army days are through, which will be sometime in the next few years.
Writing, like many crafts, just doesn’t grab attention as other things do. It’s not instantly gratifying or doesn’t produce instant results as other things do. It’s not arguing, it’s not full of drama, it’s not insulting someone or putting them down, it’s not complaining about this or that. That’s the reason many aren’t interested in it. Then I’m talking about something I absolutely love. That’s no good, right? “Sunshine and rainbows” alert, right?
On top of that, I’m talking about working on becoming a professional writer, which means I will be writing for movies and television. I’m telling people that I am trying to write what professional actors and actresses will bring to life. We all know the “power” they possess. Most of us watch movies and television, right? None of that happens without the writer. So how many of my friends and family expect that I’ll be able to actually make this happen? The funny thing is that when it does happen, the same ones ignoring me now would be attempting to talk to me MUCH more by then. What changed? Truly, there probably aren’t many who think I will make this happen. Therefore, there isn’t much need to talk to me about it, right?
No part of me is ashamed to talk about writing or to share my love of it with others. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to force people to listen to me if I were to speak about it in public. But this is especially different if I feel like talking about it on social media. I’m more about my passion for it than the “likes” and “retweets” I’ll receive. As much as I appreciate those, not getting them isn’t enough to derail my love for it or will stop me from talking about it. Ironically, I think those are often my longer Facebook statuses as well.
When it comes down to it, a lot of people make posts on social media for everyone else. I post about writing largely for myself. My love for it is what keeps me talking about it on there, whether a ton of people are interested or not.
Maybe I care a little bit if people aren’t interested in the other stuff. As for as writing, I guess my thing is that my love and intense passion for it is strong enough that it allows me to not need everyone else to care about it.
People's Court 