“Writers are people for whom writing is more difficult than it
is for other people.”
Thomas Mann
I was sitting in a café at a book event when one of the authors who was reading shared this quote. What a great statement about writing this is!
How strange this statement is at first glance — and yet how true it feels! Why should writing be more difficult for us as writers than it is for everyone else? Why shouldn’t it be easier for us?
My handy Compact Oxford English Dictionary defines “difficulty” as “needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.”
Like any other creative discipline “much effort or skill” is needed to accomplish the work we do — the novels we write, the short stories we craft, the plays we pen. Words matter to us and we care about craft more than most people, so we have to work harder at it.
But there’s a hidden joy here: As my friend and mentor Rob Gilbert says on his fabulous Success Hotline (973.743.4690), there’s nothing more satisfying than tackling something difficult that you really care about. Isn’t that one of the true pleasure in writing?
Moments of inspiration when words just flow out of us are always a source of joy. But equally fulfilling, in my experience, are moments when you face a thorny plot point or flabby transition or lackluster ending and you fight through the problem until you solve it.
Like Jacob, when he wrestled with an angel until it blessed him, sometimes we need to wrestle with our words until they bless us. And when we find the strength and persistence to do this, what a joy! Now that’s writing dangerously. Write on!
