Should Writers Be Committed?

All writers should be committed. Now, I'm not talking about checking into a mental health facility. I'm speaking about dedication.

Certain writers have felt that they became authors because they couldn't find a fit anywhere else--that their creative urges and flights of fancy didn't necessarily equip them for life in the real world. The muse drove and compelled them to create, over seeking success via business endeavors.

Dedication counts when you spend countless lonely hours, shut away writing. And it doesn't end when you take a break from your computer. Many writers find that even when they are away from their keyboards, they are busy composing in their heads, writing while "resting." When they aren't mentally writing, they are observing all things around them for future use. Physical and emotional sensations are recorded in the mental file, raw material to be pulled out and polished later.

I know when I decide to take a real break from writing (when I'm not mentally creating or editing something, when I make a choice to shut down and quit observing the details around me). . . I read.

A friend of mine observed: "Wait a minute! You're telling me you take a break from working with words all day by . . . er reading? Isn't that actually just a dose of more words?"

I had to agree that he was partially right and admittedly, at times, when I'm reading a novel, I find myself analyzing it to see if I could write it better. But, every once in a while, I read a story that's crafted so well, I become lost in it and escape from the everyday stresses, partaking of the sublime offering of another dedicated writer.