Thoughts on Writing by Nancy L. Eady

The quote, the way I heard it, was “All writers hate writing; all writers love having written,” attributed to Gloria Steinem. Today, a little investigation courtesy of Google has revealed that  the quote is attributed to Dorothy Parker in its original form, which was “I hate writing. I love having written.” Even further investigation, however, shows that no record exists proving Dorothy Parker ever said or wrote the quote attributed to her. 

Regardless of who said it, I disagree. I admit I have days when writing is a chore, when it is all I can do to keep my fingers typing out words, while my brain keeps encouraging me with helpful comments like, “This is the worst writing you’ve ever done.” But there are other days, too. Days when I enter “the zone,” and the words fly from my fingers to the screen, barely keeping up with my brain. It feels like flying. On those days, writing is not a chore. 

The other fallacy in the statement is that each author has individual preferences for what they like about the writing process. Some people love writing the first draft but suffer through the editing that comes next. Other people struggle to crank out the first draft but love the magic they find in the editing process, as they sculpt their raw material into a polished, readable work. And there are others, nuts like me, who have days and times when they enjoy both. 

Writing and editing remind me of counted cross-stitch, a craft I enjoy. In counted cross-stitch, the crafter takes a fabric such as linen or Aida, with a regular, discernible weave to it, chooses a chart of a picture marked up with symbols to stand for certain colors of thread, and then builds the picture on the fabric with tiny “x” stitches by following the chart. I love the building block process of counted cross-stitch, when I’m filling in the basic colors as indicated in the chart. But there is also magic in the finishing details, when back-stitching (a way of stitching straight lines) is used to create additional perspective based upon what structures in the picture are outlined, and in what colors. Writing the rough draft of a story or novel is like filling in the basic building blocks in cross-stitch, and editing adds the finishing details that make the story a marketable project. 

There are parts of writing as a business that I have found few, if any, writers love. “I am writing a synopsis today,” said no writer with glee ever. However, the one solid, basic fact you learn in law school is that every rule has an exception, so I’m sure someone is reading this post in disbelief, thinking “But, Nancy, don’t you know the synopsis is the best part?” 

All of which leads me to wonder, fellow readers, what you think of the quote. Do you hate writing but love having written? Do you prefer bringing that first draft into the world, or is your favorite part when you edit that first draft repeatedly to make it the best work you can present? Or is there some other part of writing that you cherish more?