“Shaka, when the walls fell” is a line from one of the most popular episodes of Star Trek TNG. This episode, titled “Darmok”, was the second offering of the shows fifth season. The writing was ingenious, the directing superb, and the episode saw the acting debut of then twenty-three-year-old Ashley Judd.
But this isn’t about a cast of talented actors, the origin of a memorable phrase, or even the man who wrote it. This is about the meaning behind those words and how they relate to writers.
“Shaka, when the walls fell” is a rich metaphor for times of failure and frustration. I chose this phrase because...
Yesterday I had a chance to speak with a fellow writer who, in his words, has lost any joy for writing. He used to wake each morning with ideas and excitement. Whether at his computer or with a pad and pen, he wrote every day.
He told me he hasn’t written in weeks, having experienced a notion that creeps up on each of us at some time in our lives. He said, "Who really cares?"
The who really cares isn’t about a lack of ideas. It is the notion that the walls are too high to climb. The abyss is too wide to traverse. And no one will ever hear your screams. It is the point in our writing when we say, “Why am I doing this?”
Wisdom from the pundits tells us we write because we have to write in order to be happy. If we don’t wake up each day with a passionate urging to put ink to paper, we should be doing something else. That seems a bit cold and tactless, but it is essentially true. And why? Because, as with any venture, there might be years of defeat before the first minor success.
A writer should consider themselves in the same category as a small business owner. Their product is found in the words they weave. Some days their successes surpass their expectations. Some days they beg for even one customer. To further this analogy, it might help to understand that eight out of ten small businesses fail within the first eighteen months. So if this is what writing is like, why do we do it?
1) Our stories need to be told.
I have a friend who came to a crisis point in her marriage. She and her husband found a way through their struggles and she now has a passionate urging to share her story. She blogs, speaks at conferences, and has a devoted following, all because she believed her story had to be told. Her next venture involves publishing non-fiction books to help others who are struggling in their marriages. She knows she may never become wealthy, but she believes in what she is doing. A large number of non-fiction writers fall into this category.
2) We’ve always wanted to see our name in print.
This is a valid, although a bit immodest, reason for writing. This might be the person who sets a goal and strives to attain their fifteen minutes of fame. They’ve accomplished their dreams by seeing their name on a book cover. That is their meat. Any sales of their work is the gravy. Vanity publishing houses make their living by catering to these writers. I celebrate their accomplishments and purchase their books if they meet my criteria (July 2nd post, It’s all in how you begin). It has been said that half of all writers fall into this category. They might never publish a second book; their goal being met.
3) We love to write.
We sit with our ink and paper and we create worlds. We create friends and enemies. We fall in love. We create fear and we create heroes. We touch the sky. We write because we love to write.
When my writer friend said to me, “Who really cares?”, my first response was simple and obvious.
“When you wake in the morning, do you really care? Even for that one instant, before the world rushes in with busyness and to-do lists and appointments to keep, do you really care?”
He is beginning his new project this morning.
My blog often targets new writers, but I hope there has been something here for everyone
I wish you luck and success, and, above all else, whatever you write, just keep writing.
My Click Here To Read button gives the last bit of Assuming Room Temperature that I’m willing to share for a time. You can find the first six chapters as the Click To Read offering after my June 4th, July 2nd, and July 30th posts.
If you haven’t read my previous posts, please take a few moments out. Hopefully you will find something entertaining and helpful.
Thanks again, and enjoy.