Writing alone is like alcoholism
Oct. 3rd, 2003 09:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
compilerbitchIt just occurred to me that writing is an essentially solitary act. Enjoyable, a kick in and of itself. Medium as opiate of the individual. But, there is guilt associated with this. Should I be doing something more useful? Does anyone really care about what other people write, still less me?
The analogy with drinking is clear. Enjoyable in and of itself. Damaging in excess. Guilt.
Somehow, people don't seem to mind about drinking as a group activity. It legitimises the act -- the social interaction involved offsets worries about its self-destructive nature. Likewise, LJ allows the process of writing to become shared. It's not email. It's not a BBS, or anything resembling IRC. It's not communication in the strictest sense -- it's instant gratification, click-here vanity publishing. No guilt required.
I love it.
The analogy with drinking is clear. Enjoyable in and of itself. Damaging in excess. Guilt.
Somehow, people don't seem to mind about drinking as a group activity. It legitimises the act -- the social interaction involved offsets worries about its self-destructive nature. Likewise, LJ allows the process of writing to become shared. It's not email. It's not a BBS, or anything resembling IRC. It's not communication in the strictest sense -- it's instant gratification, click-here vanity publishing. No guilt required.
I love it.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-03 03:01 am (UTC)but i agree, it can be addictive, can swallow time, where perhaps more useful things could be achieved - but, strangely, i don't feel much guilt for it too often.
and given i can feel guilty about reading anything for fun, be it terry pratchett or any of the classics, or anything however factual not currently related to my course of study... its not surprising the odd twang of guilt at "time wasted" comes up... but then its my history. My life. There is something to show for the time, even if it is meaningless drivel. Besides i'm training myself out of feeling guilt for reading - given it stopped me being a book worm, and practically stopped me reading anything at all.
ho hum, that didn't make much sense... i should go get dressed and start being useful for the day!
*grin*
:)
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-03 03:10 am (UTC)I don't feel like a workaholic -- I think its more an avoidance of non-work that is at the root of the problem.