so you want to be a writer

algo para los que escriben que nos visitan.

If it doesn’t come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don’t do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don’t do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don’t do it.
if you’re doing it for money or
fame,
don’t do it.
if you’re doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don’t do it.
if you have to sit there and
rewrite it again and again,
don’t do it.
if it’s hard work just thinking about doing it,
don’t do it.
if you’re trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.
if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you’re not ready.

don’t be like so many writers,
don’t be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don’t be dull and boring and
pretentious, don’t be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don’t add to that.
don’t do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don’t do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don’t do it.

when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.


Comments

5 Responses to "so you want to be a writer"

AndRRRRR dijo... 5/6/08 3:14 p. m.

Sin comentarios :)

Santiago Verón dijo... 9/6/08 1:39 a. m.

No, no, no. Esto está muy mal. Es la una y media de la mañana y ni sé cómo llegué al blog este, pero esto está muy mal. La poesía acaba de describir exactamente lo que significa ser un escritor. You're supposed to stare at a computer screen for hours. You're supposed to read it to your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your teacher, your mom. You're supposed to wonder if this is the right thing to do and wehether you've been chosen, and then do it anyway. It's supposed to be fun and it's supposed to hurt. And time, and lots and lots of practice, are the only two things that are going to fuel your rocket.
Oh, and libraries? Fuck libraries. You don't care if they've seen a thousand like you or if you're the first one. You write for someone to read you, for someone to read what you wrote and come forward and tell you "I really had a great time with your last story, it was truly amazing. Thank you".
Lean "Zen en el arte de escribir" de Ray Bradbury, es un capo. Ahí dice lo que dicen todos los artistas cuando les preguntás: cuando llegue la inspiración, que te encuentre trabajando. Si te levantás y escribís cuatro horas todas las mañanas es inevitable que te hagas bueno con el tiempo.

Anónimo dijo... 9/6/08 2:28 a. m.

no se si quiero ser escritora, solo se que necesito escribir

saludos

O_o dijo... 9/6/08 10:50 p. m.

and there never was.

violette dijo... 12/6/08 10:40 p. m.

no pretendo cortarle a nadie las alas posteando este escrito de don B. sólo quería compartir la reflexión.

que lindos visitantes!
se lo extrañaba don P!

lo mas canchero

la pecera

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