Writer and his society

All genuine writing is rooted in at least 3 things:

1.     the complex social reality which the writer is trying to understand and interpret;

2.     the literary tradition in the Eliotean sense; and

3.     the writer’s heart.

The writer has to be constantly in touch with the world around him. Unless he understands that world, unless he is in constant touch with it, how can he write about it meaningfully? Good writers are sensitive people whose hearts are moved by what is happening around them.

William Faulkner advised writers to “read, read, read”.  He asked them to “read everything: trash, classics, good and bad.” Absorb what you’re reading, then write. Without such moorings in the literary tradition, no one can be a good writer.

The interpretation of the reality around comes from the writer’s heart, from his entire personality. Writing is the bleeding of the heart, as Hemingway suggested. Whatever has not been processed in the writer’s heart fails to carry conviction.

So, can a writer afford to distance himself from the society?

The process of writing is different from writing per se. More often than not, the process requires solitude. Most great writers have/had their own private, solitary places for the process of writing. While the reality around is necessary for providing the raw material for writing, the process of writing is a very personal affair. The writer has to detach himself from the world. Of course, you can be in the middle of a crowd and yet be detached.

Now to answer the question raised at In[di]spire, if you are going to write a book you might do well by shutting off yourself from the distractions of social media and even the society as much as you can. Good writers have their own disciplined schedule like setting aside a particular period of time every day to the process of writing without being distracted by anything. Such commitment is essential if you wish to be a good writer.