So You Want to Be A Writer?

Gene's response to my post yesterday about (what to pay writers / if writers should write for free / why someone should pay me to read) was a poem by Charles Bukowski. I'd bet Chuck'd be glad his stuff still gets shared on Facebook almost twenty years after his death. Speaking of, tomorrow is his deathday! Memento mori, y'all:

Charles Bukowski, "So You Want to Be A Writer"

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.

The Lit Log: Gene Wagendorf III

This is the fifth in a series called the Lit Log, where I ask people to document what and how they read. If you would like to contribute to the Lit Log, hit me up at andhertz [at] gmail.

Gene Wagendorf III was a music writer at Windy City Rock. He also contributed words to the online travel guide UPChicago, the graphic novel review site Trading Opinions and was a guest blogger for FeelTrip Studios. His poetry has been published in Kill Poet, ditch, O Sweet Flowery Roses, Vowel Movements and Robot Communism. He is survived by his dog, Whiskey, and a version of himself with slightly less of a Bill Hicks-complex.

How many books (approximately) do you read a year: That's tough. To get it out of the way early- I'm an avid reader of of graphic novels/comics. Obviously that medium offers a completely different reading experience than traditional, text only literature, especially in regards to time. I tend to read one or two "book books" a month, but I can plow through six trades of The Walking Dead in one night. The short answer is between 12-20 books a year and maybe 30-40 graphic novels.

How many book do you read at a time: I tend to do a lot of juggling. At any given time my bag has a novel, a graphic novel and either a collection of poetry or short stories in it. What I'm in the mood for changes so frequently that I always like to be prepared.

The last great book you read: This might be cheating since it's a book I've read several times, but I recently reread Tom Robbins' Still Life With Woodpecker. Like a lot of Robbins' work it's highly quotable, self-indulgent, whimsical, hilarious and thought-provoking. Oh, and sexy. Few authors manage to get me erect and get me thinking on the same page. I often forget I have the ability to do both at the same time until I read a great book.

Your desert island book: Charles Bukowski - Tales of Ordinary Madness. It is, in my opinion, his best collection of short fiction. It's packed with the drunk curmudgeon yarns that people expect from Buk, but there are also surprising moments of tenderness and fantasy. There's a few peeks behind the curtain - stories that lend a little insight into his more practical life as a writer. The stories work together towards a strange end, both debunking Bukowski myths and furthering them at the same time. It's self-deprecating and depressing while also being strangely funny and uplifting. The man was a walking contradiction, a tough, angsty booze-hound with a poetic soul and crushing sensitivity. Tales of Ordinary Madness shows off both of those sides, and is a perfect introduction to Bukowski for whatever uninitiated are left.

Best music to listen to while reading: To paraphrase Rob Gordon, when I'm reading I just want something I can ignore. That is, I don't want some catchy pop song I know all the words to. I'll get distracted, want to sing-a-long, or dance or whatever. New Order might be the worst music to read to. Can't do it. I tend to go for something relaxed, or at the very least something instrumental. Thurston Moore's record 'Trees Outside The Academy' is always a good pick; there's some hypnotic acoustic guitar work that, working with his relatively smoky croon, allows me to get lost in the page. Mazzy Star's 'So Tonight That I Might See' is another good one. Not to sound pretentious, but jazz tends to be perfect. Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck- something with a seductive groove and won't be distracting.

Best music to listen to while writing: Like when reading, when writing I don't want to be jarred or taken out of the moment. Abdullah Ibrahim is a favorite because his compositions keep my mind on its toes. Banyana has this structured freedom to it, like anything can happen within these intuitive segments. It helps the creative juices flow without being too jarring. As far as rock goes, a band like Explosions in the Sky has been a recent favorite for writing. I'm a late comer to the band, but like just about the rest of the human race I find their music inspiring. It has a drive to it that's more majestic than it is aggressive, and there's an incredible feeling that comes with finishing a paragraph or a thought right at one of their climaxes and taking a drag off of a cigarette during the settling. Those are the moments that make blogging seem almost glamorous. Almost.