Putting in the Work
Georgia Middleman shares why she does what she loves.
As writers, often times we begin our work with little idea as to whether or not someone will ever read the words we are stringing together. For me personally, this can be a very discouraging start to my writing process. Sometimes I get caught up in the idea that if no one is going to read it, see it, or listen to it, then what is the point of putting pen to paper in the first place? Luckily enough for me and the audience members of In Process last Thursday night, Georgia Middleman gave remarkably simple insight into that thought.
“I have to put my work out there.”
Notice she says, “I have to.” It’s a must for Georgia. A need to put her work out into the world. Also notice, she does NOT say she has to get her work produced or recorded. She simply says it has to be out there, and if the world happens to take hold of it, what a win for Georgia! What a patient outlook on the labor she has put her heart and soul into. As writers, that’s what we do. We take our ideas, experiences, and stories and turn them into something beautiful. It takes work to make language vibrant, and I feel as though good writers genuinely sacrifice pieces of themselves to the work they are doing. However, if writers surrender small bits of themselves to their work, and they aren’t getting a paycheck, a publication, or in Georgia’s case, a record deal, then what are they receiving in return?
I think this question can only be answered by each individual writer — because don’t we all write for different reasons? In Georgia’s case, she says, “I write so I don’t get depressed.” While she has been able to grow a career out of her art, it seems as though she is also able to feed her soul through songwriting. How admirable of her to do the work that gets her out of bed every morning. Shouldn’t we all do this? What would the world look like if every single person woke up with plans to do the work that made their heart leap out of their chest? What would storytelling look like if writers wrote without a care in the world who read, produced, published, or recorded their work? What if they allowed themselves the luxury of letting their imagination run wild? What kind of satisfaction, peace, self-understanding, and beauty would that add to our world?
This is not to say, however, that there isn’t value in keeping tabs on where your work is going, or who is looking at it, producing it, and admiring it. For instance, Georgia wrote a song called, “Take a Good Look at My Face” after hearing a story about a boy who had been abducted. The song went years without being recognized until the Polly Klaas Foundation heard it. Polly Klaas wanted to use the song to give awareness to National Missing Children’s Day. Just because the song didn’t do well immediately didn’t mean it would never be recognized. Georgia had patience and an understanding that one day the song might be used, so she didn’t become discouraged and stop songwriting just because one of her songs wasn’t a big success right off the bat. Sometimes the work we put out into the world needs a specific moment to shine, and I would say Georgia’s song shone bright in such a worthy cause.
So, the next time you sit down in front with your pen and paper, computer, or typewriter, maybe just take a pause and relish in the moment that you are about to create something that is uniquely your own.
For me, I write because I encounter and see things that deeply disturb me. I look at the world and I can’t make sense of it. But, when I write, I can take those disturbances and turn them into characters I know and a story line I create. I am able to relate to experiences and people I would otherwise never know. My world becomes a bit less scary, and I am able to go through my day with a greater sense of purpose and relief.
Think about why you HAVE TO write, and what kind of joy that brings you. Think about yourself and what you want to say rather than what you think your publisher, friends, or colleagues will want to hear. Give yourself the time and space to be the writer of passion and self-evident truth. And then sit back and admire yourself, because if you can write what is true to you, it will be a magnificent work of art.
National Missing Children’s Day — Take A Good Look At My Face — YouTube
“The Afterthought” is a weekly column by In Process Intern Lillian Reid.
