Although I agree in essense with the idea that some writers (or artists of any sort) should know when to quit, a small part of me always wants to bellow in these situations -'what's it to you?' If someone still believes they have something relevant to say, or if they still enjoy doing what they're doing, why should we suggest they pack it in simply to fulfil our own ideas of a well-rounded career? In which spirit, I say: never stop - not until death makes you do so.
Oh yeah, John Updike, man. Dude does overproduce, and he has also had his fingerprint on practically every fiction anthology of the "best American" sort for about 30 years now. ENOUGH. I don't know about this idea that any artist "should" stop working—it seems to me that if you're an artist the working only stops when you die (hey, I wrote that before I saw that georgyriecke above me has already said the same thing; great minds!)—but some of them might consider passing the torch when it comes to things like editorial purview. It's one thing to have lots of your own work out there, but it's another to also have undue influence on the other work that gets promoted. It makes things boring.
We've got a few of those up here, too, Katie. I'd name her; but, you know my MA warned me about me :).
And, Frank, you're right about Brel; but, sadly, he, too, was just a kid when he left us. Forty-nine . . . *sigh* . . .
Ne me quitte pas Il faut oublier Tout peut s'oublier Qui s'enfuit déjà Oublier le temps Des malentendus Et le temps perdu A savoir comment Oublier ces heures Qui tuaient parfois A coups de pourquoi Le coeur du bonheur Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas . . .
The suggestion that any author could simply CHOOSE to stop writing seems utterly bizarre to me.
In my experience, there's no such thing as a 'choice' to write. I'm sure I'll still be doing it in my dotage but, whether or not I ever get another book published, I wouldn't be able to stop if I wanted to.
Yes, Debi, ITA. I didn't choose this gift; He chose it for me; and, all I can do is follow it through to the end (until, as Frank recently noted, they lift my cold clammy tips from doing their keyboard flips).
That said, if you're the Debi Alper who inked Nirvana Bites and Trading Tatiana, I doubt you'll have any probs finding a publisher in this (or any other) life.
Although I agree in essense with the idea that some writers (or artists of any sort) should know when to quit, a small part of me always wants to bellow in these situations -'what's it to you?' If someone still believes they have something relevant to say, or if they still enjoy doing what they're doing, why should we suggest they pack it in simply to fulfil our own ideas of a well-rounded career?
ReplyDeleteIn which spirit, I say: never stop - not until death makes you do so.
correction: 'essence'
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, John Updike, man. Dude does overproduce, and he has also had his fingerprint on practically every fiction anthology of the "best American" sort for about 30 years now. ENOUGH. I don't know about this idea that any artist "should" stop working—it seems to me that if you're an artist the working only stops when you die (hey, I wrote that before I saw that georgyriecke above me has already said the same thing; great minds!)—but some of them might consider passing the torch when it comes to things like editorial purview. It's one thing to have lots of your own work out there, but it's another to also have undue influence on the other work that gets promoted. It makes things boring.
ReplyDeleteWe've got a few of those up here, too, Katie. I'd name her; but, you know my MA warned me about me :).
ReplyDeleteAnd, Frank, you're right about Brel; but, sadly, he, too, was just a kid when he left us. Forty-nine . . . *sigh* . . .
Ne me quitte pas
Il faut oublier
Tout peut s'oublier
Qui s'enfuit déjà
Oublier le temps
Des malentendus
Et le temps perdu
A savoir comment
Oublier ces heures
Qui tuaient parfois
A coups de pourquoi
Le coeur du bonheur
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas . . .
p.s. Dedicated to DS & JMG this morning
The suggestion that any author could simply CHOOSE to stop writing seems utterly bizarre to me.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, there's no such thing as a 'choice' to write. I'm sure I'll still be doing it in my dotage but, whether or not I ever get another book published, I wouldn't be able to stop if I wanted to.
Yes, Debi, ITA. I didn't choose this gift; He chose it for me; and, all I can do is follow it through to the end (until, as Frank recently noted, they lift my cold clammy tips from doing their keyboard flips).
ReplyDeleteThat said, if you're the Debi Alper who inked Nirvana Bites and Trading Tatiana, I doubt you'll have any probs finding a publisher in this (or any other) life.
That's honouring IT for you. Just my deux.