Is it Normal to Write a Novel?

"The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world.  And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it isn't true."  John Steinbeck

As writers, we're driven to write!  What we're doing (at least to us) is important for expanding the knowledge of the general public, or at least offering a form of entertainment.

The downfall of this is that writing is a solitary profession.  And sitting alone for hours on end can lead to depression.  Some of the most famous writers, including Keats, Virginia Woolf, Hemingway, and Sylvia Plath, were depressed.

At Bob Mayer's Warrior Writing Workshop, he encouraged all who were depressed to take their medication.  "After all" he said, "it's not really normal to lock yourself away and write 100,000 words."
And Robert Masello also urges, "take the Prozac, the Zoloft...or just get out and see some friends."

I've never thought of writing as abnormal (or depressing), and because I'm an introvert, I love locking myself away and getting lost in another world.  If I'm a freak, don't tell anyone!  I once heard a skydiver say, "Some people write novels, I jump out of airplanes.  There's no greater rush for me."

I can't even begin to understand the thrill of jumping out of an airplane--but to me, there's nothing like the rush of writing a novel!

What do you think?

Tweet me:  @maria_mckenzie.  Thanks for stopping by!