Table of Contents
- I’m tired of not being a famous writer.
- Nobody reads anymore.
- Forgive me Frida Kahlo
- I know it seems I hate Frida Kahlo
- Forgive me Frida Kahlo; I’m tired of not being a famous writer
I’m tired of not being a famous writer. I really am!
It is hard to be a writer in the 21st century. Everything happens so fast that by the time you manage to write something down it is already irrelevant. Trends move faster than thoughts. It’s easy to be a writer. But, what does it matter if nobody reads what you write?
To-day it seems, at least from where I’m standing; that, no one cares about the written word. Even though all we are, are tweets and posts. Ironic. We went from carefully constructing verses and counting syllables to carefully constructing tweets and counting characters.
For the last few months I’ve been building a website, learning and practising. Trying to build a place with no walls where words are loved. For the last few months I’ve been trying to become a recognized author. It turns out that writing and being a writer are two different things. Anybody can write. We do it all the time. Simple messages. Tweets, blogs, titles for YouTube videos, etc.
A child writes a message for her best friend. A moronic president writes a tweet. Some people even write Stories every day! I write. But what? And why! It’s all useless. I tell myself sometimes that I should get a real job; writing lab reports and financial spreadsheets.
Nobody reads anymore.
The modernists made sure of that. Being a writer is not about writing. A writer spends months without touching a piece of paper; months without even realizing that the strings of words are forming in the mind. Putting the words on paper is just a technicality. Pure literature exists regardless of the physical form.
We value the words. But sadly, it seems that we do not love them anymore. Words are ubiquitous in this century. And I am glad! I’m so fucking glad that there aren’t anymore pricks like T. SS Eliot dictating what “true” literature is and what it isn’t. Well, to be clear, there are still pricks dictating what true literature is.
They are called scholars. Some of them teach in universities. I’m sorry, these are my thoughts. They come and go as they please. What was I saying? Ah yes. I’m tired of not being a famous writer. I don’t desire fame. I just want my works to be read; I want what all writers want. This isn’t making any sense. I sound like a prescriptivist asshole. It is just that I’m tired of not being a famous writer.
Forgive me Frida Kahlo
It’s just that I’ve been inside for too long. Inside my house. Inside my room. Inside my head. I’m not used to being alone with myself. I thought that I wanted to be a writer but I was wrong. It is not enough for me, these days it never is. Being a writer is boring. It doesn’t pay the bills. But, being a famous writer is a whole different thing.
People actually want to read what you have to say, people pay attention to your words and they write essays about, they write news articles and tweet about them. Being a famous writer is the best thing that can happen to a writer. And I’m tired of not being a famous writer.
The problem is… there are many ways one can become a famous writer. Sylvia Plath is famous and so is Frida Kahlo. And look at how they ended up. Frida Kahlo is now more famous than her work, nobody gives a shit, I bet you can’t even name one of her paintings or one of her poems. Poor Frida. They turned her into a product.
They sell the idea of Frida over anything else. Forgive me Frida; but, I don’t want to end up like you.
I want to be a famous writer. And it appears that in the 21st century you need to know a lot of SEO. Because according to WordPress: “code is poetry.“
I know it seems that I hate Frida Kahlo.
I don’t. I hate what they did to her. I hate that I grew up in Mexico and that I can’t name any of her paintings or her poems. I hate that I can tell you the poems of John Milton but nothing about her. I hate that to-day, Frida Kahlo is just a face.
Like the rest of us.
I hate that we made her ubiquitous and simple and boring. She was just a crazy painter they say. She is only famous because of her looks and being married to a true painter they say. I’m sorry Frida. I’m sorry that you went from artist to symbol to merchandise and then to meme. I’m glad you can fly. I just wish that somebody would have recorded your voice.
I want to be a famous writer; not a writer who is famous. I have been using Instagram and YouTube to become famous. I’ve tried to be popular. To use the right hashtags. To say the right things and to post at the correct time of day. But I’m just tired. I am a writer. And, I want to be famous for it. I want my words to be read. Regardless of their form. That’s why they are not printed. Because what matters are the words. Once out there, they are immortal.
They just need to be read and brought into life by someone other than myself. If I read them I’d only be killing them softly. I want to be a famous writer; but, I think I’m going to have to break the rules of the game.
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