How is Art the Most Beautiful Burden?

The Most Beautiful Burden

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The life of the author is not an easy one. It takes patience and perseverance to write a novel (or anything for that matter), and quite commonly, the writer feels like they exist in a vacuum. The writer is a strange animal, an entity that seemingly exists here and “there” (wherever “there” may be).

We pop in and out of this world, between the odd landscapes within our minds. There are many times when I ask family and friends to repeat things because I was “there” instead of here.

​What exactly a writer is—well—that’s a rather interesting conversation. I say this mainly because not everyone is a writer. Not everyone has these curious voices in their minds; not everyone dreams intently about scenes or plots. The writer constantly is a deviser, an ever-working clockmaker, fixing and crafting a tale while hoping that the muse will look their way. Sometimes, she will. The muse is a fickle woman, but her voice is sweeter than song.

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Photo by William F. Burk

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​Everything about writing is mysterious, and there’s a beauty in that. Perhaps it is because if we writers understood our craft fully it might be harder to respect it. The humble wish to grow; the comfortable are content.

And the writer must always be humble, for it is when they believe they understand the art that, like a feral dog, it will betray them.

​So, what to take away from this. Well, if you’re a writer, then you should know that you are a lucky creature to hold the beautiful burden of imagination and the love of storytelling. Don’t—and I mean never—take that for granted.

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