By: Marv Lincoln
I have been a professional writer for most of my years on Planet Earth. Since I was 16 years old, people have paid me to put words together to serve some purpose, whether it be to entertain, to titillate, to sell a product, to make somebody famous, to change people's minds, to motivate, to move emotionally, or simply to fill up space on a printed page or in cyberspace.
In the beginning was The Word, so I have heard. The ability to put words and ideas together so that they make sense to others -- or, more importantly, to oneself -- is a gift from (fill in the name of your own Higher Power here) not to be taken lightly. Thus the writerly individual feels compelled to write journals, diaries, letters, poetry, essays, stories — even suicide notes — all in the interest of self-examination.
Like many (perhaps most) writers I have had to face down the demons that often come with the writerly gift: writer's block, substance abuse, self-doubt, you name it. Virginia Wolff drowned herself; I am still here. If a writer isn't writing, something around the heart -- the emotional heart -- withers and dies. We write because we can. We write because we have no choice.
Back in the day, you were either a newspaper reporter, or a freelance photojournalist, or maybe you got lucky and sold a screenplay or found an agent to tout your novel. Now, at the dawn of the 21st Century, the Internet has opened up the World of Writing to everyone.
We've got blogs, websites, newsgroups, instant messaging, MySpace and (coming soon, no doubt) InYourFace, and a freedom to express oneself that has never before existed on this planet. Just around the corner are technological innovations that no one has ever thought of.
Now, anyone can be a writer, a published writer in cyberspace, and it's not just about commerce anymore. It's about being seen, about being heard, your ideas shared with others who may or may not agree with what you have to say. It doesn't really matter.
Of course, all this open communication can get messy. One side of human nature tends to grab hold of something beautiful and turn it into a monster, a greedy, insatiable beast that devours creativity and eats your soul. See: Spam.
Relax. Amid all the rush to be first and make the most money, there are still people out there who need Something Written for them. Maybe it's a publicity campaign; maybe it's a book, or an ad, or a business letter, or a brochure, or text for their website.
There are still old pros around who can write anything, anywhere, anytime. We have been there and done that. The Future? Bring it on. Marketing is still marketing, and all of your virtual reality players, your gameboys and your avatars still melt at the sight of a great headline.
Now it's keywords. I got news for you: It's always been keywords. Anchor text? Tell those Google spiders to get real and check out the sharp, clear text and ideas spun by the writers who have made a career of putting the right words in the right order.
That's what we do. That's the life of a writer. Whatever is called for, whatever the times or the place or the medium -- from parchment scrolls to holographic headlines over Times Square -- the writer is there.
