Why Does Place Matter?

I had similar feelings after reading both Scott Russell Sanders' "Writing from the Center" and Annie Dillard's "The Writing Life." Both authors expand on what it is like to be a writer, and they reflect a lot on what is expected of them. I was reminded of Sanders' article during the passage by Dillard that reads "Many writers do little else but sit in small rooms recaling the real world." Sanders also talked about how writers are generally supposed to be isolated and secluded in a writing-only world, with a "shrew" for a wife. Because of these similarities I had a negative feeling after reading the two articles. It made me happy that I am a Nursing major and not an English major or any major that would require a lot of writing. I never really felt that the question of "why are you a writer, then?" was answered, especially in Dillard's piece when she writes "Why people want to be writers I will never know..."

Dillard's piece especially left me with an unsatisfied, unhappy feeling. She was so pessimistic towards writing throughout her entire article. For example, she writes, "You walk along the rows; you weed bits, move bits...bent over the rows with full hands like a gardener. After a couple of hours, you have taken an exceedingly dull nine-mile hike. You go home and soak your feet." This description of what it's like to try and write left me empty because all that is received in the end is a foot soak, no grand garden or finished written work.

Sanders and Dillard make writing seem strenuous, but their articles also give a lot of credit to writers. After reading about how hard it really is to write, I have found a new respect for writers. I see that it is extremely difficult work and it takes a lot of patience and dedication to finish a piece. I have learned through Sanders and Dillard that writing can be very sad and unrewarding, however worth the effort for some people who just have the urge to write.