Writing is Easy

I was talking with my parents once and I made the comment that writing music is easy. They scoffed and said, "Right, and writing is also easy." Indignantly, I told them that yes, writing words is also easy. After that, I had to sit and think for a while.

I really do think writing music is easy. I can come up with a simple melody without even thinking. I just start humming and it writes itself. Once you have a melody, you add some harmony, which is as easy as choosing notes that don't sound ugly when played with the melody. You can add a little percussion to keep the beat, and you can add lyrics if you feel so inclined. Badda bing, badda boom. There's a song. The hardest part is just writing it all out.

If you look at writing in the same way, it really is just as easy. Come up with any event, no matter how intricate or mundane. Write out the event, what happens before it, and what happens after it. There's your story. The hardest part is writing it all out.

Maybe this says more about me than it does about writing. Maybe I'm some sort of genius writer, like Mozart was as a composer. I'd love to believe that, but I don't. I just put more effort into writing than most people, so I have more ability than most people do as a result of that.

Still, if writing is so easy, why aren't I a prolific writer? Why isn't everybody a prolific writer? For one thing, there is a difference between writing a story and writing a good story. I want my stories to be special, to have a meaning. I want them to grab the reader and make them interested in everything going on. I want my writing to make people think and talk, not just be entertained.

The same is true of music. Writing music is easy. Writing good music is much harder. Still, if you walk into writing thinking that it is going to be difficult, you will never be able to pick up your pen. If you act like it's easy and just start writing, you will get past the hardest step (starting) without even realizing it.