How to Write a Novel

Chapter Eighteen - Why I Write

Why do I write?

This is a question I've been asking myself for years. I slave over these stories, coming up with interesting characters and plots, spending countless hours in room, alone, typing feverishly away at a keyboard, giving up so many of life's pleasures such as freedom, relationships, sunshine... I invariably get to a point where I ask myself, why do I do this? What's the point?

So in this post, I'm going to go through the reasons why I write and more broadly, why is art important.

WHAT IS ART?

I come from a philosophy background so I will attack this problem using the tools I've been taught.

As with any philosophical inquiry, we must first define our terms. We need to know what it is precisely that we're speaking of. In this case — art.

Art is a very broad term. I actually took an entire course at UBC called the philosophy of art, and after a full semester, countless discussions, essays and readings, I'm no closer to defining what is art and what is not art.

As it turns out, anything can be art.

Art has intentionality behind it, art is what people label art, art depends on where it is displayed.

In 1917, artist Marcel Duchamp famously submitted a piece to the exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, called Fountain, which was nothing more than a urinal with the words R. Mutt printed on the side of it. This submission challenged the art world's preconceptions of what constitutes as art.

My definition of art is the creative expression intended to evoke an emotional response, aesthetic experience, entertain, or spread ideas. Or another simpler definition that works is, you'll know it when you see it.

There's also good art and bad art. To me, good art is that which requires talent skill, technique, mastery, and creativity. Bad art exhibits less skill, talent, technique, mastery, and creativity.

Art can take many forms from film, music, podcasting, cuisine, theatre, painting, dancing, comedy, sculpting, architecture, typography, graphic design... all of which aim to entertain and make people happy and spread ideas about how a society should think and feel about a subject. 

Stories are art, and often aim to make you feel some kind of way, pass on lessons or distribute thought-provoking ideas or information.

WHY IS ART IMPORTANT?

In philosophy, when we want to test ideas, we create what's called thought experiments, or hypothetical scenarios if you will to challenge ideas and see if they withstand scrutiny.

I'll be arguing that art is in fact important and meaningful for society, and to test my hypothesis, I will assume I am speaking with someone who fundamentally disagrees with me. My goal is therefore to convince this person that my view is correct, and the view in which they hold, the opposite of mine, is in fact incorrect.

First, I will request you set aside any ideas you have about the world and imagine if you will a world completely devoid of art. There's no literature, no paintings, no music, no movies, no dance, no fashion, no sculptures, no cuisines, etc.

Imagine further that in this world, there is no creativity of any kind that does not produce some meaningful utility to society. It is outlawed, non-existent, nor do people practice art in secret.

Of course there must be buildings, but the architecture is completely utilitarian and only serves a practical purpose for which it is built. Colour is only permitted if used to convey a deeper meaning like a stop sign or to indicate a hazard.