“I wish… to thank you for your share in making life pleasant for me.” —from a letter, by a reader, to William Wallace Cook
In this little world, so crowded with sorrow and tragedy, what is it worth to have had a share in making life pleasant for a stranger?
—William Wallace Cook, in The Fiction Factory
William Wallace Cook, due to his prolificity, was called “The Man Who Deforested Canada”. Unfortunately for us, and I suppose him, his popularity with the reading public seemingly died when he did in 1933.
A search of the internet yielded no complete bibliography, nor even much of a biography. It seems none of his books are in print. And virtually none have been digitized. I suppose the lack of bibliography is due in part to the many pen names he used, and to a very large portion of his work being published under house names, and a considerable portion of his writing for the 5¢ and10¢ libraries of the day not being credited at all!
Would his present anonymity have bothered Cook? I’m sure I can’t answer that question. However, in his autobiographical The Fiction Factory (published under a pen name!), Cook does not seem to have had an eye to the future. He knew very well he was writing “disposable” fiction. He was not writing the great American novel — he was writing fiction to make a buck to pay the rent and put food on the table. He was an entertainer, much like TV scriptwriters today, and he seemed fine with that.
Then there are the quotes above.
While it’s clear Cook wrote hundreds of novels and stories for money, he was not averse to the writer’s higher calling: making life pleasant for the reader.
If he could, by his typewriter, help to alleviate someone’s sorrow, that was worth more to him then the check he got from the publisher.
I was a prolific poet: writing something over 2000 poems in the space of about 10 years, and seeing several hundred of them in physical and virtual print.
As I’ve said before, there’s no money in poetry. One must seek satisfaction in something other than the almighty dollar. For me, it was hearing from a reader how much one of my poems touched him or her.
Quite honestly, 99% of us will be forgotten by the time our peers and our children are dead. And some of us a lot sooner than that!
What matters most in life is how we touch others. We can be a vehicle of positive energy or one of negative energy.
As a writer, I can crank out books to make a buck — or I can seek to step a bit higher and hopefully make life pleasant for someone. The choice is mine.
I like money. I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t writing in the hopes of making money. However, at the end of the day, I’d rather touch someone, inspire someone, or make life pleasant for someone than bring home shopping carts full of money.
There’s nothing wrong with money. After all we do need it to live. If suddenly my sales took off, I’d be jumping for joy. And I wouldn’t give the money back. But if no one ever told me one of my books made life pleasant for him or her, I would be very sad. Very sad indeed. For though rich, truly I’d be poor.
Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!
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CW, it’s like you took the words directly from my brain and onto your blog post! I’ve often been conflicted when writing as to whether it was worth it or not. Low sales often brings out the negative self-talk. But then, along comes a review that says I sparked joy, even if only for a short time, while a reader was immersed in the story. That kindles (no pun intended) the spirit in which I aim to maintain. We aren’t all going to be best-sellers, but we can all touch a heart.
You hit the nail on the head! Thanks for stopping by, JoAnn!!
Bravo, C.W.! You speak for, and well of, all of us who toil at our keyboards, knowing full well that we’re never likely to realize more than ten or twenty dollars a month for our efforts, and yet we keep plugging along anyway. This is why. I once quipped to a co-worker that one month my book sales had paid for my internet service. But I wasn’t joking. I have a saying I tell the youngsters I talk with on my writing sites: “You don’t choose writing; writing chooses you.” If you are chosen, understand that you’re going to write no matter what it may exact from your personal life, and if you’re truly one of the chosen, a glowing five-star review is worth more to you than any royalty check, barring the one that makes you independently wealthy . . . maybe! You’ve really caught lightning in a bottle with this post, and anyone who’s friends with a writer, and wonders what drives our strange behavior need look no further.
Hoping you find all you’re looking for in your future endeavors, I remain your peer, colleague, and devoted fan. Read well, and write better!
You’re absolutely right, Jack: writing chooses us. The Muse picks the writer. Thanks for stopping by!