When I got into the education program at college, the first class I had to take was Philosophy of Education. I think that was first in the program because philosophy is important. It’s the wellspring of everything we do. And there are all kinds of different ones.
As a teacher, my philosophy dictated the way I treated my students, my interaction with parents, how I managed the class, the way I went about planning lessons, what I did with the curriculum. All those practices could be traced to my underlying philosophy of education.
So the other day, when I came across my Philosophy of Education paper, it got me thinking…..
If I were to take a course titled Philosophy of Being an Author, what would my paper say?
Whether we know it or not, we all have a philosophy. And this philosophy influences the way we go about being authors. It influences the kinds of stories we write, how we interact on social media, what we’re willing to sacrifice to reach our goals, and the list goes on.
So why not actively consider our philosophy? Why not pin it down so we can better understand why we’re doing what we’re doing?
It seems like a good idea.
Which is why I came up with a list of questions. Questions I’ve been considering as I think about my own philosophy. Questions I hope will get you thinking about yours.
Questions to Consider:
– What is a successful author?
– How much control does an author have over his/her success?
– What is the point of story?
– What’s the role of an author?
– What’s the ideal reader/author relationship?
– Is writing a career, a hobby, or a ministry?
You know what’s crazy? If we gathered a hundred different authors together and asked them these questions, their answers would all look different.
Some authors base success off of book sales, while some look at reviews. Some authors believe success is outside of their control and some think the ball’s completely in their court. We have authors who think the point of story is to entertain, but we have others who think the point of story is to change lives.
I think the reason this industry is riddled with so much conflicting advice is because there are so many different philosophies. And maybe, figuring out our own, will help us better choose which pills to swallow.
Let’s Talk: I’m dying to hear your philosophy. Pick any or all of the questions above and answer. Or, if you think there’s an important question I left off the list, please add. I’m not at all a moral relativist, but here’s a situation where there’s definitely no right or wrong answers.
