Snobs in all Forms

To paraphrase Zinsser: non-fiction is the stepping off point for most writers because they are most comfortable in the shoes of their own thoughts. I disagree with this thought. I have been writing as long as I am able to remember and the drive to writing was fantasy, not reality. I live in the reality and prefer not to write about the normal, everyday, mundane or the painful experiences in my life. I find that to be the opposite of cathartic. I become frustrated with rehashing events. For some this might be true, for some this isn't, and for this writer it definitely is not. I also disagree with the idea that someone learns to write. I belong to the school of thought that believe that writing is in you, it is something that is chosen for you not something that you choose. So, for those that are "learning" maybe it is true that non-fiction is their stepping off point but for those of us that are cursed by sleepless nights and anxiety filled days of flashing cursors it isn't a matter of ABC to 123 but rather different avenues of the same event. 


Zinsser's point of declassifying literature is well taken. He does not care for the snobbish attitude of those that consider fiction high brow and non-fiction non-art. I would consider myself a literary snob and have made this same claim many times over, however after reading his opinion I truly have reconsidered my nose-in-the-air assumption. And yes, the only true distinction is good writing and bad writing, and that should be the only place we can be snobby. If we may. And I will. I can't give up all vices at once. 


In the chapter, I understood why he nor the three women were interested in engaging in a literary discussion with a less than well versed radio host, however the four panelists were as big of snobs as the critics who consider non-fiction an inferior beast. I thought that Zinsser and the panelist could have been informative and helpful to the audience as well as to their inferior host rather than refuse to answer a question they deemed beneath them and lacking eloquence. The intellectual silent treatment is part of the reason people are afraid to ask questions and engage in areas out of their comfort zone. I had a boyfriend who was/is a die hard Raiders fan, I knew nothing about football, let alone his reason for waking up on Sundays. He knew this but rather than deeming me a fool he enjoyed sharing with me the rules and points of the game. I became interested and soon didn't need him as a crutch to enjoy the sport. If we literary types could follow this lead we could open up a world to those that we left out because we are impatient with their lack of inherent knowledge and in turn open up an entirely new dialogue that could only improve our view of literature ~whatever that means.