LITR 3731: Creative Writing
Student Drama Submission 2003

Liz Little

To Write or Not to Write?

Theme sentence:  When the spectrum of human experience is shared through writing, it enlightens and connects individuals.  It is worthwhile. 

Concept sentence:  A writing student laments and questions the validity of creative writing outside of writing class, in the real world.  The class expresses their feelings about writing.  One student quotes Walt Whitman to answer the problem.  Questioning student becomes inspired. 

Characters: 
Dr.White – professor – creative writing
Travis –  Questioning student, marketing major
Jennifer – Mathematics major
Laurie -  Lit major
Jason, Corrie – responding students, theology majors
Enrique – student of drama/theatre
Robin  & Reani: moms, writers 

(It’s the last day of class.  The professor is addressing the students with some final words of encouragement about their own writing.  One student interrupts to express the way he truly sees writing outside of a creative writing class. )

Dr. White: This is the last day of class, and I want to encourage you all to continue writing on your own.  Remember all that you can do to grow as writers. Join a writing group as soon as you can.  You must continue to share your work with others.  You must …(notices a student is mumbling in the back row.)

Travis: (mumbles under his breath) continue writing when? Writing groups? He doesn’t get it.  We don’t have the time.  

Dr. White: I’m sorry, Travis, do you have something you want to say?   

Travis: Uh no…, well yeah.  It’s just that, let’s be honest after the grades have been earned, why would we pressure ourselves to continue to write? 

Dr.  White: I could tell you all to continue writing.  You expect to hear that from me as your creative writing teacher.  As far as “why” you would want to continue to write, class do you have any comments?  Let’s open this up for discussion.

Robin: We write to express ourselves, and because we’re inspired by the beauty and tragedy of this world. 

Corrie: Because we should share our religious beliefs. What we care about.

Enrique: (stands on the table, looks up with a dramatic gaze) Because all the world’s a stage, and we, we are merely players.  (now casual) And who knows you could luck out and make a buck or two.

Jason: Because life’s too funny not to write about.  

Travis: (starts calmly, but becomes more passionate) I don’t mean literally “why write,” I know why writers write, but why should “we” write.  I’m sorry to burst your collective bubble, but there’s a real world out there, people!  And they’re not going to ask for your journal portfolio at your next job interview. 

Laurie: (passionate) Yes, there’s a real world out there, and we would be letting that world down if we didn’t continue to write, if we didn’t try to reach out to our fellow traveler, and share our visions, and in doing so expand  his or her cultural landscape, and dare we dream, to speak to generations to come. 

Enrique: You forgot the part about trying to make a buck or two.

Laurie: I have two words for you, literary motive.  Haven’t you ever heard of art for art’s sake.

Enrique: Hey, I have passion, too, but I’ve got to eat.   

Jennifer: I don’t know.  I came here because I thought this would be an easy class.  You guys are taking this all a little too seriously.

Travis: You’re all missing the point.  All right, if not “why” do we write, “when” do we write?  I can see myself now telling my buddies, ‘Count me out of the ball game today ‘cause I’m the next Hemingway. The world awaits my voice.’ They won’t think I’m crazy.

Robin: You’re worried about missing a ballgame.  I don’t sleep at night so I can write.  If I’m not sleeping, you can miss the ballgame.  Give me a break.

Reani: Not sleeping?  What’s sleep?  I’ve got 5 kids.  Nobody has a shortage of time as far as I’m concerned.  Ballgames? Sleeping?

Travis: You’ve made your point.  We’re busy.  Let’s say we continue to write, just look at all of the struggling writers already out there. 

Laurie: (Interjects, stands up) We must join hands with our brothers and sisters.  We must forge on!

Travis: (ignores Laurie, rolls his eyes)  As I was saying, we’re outnumbered, and worse look at the great writers who have gone before us. What could any of us have to add to what has already been said.           

Robin: Whitman, Thoreau, Faulkner, and Shakespeare inspire us to write about life.  In my other lit. class we’re studying Walt Whitman and the way he inspires writing of the most every day scenes and events in life. He even wrote a poem to us about that.

Travis: What do you mean he wrote a poem to “us”?  He wrote poems to everyone.

Robin: Except for one that was written for us.   

Travis: (Begins to think Robin is crazy, condescending)  Oooh, that poem.

Robin: I’m serious.  Walt Whitman wrote a poem called “Poets to Come.”

Travis: So he wrote to poets, we’re not all poets.

Robin: (Robin thumbs quickly through her American lit. textbook.)  He wrote it to writers.  Here it is  “…you a new brood, native, athletic, continental, greater than before known,  Arouse! for you must justify me.” … “I am a man who, sauntering along without fully stopping, turns a casual look upon you…Leaving it to you to prove and define it, Expecting the main things from you.”

Jennifer: (deeply moved) Wow, that’s so beautiful.  What does it mean?

Robin: I think he’s saying that our writing, our expression of life justifies his, and adds to his own writing.  We continue what he started. 

Travis: So “we” are the writers of the future?

Robin: Yes, the future that the past great writers could only wonder about.   

Enrique: We are here, and they’re not.  They’ve never seen what we see.

Travis: (says to himself, looking up and rubbing his chin in deep thought) “a new brood,” “the main things” expected from me?  Hmmm, maybe I “AM” the next Hemingway.