Writer: The Irresponsible Student

Is it irresponsible to write about something which you have not mastered? Perhaps this is true for very select subjects - success maybe? But even there I am not sure this is strictly true.

I can take this question literally and say I am being quite irresponsible by not having mastered "werewolves." I have written 2 books about them and yet... am I adept?

Or what about gods? Have I mastered them? Am I irresponsible for writing my Khloe series?

This question ignores one of the principle purposes of writing - writing to understand. If we follow the now predominant held belief that mastery occurs with 10,000 hours of work, it is likely that only the obsessive and the old can be masters and therefore, writers.

This, however, is a ridiculous notion.

I write to discover. I write to understand. I write to organize the thoughts of my chaotic mind.

In some ways, we can never truly become masters. We are perpetual students because there is always more for us to learn. There is always more to discover, puzzle out, clarify, and connect.

This is the work of idea-makers, dreamers, and wordsmiths. This is the forge of the mind.