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I’ve always wondered if writing is an art. I know it is a craft, but is it also an art?
One reason why I wonder is because art is considered something that we create. That would mean creating characters, their world and their conflicts, would be an art, right?
Image via Wikimedia Commons
But when we think of the word, “artist”, many think of a painter, dancer or musician. I get the impression writers are further down the list of potential artists.
According to Merriam-Webster, an artist is:
- one who professes and practices an imaginative art, or a person skilled in the fine arts.
Hmm. While telling a story is certainly imaginative art, it is not considered a fine art. Poetry maybe, but not fiction.
However, there’s this second definition by Merriam-Webster:
- one who is adept at something
So, in this way, if the writer is very good, writing can be an art.
But what is art, really?
It has so many definitions, not including the usual painting and dancing. Small talk is called an art. Coming up with a skillful plan is too, so is learning to assemble furniture. So, art altogether is being very skilled at something.
But can a writer be lumped in with the sculptors and clothing designers? Perhaps. Some stories require great imagination. I would say J.K. Rowling is more of an artist than Jodi Piccoult because she created a world not at all like ours. We don’t have magic or a boarding school for magic, with paintings talking to us. Jodi Piccoult’s worlds are much like ours.
However, to make your readers feel the emotion of your characters – that can be an art. I’ve always thought being artsy meant pouring your thoughts and feelings into your creation. So if we’re pouring those aspects into our stories, or expressing the feelings of our characters, that certainly sounds artistic to me.
Megan Cashman 
Writers use words the same as a painter uses oils or a sculptor uses clay. We “paint a picture” for the reader, whether its a fantastic new world or a main street in small town Iowa in 2013. The canvas is the reader’s mind.
Good point, Dennis. Art seems to be in the eye of the beholder, hence why it is not easy to determine what is truly art.
One of Merriam-Webster’s definition of art begins: “The conscious use of skill and creative imagination, particularly for an aesthetic work.” We are totally artists 🙂
Awesome!
Writers are definitely artists. We convey our emotion to our readers through our medium – just as painters do through theirs, or composers through theirs, or photographers through theirs. It’s all art.
An artist is not a special kind of person; each person is a special kind of artist.
Hi Joseph,
I like this! Good point!
I gave your article a 5-rating. Keep writing.
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You know, I think that most people prefer not to call writing an art because writing, unlike painting or dancing, comes dressed in overalls and looks like work
That’s an interesting point, Habiba. Writing is done behind the scenes and there’s nothing visual to it. The book itself is visual, but the author is not, save for a photograph on the “About the Author” page. But painting and photography are done behind the scenes too, with overalls on, and they’re still called art.
I agree that it seems like work, but something like dance is also very hard work. It just tends to be looked at as much more entertaining work. I think that this comes from having to use writing in school and having it not being treated as a fun, expressive art. It is usually treated as a skill you are being forced to master, even if you don’t want to. I think if we change the way we portray writing in school, and sometimes the teaching of writing, it may change the answer to the question of if it is an art or not.
That’s a great point, Sarah!
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