Is Television Ruining Our Writing (& Our Lives)?
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I am in the middle of Stephen King’s On Writing. Many writer friends have recommended it to me and I am finally digging in. So far, I love it. King has many no-nonsense insights on writing and the writing life. I find myself agreeing with much of what he says and suggests. Obviously, this guy – with his massively successful writing career – knows what he’s talking about.
One thing he says is, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” I read this and, yup, I nodded. But then King goes on to note that these things take time and that we must find that time. And then. He says that if we are really serious about being writers, or good writers, we must wean ourselves from television, what he comically deems “the glass teat.”
Uh oh. (I may or may not be watching Kim Kardashian’s wedding while writing this.)
Now, believe me, I get it. If we all turned off our television and threw ourselves into a rich book every night, we’d likely improve as writers and thinkers. And maybe even as people. That’s right; King argues that television is not just affecting the quality of our writing but the quality of our lives. He writes,
I’d like to suggest that endlessly quacking box is apt to improve the quality of your life as well as the quality of your writing. And how much of a sacrifice are we talking about here? How many Frasier and ER reruns does it take to make one American life complete? How many Richard Simmons infomercials? How many whiteboy/fatboy Beltway insiders on CNN? Oh man, don’t get me started. Jerry-Springer-Dr.-Dre-Judge-Judy-Jerry-Falwell-Donny-and-Marie, I rest my case.
Okay, okay. I get it. An excessive consumption of terribly trashy television is neither healthy nor good for any of us. But what about a pinch of terribly trashy television here and there, say on a drizzly Thursday afternoon at 5:10pm while one is writing a blog post? Presumably, said blog post might be better written or conceived of if not crafted against a background of chirpy reality stars, but does this matter? What about the hour of television in the evening when sweatpants are worn and parents/professionals/people are bone tired and in need of something positively mindless? And what about the good shows with the good writing or the exquisite educational programs? Isn’t possible that watching these shows might improve our writing or enrich our lives?
Clearly, I’m a bit defensive.
In all seriousness though, this is an important question. For me. For all of us. We all know that there are only so many hours in the day and those we spend watching television are those we do not spend doing other good things – like reading or writing or talking or thinking or…
My feeling is that this is yet another example of the good old everything-in-moderation adage. A moderate amount of television, just like a moderate amount of most things, will not kill us or our pursuits. This sounds about right, huh? Or am I being naive? By watching television – and I honestly do not watch too much – am I filling my brain with junk when I could be stuffing it with beautiful phrases and stories or writing my own?
I could go on and on, but the (ridiculous) wedding is over and now Dirty Soap just came on. Even I have my limits 
Off to microwave some organic nuggets and contemplate turning the cartoons off. (Kids and television is another huge issue, no?)
{PS – Just so you know, I do not usually (or ever) write while the television is on. Interesting, given the topic here, that this is the first time. Hmmm…}
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How much television do you and your family watch? Do you agree with King that television detracts from the quality of our lives? Do you think that if we are serious about writing we must really wean ourselves from the “glass teat”? Oh, and do you think there is something inherently tasteless about throwing a ten million dollar wedding?
I loved King’s book, too, though I admit I’d totally forgotten his rant about television. I don’t watch TV, as you know, but it’s something I fell into rather than a matter of principle. Somehow I just never do. I spent a heck of a lot of time cruising around the web though, which I don’t view as a lot different. I do read, and write a lot, and I also work a lot. So I guess TV just got squeezed out. My kids do watch TV, probably 1/2 an hour many days but certainly not all. I realized a while ago I was rushing them through dinner to get to the TV time after bath, and I decided that was dumb. One day I declared no TV so we would have time for a leisurely dinner and bath and they were thoroughly unperturbed. Literally FINE. That surprised me, and now half the time I just say hey no TV tonight we’re going to talk or play or whatever, and they are absolutely cool with it. Perhaps it’s because I haven’t made it off limits so there’s no huge aura of forbidden-ness around TV, you know?
xo
I wasn’t allowed to watch any TV but PBS growing up and frankly with very rare exception if I watch any now it’s a movie or public television. That said, once in a rare while a good series comes out (and a year or so later I find out!). I just discovered streaming Mad Men and am really enjoying curling up on the couch once or twice a week now for an episode. Above all else in a show like that what I’m drawn to is the writing. I loved Stephen King’s book. Such a great read for anyone who loves writing.
I love this topic. I grew up in a normal house, where the TV was the glowing, buzzing backdrop of our lives. Sure, it was off for family meals, and we played outside, but I never realized how much time we spent in front of the box. After college, I couldn’t afford to heat my place AND pay for cable, so I chose to be warm. Then I met and married my husband, who was raised without TV at all. (Most ’80s pop culture references are totally lost on him!) I guess you could say I kicked the habit in 2005, and I do find it makes me a more productive person.
Surprisingly, I also find I’m happier and less of a consumer, more content with what I already have without the bombardment of commercials telling me what I lack. I didn’t expect that.
That being said, I guess in full disclosure, I’m not completely TV-free. I always find somewhere to go to watch my beloved Steeler games. Hubby & I also have Netflix (the disc-in-the mail-kind) so after a hard day we can unwind by watching something, and yes, it’s often pretty mindless. But not having the option of just turning it on while I’m working around the house saves me hours and hours of wasted time, IMO.
Great topic. Interestingly, I touch on the same thing over at TDT today, except as it relates to kids. At any rate, I think, for the most part I agree with you – moderation is key. I watch a bit of television daily, but not hours and hours. And I limit myself to things that I think are insightful and/or well written. I do take a different tack on the “terribly trashy television” you refer to. I don’t watch it. At all. I’ve actually found that Tivo is a godsend for this problem. There is almost always something recorded but unwatched that gives me an alternative to channel surfing and settling on something crappy.
In the interest of full disclosure, though, I feel it only fair that I confess that I haven’t read a book since June. This is highly abnormal for me as I usually finish a book every couple of weeks. But my normal reading time is before bed and for the past several months of pregnancy once I’m in bed no plot line is as interesting to me as sleep. I’m actually looking forward to maternity leave as an opportunity to start turning pages again.
I like TV. I was raised in a household where we all sat around the TV – Every night. I still like doing that – vegging out with family. But if I have something else to do, I find I don’t miss it. But it certainly clears the brain. Of everything.
I love watching Dexter at the end of the day, like a treat for a hard days work. But the kiddos are a different story. They are only allowed to watch a movie (picked out by me) on the weekends (our t.v. is not hooked up and only works with DVD’s).
It’s not that big a deal as they have homework, chores and lots of playing to do. We are huge readers and go to the library weekly for new books.
Oh boy, does this hit home for me right now. I grew up in a home with no cable, and TV was limited to an hour a night, and only after homework was complete. But then college came and cable was unlimited and there all the time! And I became addicted.
And I still am. I only care about a handful of shows, but the dang box is on all the time as background noise and flickering light, and I get sucked into Kardashian drama and crazed couponers so easily.
I’m sure I could be a much more productive citizen if I didn’t turn the thing on in the first place – go for a walk, redecorate the bedroom, read a book, edit some photos, write a blog.
But cutting the cord is hard… especially when there are tasteless $10 million weddings to ogle.
I watch a bit of TV. Not nearly as much as the average American, but I do watch it. What I wonder is whether we’re missing out on something when we spend our “mindless” time in front of the TV instead of in touch with our own thoughts and feelings. In the book “The Joy Diet,” Martha Beck prescribes 15 minutes of doing nothing every day. This makes room for us to grow and time for us to get in touch with our own intuition and experience. I wonder if we’re missing out on that because we’re never really “doing nothing,” instead we’re doing nothing in front of a TV.
You know, I just finished reading Jonathan Franzen “How To Be Alone” – he speaks ill of the TV too. Although I do think TV sucks up brain cells it seems to me we (Americans) replace it with web surfing – so I don’t know if there are a lesser of two evils here or not! I’m guilty of both myself! But I know that it makes me feel crappy and even more unmotivated after a few hours of “mindless” entertainment in front of a screen! King’s book has been on my shelf for a few months now, I think this is just the inspiration I need to read it (instead of watching the new season of Gossip Girl or Desperate Housewives!).
Ten years ago, I made a similar anti-tv rant to a friend of mine, and he said something that completely changed how I look at the issue: (the phrasing is mine, his was much better) what would Shakespeare do? In Elizabethan England, Shakespeare wrote plays for mass audiences. If he were working now, there’s a good chance he would be a tv writer in Hollywood. Not all great writers write novels or plays – some of them write for tv. If you turn your back on tv, you’re turning your back on a ton of creative talent.
Most of my real anti-TV rants would have to do with how we don’t talk to each other or look at each other or interact with each other while watching TV. Know what? We don’t do those things if we’re reading a book or writing or blogging or surfing the internet, either. So I find the argument that TV is destroying our minds a real one, but I’m more disturbed by the disruption to a family, and one thing that TV has over these other more mindful pursuits (esp reading and writing) is that you can do it together, and talk about it afterwards. I mean, yes, my dad and step mom do read to each other sometimes, and they really enjoy it. But my husband and I don’t enjoy the same kinds of books, so that doesn’t work for us. I’m not saying there aren’t a million OTHER things a family can do together besides watch TV. Just saying that it isn’t merit-less.
Also, my daughter was grossed out by homosexuals until Willow and Tara fell in love so sweetly on Buffy. That opened up some great conversations for us. And other situations on shows we have watched together have helped us to bridge uncomfortable subjects, like human rights and torture (Battlestar Galactica). I would also argue that there’s a lot of crap literature (crap-lit?) out there that’s no better for your brain than a Kardashian wedding. Seriously. I know, I sound like an apologist. My point, I guess, is that I agree with your point. Moderation in all things. Now I’m going to bed to read while my husband watches Walking Dead. .