A writing thought

A friend of mine from college recently hit me up on facebook to ask me about some of my sentiments in my article on writing fiction on MindSprocket, and I realized my little response turned into something of a short manifesto on writing, so I thought I'd repost it here.

And you also asked me if I thought that giving myself away in my writing isn't bound to happen in spite of my best efforts. And even if I don't want my story to say much about me, if that fact alone still doesn't end up saying something about me in relation to my work.

I think the answer to both of those is a yes, even if it's a reluctant one. I can't help but give away myself in my writing, even if I think cleverly disguise it. I still give away a lot about who I am and who I am not by what I write (and as much by what I do not write). And if I try to keep myself out of it, that still makes a strong statement about how I view myself in relation to my work, trying to be a conduit of something beyond myself rather than making a personal statement.

I think that tends to summarize my artistic approach on the whole, especially the last part. I want to be a vessel rather than a super-star. I want to be a channel for art rather than someone celebrated for the fact that she is an artist.