Walk the Tight Rope

Writing is supposed to be a craft.

I get it.

The craft, the artistry of a work is what makes it beautiful, worth reading--it is what sets it apart from fleeting, mundane, mediocre works. True writers work diligently to hone this craft, laboring over every word, every comma, every blank space, every nuance--as they strive towards perfection. These artists seek not only to master an existing craft, they seek to make it their own.

I understand that writing is a craft, and I will be the first to say that the label of "artist" should be applied in an exclusive manner to writers who attain excellence in the craft (and not willy nilly to any Tom, Diane or Harry who calls themself a writer).

Being a craftsmen is one thing--being able to read said craft is another. The question was raised (in class) whether writers/artists should seek to make their work accessible to others.

...

Exactly. How do you begin to answer that? On one hand, we have the possibility that in attempting to reach the common man the craft will be lost--the work will have to be dumbed down. On the other hand, why does the work have to be dumbed down? I'm sure many of us have had an experience reading a piece where it felt like the writer was doing everything in their power to ensure that you had no chance of understanding their work.

I think that a writer should strive for excellence, for mastery of the craft, yes. But I also feel that, perhaps, they should not strive so hard to keep their craft behind closed doors--limited admittance: born and bred intellectuals only. What about the common man? If writers are to be "liberating gods" shouldn't they seek to actually liberate? Why keep their knowledge, their talent hidden away from the majority of the world? Couldn't there be a way to lift the common man up without dumbing their work down?