A Genesis Story: Main Obstacles I Encounter as an Aspiring Writer
It commenced with the following ingredients: a friendly bodega with cheap beer, a couple of those cheap beers down my belly, and a good friend who always believed in me.
But that’s just half of the truth. To quote Nick Fury when Marvel was still good, ‘First, there was an idea.’ And that idea, to me, revolved around writing stuff.
Through trials and tribulations, I’ve managed to do it and enjoy it. This has translated to a full-time job, but my actual self can only be discovered through my personal creative endeavors, hence my idea for this small read you’ve taken the time to go through.
To put it simply, I’m trying to become an author/novelist/whatever you may wanna call it. And since nothing worth pursuing is ever easy, I’ve decided to share my journey and the obstacles (almost) any writer can encounter at some point.
1. Some Context
I first discovered the art of bullshitting…Sorry, I meant ‘creative writing’ when I was in primary school. Back then, our teacher used to give us homework to test our vocabulary and grammar. And for that, we had to write stories, most of the time, about some of the boring things you’d ever think about, like what you did during the summer break or what would the perfect school day look like to you.
While most kids wrote about how beautiful the summer sky was or how their puppy suddenly started talking, I remember writing all sorts of crazy stuff, usually across several pages. And since we had some word count or page limit, you can imagine how my teacher was the one who actually got homework: reading all my bullshit.
There was this one time when the requirement was quite simple: something short and sweet about the human body. Lo and behold, little Zafi followed the footsteps of Herodotus and Tolkien and ran out of pages writing about an epic battle between viruses and white cells that would’ve made Helm’s Deep look like a playful fight in the kindergarten sandbox.
Nevertheless, my parents were really supportive and had great fun reading my stories (especially my own interpretation of James Clavell’s Shogun, wherein I sprinkled a comical fight between Jackie Chan and Jet Li; do not ask me why, please).
Fast forward through time and space, and my mind was feeding off video games, fantasy, and Sci-Fi books, and an appetite for creation. However, I wasn’t consistent at all, and most of the sparks faded as I dragged my ass through middle school, high school, and then college. I wasn’t particularly interested in anything ‘mundane’. I only wanted to become a game designer and come up with unique stories for video games. But life said, ‘nuh-uh, bucko, not yet’, and I ended up studying foreign languages and literature.
It hadn’t been that bad, and I got to learn about linguistics and interesting books, but I couldn’t bury my love for writing about nerdy stuff and video games. And so I kept writing about that as side gigs. Frankly, that sharpened my skills and helped me land some respectable jobs as a content writer. And to this day, I juggle with gaming, tech, and marketing overall.
But even with these at my fingertips, I felt (and still feel) incomplete., for I couldn’t let go of my deep passion for writing otherworldy and entertaining shit. Fortunately for me, a very talented boyo came into my life, and I was lucky enough to share the college dorm rooms with him and keep in touch even after finishing college.
2. The Gap Between Desire And Action
I met Florin-Marian Hera (Hera, for short) around 6 years ago. We were introduced to each other via a mutual friend (cheers, Vlaicu!) and had the pleasure to share with him both the creativity and the high (it was college, after all). He always struck me as a cool and laid-back dude, a very clever individual who’s been forever dabbling in all sorts of creative projects, be it music, visual art, or writing.
I remember one particular January night when we got stoned and checked out the beta version of AI Dungeon, which back then was all the rage. We fed it crazy prompts and premises, mostly revolving around an unnamed protagonist embarking on an epic quest, alongside copious amounts of sentences that ended up in ‘WITH THE FORCE OF A THOUSAND SUNS’. That thing made me choke with laughter. Hera made me feel like I met a friend with whom I could share my writing ideas and hop into fun projects.
Years went by so fast, and to cut it short, after the pandemic struck, the gang at room 410 broke up for an unknown period, and I lost touch with Hera. Of course, those were pretty depressing times, and I had kept my sanity by reading all the Dune novels and getting my first full-time job.
Hera and I were already following each other on Instagram, and we kind of got back in touch by sending some texts every now and then, talking about normal stuff, like jobs and women. Until one day when I saw one of his stories in which he was promoting his book. I was instantly captivated and decided to ask him more about that. It turned out my dude had been quite busy back then and managed to build up his artist’s portfolio with a handful of short stories and novellas.
His writing felt very natural yet eerie, fluid yet firm in the way it evoked images and feelings. It gradually re-ignited my extinguished creative spirit, mainly because he had the courage and willingness to share his ideas and visions with the world, now to be found on Amazon and MindQuota.com.
My dude had always been cheerful in partaking in joint efforts, and I remember how he often talked about future plans in the first person plural, mind you. I was moved, but my courage and willingness came and went in short, fainting bursts. To cut the autobiography short, it took me a long-ass time to finally put the pencil on paper (or the index on the key) and start doing SOMETHING. Oh yeah, prior to that, we wanted to make an interactive book. It crumbled like the Roman Empire, but upon its ashes, I finally took up the challenge and joined my friend.
And so it was on a mid-July 2023 evening; we were chilling at a bodega, gulping down some cheap beers, probably cut with water. My tipsy self giggled, mumbling something about wanting to write something. Hera suggested we take turns describing something, one perspective following the other. I can’t remember the reason behind it, but we agreed to do it right on that evening. Because, screw it, why not?
Unbeknownst to me, after a lifetime of complacency and laziness, that tiny moment, now lost in time, had become the catalyst that drove me to move my ass and keep writing. So, four beers and a liter of water (hydration is important!) later, we were already sending our pieces between us to complete the follow-ups. Hera edited the manuscript, and I came up with the cover art. Some color adjustment, some Canva magic, and A Dark Genesis Story Continues (a liliputian creation of 25 pages) made its way on Amazon via Kindle Direct Publishing. I was sleeping like a log when this happened, as by the time I woke up, Hera had already sent me the official buy link. I was well aware of how ridiculously short the magnum opus was, but to think I finally did something and accepted Hera’s extended hand clearly outmatched the initial awkwardness.
Why did I tell you all of this? Because the first obstacle someone who wants to write comes across is the time of idleness and procrastination between DESIRE and TAKING ACTION. Believe me, I’m one of the laziest persons in the world, but I’ve reached the hermit’s age (25 springs), and I realized that you need to do SOMETHING in your pursuit of a particular goal. And you can still be lazy while doing that. It’s just that you’re free to scroll through memes on the toilet after you’ve done something for your goals on that day.
Finding that exact moment of ‘screw it, I am doing it now’ can be a very daunting quest, especially if the gap covers around 10 years of your life. You should also be proud of the fact that you took action, that you did something, no matter how small. Sketching a structure for an article or story, or simply preparing a roadmap or jotting down some words, is way better than just shaking hands with the president after munching on junk food.
It’s also important to acknowledge those who pushed you from behind and lent you a hand.
3. Support, Encouragement, and How Not to Rely Solely On Others
Obviously, Hera was and still is the main act when it comes to encouragement and motivation. His brain is a pure idea factory, and the fact that he always helps me disregard the negative thoughts and underestimations regarding my writing is surely a huge boost.
Similarly, if your parents and/or significant other are there to congratulate you and motivate you to not give up, cherish their efforts. You’re already very lucky. Some writers never had the support of their family. If your best friend/your mother/father/girlfriend/boyfriend/cat/dog reads your drafts first, then you’ve already got yourself the most precious audience. And from then, the sky’s the limit. Don’t overlook this.
I wouldn’t have had the balls to open up a Medium account and have my name stapled on an extremely thin book as a co-author if it weren’t for some special people. They’ll know because they’ll be the first ones to receive this thing. Thanks, y’all!
But don’t rely solely on others' support. Everyone has their own shit going and must attend to their priorities and lives. Of course, they’ll be happy whenever you’re publishing something or will be glad to listen to your ramblings about your future New York Times bestseller, but at the end of the day, when the sun sets, and the darkness creeps in, it’s only you and the open document.
There will be times when you don’t feel like writing, let alone doing this for your own (future) self, but adhere to your standards, hold yourself accountable, even the slightest, and visualize yourself with your story or book finished. Then get your ass to work and do the bare minimum. It’s more painful for it to be just a dream than to feel insecure about your writing and hesitate.
Hesitation is defeat— Isshin Ashina
4. Triggers and Sudden Bursts of Inspiration
It can be very frustrating to find that amazing idea or to find a way to express it in words. If I were to get a dollar for every time my muse flipped me off and flew into the sunset, I would have probably moved to my own private island.
To me, this is one of the most annoying moments, especially if I want to be consistent with writing and never skip more than two to three days of jotting down something.
In my journey, I realized that several environments and events play an important role in your creative process. This is not about that cringe, productivity-oriented Zen desk management or any scented candle that will likely give you lung cancer. It’s about more personal and introspective moments.
For example, a couple of weeks ago, I was hyped because I’d get to see one of my favorite bands of all time (Harakiri For The Sky, for what it matters). This band went me through a lot of sadness and melancholy, and to see it live was like a dream come true.
Before that evening, I was struggling to come up with a story for my and Hera’s new anthology since I was experiencing conflicting emotions and a mixture of nostalgia. So, I figured it would help to listen to some fitting (read, depressive) music to set the mood for the following 36 hours.
Little did I know back then that I would end up with my eyes stinging while also effortlessly writing a pretty emotional story. It tackles very dark and upsetting themes but with an optimistic and sensible twist. I think I just let my inner self guide the fingers on the keyboard while HFTS and Ofdrykkja were wailing in my black metal Spotify playlist.
And the crazy part is, I somehow went through the same experience at the beginning of 2023, with the same premise (going to see Anomalie, another important act, friends with the HFTS dudes as well), with the mention that my emotions had been then poured within a letter to the band’s frontman. Thank you so much, Chris!
Other times, I might dream weird shit, which I won’t tell here for two main reasons:
A. It would probably spoil the future stories;
B. It would probably get me banned on this platform, whoops.
And, of course, there are times when other people’s dreams can be excellent sources of inspiration. Again, I won’t spoil it, but I think that’s rad!
It’s hard to stay consistent and write daily. And even if you were to listen to Stephen King’s advice and write between 3 to 5 pages a day, you’d surely struggle from time to time. From my experience, a possible short-term solution is to abandon yourself to those sudden events and bursts of inspiration or engage in a couple of exercises. Wait, hold on… That’s actually great! I never thought about this thing until now, so thanks everyone for that!
Okay, so, about those exercises. I’d suggest picking something you like. Anything, and then simply write about it, note what you appreciate about it, or describe it from different viewpoints, using your own perspective. If you like fantasy, pick a book, character, or event, and give it your own coat of words, color it in your vision. It won’t necessarily give you that ‘eureka’ moment, but it helps you practice formulating your ideas and keep your mind fresh. This leads me to another possible roadblock we need to overcome.
5. Lexicon, Goddammit, Expand It, Don’t Shrink It!
Another major issue you can fight with concerns vocabulary. You need to constantly improve your vocabulary, expanding it with as many words and concepts as possible. I have to be able to clearly and passionately describe something, so guarding the lexicon is one of my top priorities.
But here’s the twist: English is not my main language. Well, that’s not necessarily a problem, as nowadays, we all consume content and converse in English. But when your job or other factors threaten to reduce the complexity of your lexicon, you must be ready to defend it.
For example, my full-time job requires me to write as simple and efficient as possible. While this is an art in itself, the idea that I am required to adapt my vocabulary to some foreigners with limited English knowledge scrapes my brain like chalk on the blackboard.
This makes me feel like I’m getting dumber like I’m losing grasp of my knowledge acquired through so much effort across the years. This is why I want to work on personal projects like this account. This is why I want to write stories and books for me first. Even if I’ve barely written anything, keeping the knowledge fresh and constantly updating it are the things that keep me going.
If you enjoy reading, read as much as possible. Eminem reads the dictionary to find words that rhyme with ‘orange.’ Aesop Rock reads science and news articles to come up with super-elevated lyrics. And then there’s me, with a simple widget splashed on my phone’s screen that spawns funny-sounding English words every now and then. But you get the point.
6. Laziness and Exhaustion
9-to-5 is the bane of joy and relaxation. Busy days often leave me devoid of any energy, and it’s hard to get yourself hyped for things you usually enjoy so much. You might say, ‘Well, it is what it is, I’ll do them on weekends,’ but that, too, is problematic. Chores won’t do themselves meal prepping either, not to mention interacting with other people in your life.
I ruined relationships, postponed hangouts, and isolated myself because I couldn’t get time for myself, time to play video games, to read, to think about what to write. All them weekends were reserved for what I couldn’t do on weekdays.
You have to be prepared for these things. They’ll always pop up, from time to time or pretty often. And you have to make small sacrifices every day if you want to see both your personal needs and others’. I dunno, man; scroll less and use idle time to do microtasks that align with your goals. In the end, all we get to choose is the poison we take. Trust me, you don’t want to live in regret, thinking about how much you could’ve grown.
I’m not sure why I’m writing all of this. Frankly, as I’m typing this phrase, I’m somehow regretting it, and I feel myself cringe a bit, but I didn’t stay up past my healthy bedtime just for this to end up in deleted drafts. Maybe someone will resonate with this and find the motivation to take up what they’ve always wanted to do.
If you’re a writer or thinking about writing, share your thoughts with me, and I’ll keep working until I can come back to this article and insert as many hyperlinks to our stories as possible, solo novels included. Cheers!
