Reasons I won’t make it as a writer.

1. I don’t have a ‘beat’
   Sorry, but I just can’t write about one thing that much because I am not one-dimensional. So yes, everyone knows they have to have a beat to make it, but fuck that. I have a diverse set of interests. (And if not that, I sure as hell have a changing interests — what can I say, I am a flexible open minded person).
2. I am not willing to give advice
   Because there are enough ‘How To’ articles being published to drown out any actual story. Some writers recommend writing ‘How To’ posts because those get the most views and reads. When did writing become so fucking instructive? And why do we think we can give each other gyan? Also, have you met any writers? Why the fuck would you want advice from them anyway? They specialize in making things messy. It’s what all creatives do. Make simple messy and messy simple. Upside down. Topsy turvy. The straight, curvy. So no, I am not going to tell you what to do just because the internet allows me to, thank you very much.
3. My writing sucks
   Okay, that’s simply not true.
4. I suffer from lifelong Writer’s Block
   It’s a necessary rite of passage — if you haven’t had writer’s block, you aren’t a writer, or at least not a good writer or serious writer. If good writers face writer’s block every now and then, sometimes for years at end, what do you think happens to the best writers? They face it for a lifetime. Duh.
5. I don’t have the Grit.
   More like, I don’t have the luck.

PS: This is not just a funny post. The first two points are serious flaws with the industry. Writing does get compromised because of both, the beat and the How To’s. In my experience, Medium itself is a platform that ends up favouring developing a beat. And the second bit, thats our fault. We are the audience. Have we forgotten to read more than lifehacks in today’s day and age? Don’t we have time for stories that don’t end well, memoirs that offroad into prose or poetry that leaves us with questions rather than answers? Because, when I am scoping the space, that’s how it looks. Let’s read so we create a space for more genres, styles and voices. Let’s read to recognize ourselves in each other and things that would otherwise go unnoticed.
L.