Writing Is Easy; You’re the One Making It Difficult
A tale of opinions, lies, and a tire iron
We all know someone that loves to sing but sounds like they warm up by being smashed in the throat with a tire iron. Well, you know what? They still love to sing. And I bet there are other people think they sound great.
If you like to write, then write. Even the best authors have readers that criticize their writing. You can’t please everyone. And since there will most certainly be people that are going to be unhappy with your writing, you should do what you like doing. That way, you can gain a ton of anti-fans along the way and grab the gold in resilience while you are at it.
If you like to write, then write.
Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.
Just because someone has accomplished a goal doesn’t mean they are the authority on that subject. Don’t put so much effort into following the advice of other people based solely on their accomplishments.
In most cases, repeating their actions will not result in you having the same outcome anyway. There are too many uncontrollable factors that aided them that won’t be of any help to you.
Opinions don’t define you.
You are the only person responsible for how you feel.
Just because someone thinks something or says something, it doesn’t mean you are required to care.
By allowing someone else’s words to affect you, you are giving them power over you.
Let me say that another way. If someone’s opinion causes you to feel or act in a specific way, you are the one that is to blame. They didn’t earn that power. They didn’t steal it. They didn’t win it in a church raffle or from a slot machine in Vegas. You handed it over to them freely.
You are the only person responsible for how you feel.
The Voice Of Reason, Not The Voice Of Readers
We are quick to assume that judgment only comes from those who are qualified to give it. Just because someone says you have no talent, doesn’t mean you aren’t great at what you do. Just like it doesn’t mean they, themselves, are experts when they criticize.
We are quick to assume that judgment only comes from those who are qualified to give it.
If I said that you owe me $62,000, when should I expect you to start sending me money? Why never? You believe stuff other people say without evidence. The only way someone’s opinion can affect you is if you believe them. Don’t turn peoples opinions into reality by letting it affect you.
Develop Your Writing Voice
If you don’t know what you sound like, then you have spent too long trying to sound like someone else. This isn’t necessarily bad, and most people aren’t even aware they do it.
The best way to find your writing voice is to write about stuff you don’t know.
People will say I am incorrect about this, but you shouldn’t worry what people say about me. I don’t.
If you don’t know what you sound like, then you have spent too long trying to sound like someone else.
By writing stuff you aren’t knowledgeable about, you are forced to use your writing voice. This is because, when you write about stuff that you are unfamiliar with, you must portray false-confidence to make it seem like you know what you are discussing. I’ll explain in another way, and anyone who has experience in law enforcement will know precisely what I mean.
Someone tells you a story. They talk about the event, the people, the surroundings, the mood, and whatever else that is important to the story. Then, you hear them tell the same story to someone else. And when they tell the new person, the story is precisely the same, the timing, the delivery, word for word, every detail is said in the exact same manner in which it was told to you.
Do you know what I can say with almost complete certainty about that story?
It is a LIE.
When you lie, you tell stories in a manner that will be convincing, but when you speak the truth, there is no need to try to convince people you are truthful. When you make up a story, it will be very detailed because you are trying to convince people it is the truth. And it will most likely be told precisely the same way every time you tell it because you rehearse lies so you will sound believable. And when you lie, you assume inconsistencies in your story show that you are lying.
When you speak the truth there is no need to try to convince people you are being truthful.
By telling lies you are forced to use your creative side, and therefore, you use your writing voice. So by acting confident about subjects you know nothing about, your writing voice will start to develop.
Draw From Your Own Experiences
After you start to develop your voice, you will find it easier to let the experiences in your past give your writing a unique tone. My sister had brain cancer, my dad died of heart problems, and I suffer from debilitating panic attacks and several other severe mental health issues.
If I choose to write about healthcare, my past will layout the tone of the article. If I write about the toll that gambling addiction has on a family, I can still pull from the stress of medical bills and sadness of losing someone to be able to speak empathetically so the reader feels that I understand what they may be going through, even though I have no experience with gambling addiction.
Don’t Force What Doesn’t Come Naturally
While you sit and make thoughts visible, remember that if something doesn’t want to be written, then you can’t write it. By forcing words, you will allow frustration to bleed out and take over the tone of your writing. It can also make things you write lose the natural flow that carries a reader through the piece quickly.
You will not be as happy about your writing session than you would be if you stopped when you first hit the roadblock. Taking a break is the best thing you can do if you are stuck. You will find that most ideas about what to write will come to you while you aren’t writing.
Don’t Listen To People Who Like You
Earlier, I talked about not allowing the criticisms of readers to affect you. That was to prevent you from losing hope and keep you driving forward. Once you have established your voice, you are going to want to have your work critiqued from time to time. There’s nothing worse than believing you are terrific while wearing a huge sign that verifies that you aren’t.
Don’t ask family members or friends to critique your work. First, they like you so they will lie to you. Also, don’t just let any stranger critique your work either. With the power-trip of consensual insult and the inability to recognize good writing combined, you are destined to receive soul-crushing reviews that will mostly not be accurate. You need to find someone qualified to critique writing correctly. Don’t worry, by the time you need this, you will have met someone that can do it correctly.
Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself
Be sure to allow yourself to breathe, and allow yourself time to enjoy life. You are going to be your worst critic which will weigh you down an unexplainable amount.
When I told you to ignore other people, I was doing so to allow you a tiny bit of peace. But I also said it to help you get into the habit of brushing off the negative comments. That was only because I know how hard you are going to be on yourself. Just be yourself, and you will eventually learn to ride the centerline between not caring what people think and being conscious in your writing to allow you to avoid the large mistakes that would end up being the thing that you are bothered by the most.
Thanks for reading Writers Guild — A Penname publication
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