It's blunt. Most people normally are not this blunt, but if you're like me you need bluntness in your life. Secondly, it's got language so if you have virgin eyes, you've been warned.
So now that I've given a fair warning, click here and read the article, 25 Things I Want To Say To So-Called "Aspiring" Writers.
Go on. I'll wait.
Are you back?
Good.
How fantastic was that? Yep. Told you it was some good stuff to read because if you're anything like me, you needed to read that.
Somewhere in the past four years I've developed this attitude that everything I write is complete and utter garbage. Doesn't matter the idea. Doesn't matter how much I loved it. I used to not think this way. I used to not giving a flying donkey's tail about technical things like how my character need to be this way or how my plot line needs to go this way. I just sat at my computer and wrote the living crap out of whatever story popped in my head. No matter how many times I've told myself "it can all be changed" - "this can be fixed later" - my brain and muse just shut down on me. I give up on myself and it's ridiculous. Everyone writes different. I write different. I don't know why I ever thought any ideas I had weren't good enough to finish.
How fantastic was that? Yep. Told you it was some good stuff to read because if you're anything like me, you needed to read that.
Somewhere in the past four years I've developed this attitude that everything I write is complete and utter garbage. Doesn't matter the idea. Doesn't matter how much I loved it. I used to not think this way. I used to not giving a flying donkey's tail about technical things like how my character need to be this way or how my plot line needs to go this way. I just sat at my computer and wrote the living crap out of whatever story popped in my head. No matter how many times I've told myself "it can all be changed" - "this can be fixed later" - my brain and muse just shut down on me. I give up on myself and it's ridiculous. Everyone writes different. I write different. I don't know why I ever thought any ideas I had weren't good enough to finish.
Not anymore.
Numbers: 6, 8, 20, 21, 24, and 25 slapped me upside the head.
I'm a writer, dammit! And I'm going to write. So here's my new theory:
I don't care about missing plot lines, crappy cliches, and story lines that come out more crazier than when I first thought of them. I'm going to write what I want, whatever genre that I want. I don't care what's considered hot or what's considered overdone. I don't care what some people are tired of seeing. If that's how the cookie is going to crumble in my story then there will be crumbs. And by golly if I want to use freaking adverbs and prologues, I will do it! And if all my characters do is chatter then I will let them chatter.
No more checking in with other writers to see what I'm doing "wrong". No more cringing when I see on a blog or twitter about how this or that is so overplayed. I'm just gonna do me. Write my story. Fix my story a million times, send it to some writing buddies, and see what the heck the future holds for it.
How about you? What are you going to do?
Now excuse me while I ride this wonderful new attitude out of here and onto my word processor. *waves hand around crazily and gallops off*
I'm a writer, dammit! And I'm going to write. So here's my new theory:
I don't care about missing plot lines, crappy cliches, and story lines that come out more crazier than when I first thought of them. I'm going to write what I want, whatever genre that I want. I don't care what's considered hot or what's considered overdone. I don't care what some people are tired of seeing. If that's how the cookie is going to crumble in my story then there will be crumbs. And by golly if I want to use freaking adverbs and prologues, I will do it! And if all my characters do is chatter then I will let them chatter.
No more checking in with other writers to see what I'm doing "wrong". No more cringing when I see on a blog or twitter about how this or that is so overplayed. I'm just gonna do me. Write my story. Fix my story a million times, send it to some writing buddies, and see what the heck the future holds for it.
How about you? What are you going to do?
Now excuse me while I ride this wonderful new attitude out of here and onto my word processor. *waves hand around crazily and gallops off*
That was a great post. Definitely gave me a lot to think about. Thanks for linking it!
ReplyDeleteWelcome! I re-read it twice. I've pumped myself up a million times, but with different stuff going on in my life right now, I'm just saying screw it all. I'll do what I want, lol
DeleteThank you for posting this! Just what I needed to hear. :)
DeleteWelcome! I think I need to re-read it once a week to remind myself of it all when I'm having a hard time!
DeleteGah. What a great list! I've been slapped too!
ReplyDeleteGlad to have helped slapped you :P
Delete