A picture of a pencil? Man, you know this guy knows what he's talking about! |
Intro and Part 1- The Journey Begins
Part 2- Chesslectric Boogaloo
Part 3- The Search for Sporadic
Part IV
Live Free or Write Hard
-or-
You Don't Have to Get "Good" at the Things That Bring You Pleasure
Do you enjoy writing? Does it bring pleasure, fulfillment, and possibly even meaning to your life? Do you do it when you like it and not worry about it when you don't. Does the act of writing cause a catharsis and the finished product create a sense of self worth? Do dopamine and seratonin receptors light up like a Christmas tree when you bring pigment to paper (or pixel to screen)?
Great. You can go home now and stop worrying about getting "good."
Full stop.
Seriously, that's it; the article is over.
You're still here? It's over. Go home. Go.
#eightiesmovies #beforepostcreditsestereggswerecool #ironichashtags #isntitkindofironicthecharacterthatcharliesheenplayedinthatmovie
You haven't left yet...?
OH FINE! Let's unpack it.....a little.
One of the biggest complaints that people who enjoy writing have about the advice of famous writers is that if they take it that seriously, it will start to take the enjoyment away from the writing. Whenever I hear this complaint I always think the same thing: it's a little like that joke: "Doctor it hurts when I do this!" "Don't do that."
If you don't like turning something enjoyable into a commitment, the solution is very simple: don't do that. It's not brain surgery.
Seriously. Fuck. Just don't do that.
Pictured: what you don't have to turn this into. |
Lots of people enjoy things that they don't work hard on. They're called hobbies. People play video games without becoming the national champion. People read without trying to become a speed reading champion or getting a literature major. People listen to Richard Dawkins and Neil DeGrass Tyson without getting degrees in science. People play instruments without practicing enough to be in the London Philharmonic. People play sports on the weekend without putting in the hours of a professional athlete. People jog for fun and fitness without working hard to improve their time. It's just plain possible to enjoy the fuck out of something without ever working hard to become great at it.
Get over it.
Seriously, if you don't want to put in the time and effort to get really good at writing that is absolutely okay. Really.
If you enjoy writing at the level you're doing it, you win. Have a trophy! That's it. Endgame. That's all there is to it. There isn't anything else. Enjoy your spoils.
Fulfillment? Meaning? Purpose? You totally win at art! |
ENJOY!!!!
If you're writing to get rich or famous there are better ways. (So so so many better ways.) If you're writing because you're obsessed with it like people all through history become obsessed with the perfection of craft and art, then do the parts that aren't rainbow unicorn orgasms and make yourself as fucking good you can possibly be. If you're doing it to be happy (not happy in the sense of a job you love with some shitty parts to it but something that you only do when and because it feels good), then you can stop the second it stops making you happy.
And really....that's all there is to it. If you don't like writing to feel like a chore, just do it for fun. Of course, complaining that you're not a successful novelist is a deal breaker, so you have to knock that shit off. But if you can handle that prerequisite, go ahead and only write when you enjoy it.
Really.
Really.
The
Madness!
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