WRITING

Don’t Worry If It Stinks, You Can Always Write More

Don’t let any doubts you may have stand in the way of your writing.

I heard this phrase, “Don’t worry if it stinks, you can always write more” on the Start with This podcast recently while walking. I immediately had Siri make a note of it. Something about the phrase resonated with me, and I knew that I would have to refer to it again.

This morning I was trying to decide what I wanted to write today. In reality, like most days, I was trying to decide if I even wanted to write anything at all. The phrase then popped into my head, prompting me to think about it more.

I think the reason it did was that just yesterday; a theme developed as the day progressed. I was trying to figure out how to get out of my own way, even starting to read the book by Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg called “Get out of Your Own Way.”

I had bought this book some time ago and had it on my Kindle. At the time, I bought it because the title resonated with me. It was also on sale, so that was a double positive being a person who loves a good deal.

When I was still living in Atlanta, a dear friend had a heart-to-heart with me where he said, “Michael, you could do anything you want if you would just learn to get out of your own way.” That was not the first time that I have been told that.

So yesterday, there was this theme going on where I kept asking myself why it is so hard to do with my 24 hours in a day than others can do.

I have been thinking about that a lot. Why can some accomplish so many great things, great work, outstanding achievements, and sometimes I find myself struggling to get out of bed?

So for me, it was a day that instead of arguing in my own head as to why something was, I decided to search out my answer. At least in someone else’s opinion, thoughts, video, or podcast.

As the day progressed, not only did I start the book that I mentioned above, but I also happened to find several podcasts by other writers who had similarly themed episodes.

I always enjoy the “Write Now” podcast by the author Sarah Werner, and she has several episodes on this and very similar topics.

Sarah also appears from what she shares has this internal struggle. I gather from what I am finding that it is more common than I thought. I doubt if it is unique to just those wanting to write either.

I guess for those of us who feel like we are swirling all the time, never to get out of the waves that we are not the only ones.

Not the only victims of having never-ending to-do lists, but never being able to cross off just more than a few of the tasks.

We are the only ones who sit down to try to do great work. Heck, for me, I would take even mediocre, but instead, we find ourselves stumbling around our lists of things to do.

We look at the work of others on Medium for inspiration. We listen to podcasts, read books by other writers, and still cannot get anything done.

So, no, I don’t have it figured out yet. And I know you might be hoping that I did. However, I can tell you this one thing.

Don’t worry if it stinks; you can always write more. Like the quote said from either Jeffrey Cranor or Joseph Fink, sorry guys, I don’t remember who said it on your podcast, you need just to get started.

OK, yes, it might not be your best work. It might even stink. It might cause you to get a mediocre amount of claps, very few reads, or worse yet, discouraging comments if you share it on your blog. At least you got started. You did the work.

I know that I had always wanted to write, even when I was a little boy. I remember my “Weekly Reader” at the age of 6 years old and being so excited that I would run to the mailbox when it would arrive.

It was not because my “Weekly Reader” magazine was mail addressed to me, but because I would read writing for me. Composed in the same way as I would have written it.

As I grew older as a young man, I found my school life taking me into many groups. From the debate team to the yearbook club, I also found myself working on the school newspaper to acting in theater productions.

My year or so when I was on the school paper sticks in my mind. Unlike some of the other writers we had, my classmates, I was able to do my own thing. Write what I wanted to write.

My editor, whose name will remain a secret, didn’t seem enthused, but my column was well received.

It was a column where I could write about what I liked or didn’t like. My classmates, not just those in the club, liked it, and it sold some papers.

It wasn’t a column that turned heads or started a discussion. It wasn’t about the sports teams we had, instilling a rush of school spirit.

No, my little column was just my opinion, my thoughts of local events, concerts, and school functions. It was fluff, as some would call it. It was “Things to Do,” though thinking back to that time, many articles were about events already passed.

Yet, this fluff did resonate with my school chums. Despite being an outcast to many, not for my writing, but other reasons not needed to go into this time, my articles were always well received.

My fluff featured the thoughts of one guy, a fellow student who was lucky enough to attend a concert or go to a movie, and now he was ready to share his thoughts. He wrote them down, published them, and let the dialogue commence.

I guess that is what the quote that is the headline of this article means. Put your thoughts, your memories, your beliefs on the page, and see where they land. Don’t worry about the fallout, the critique.

Somebody may not read your words, or worse yet, they may start a heated dialogue, but at least you initiated the narrative and started the discussion. Had you not put your work out there, that could never happen.

So, in closing, I will remind you and quite honestly myself two things. One is that I need to get out of my own way, remembering what my friend once told me.

Second, I need to write and write more again. Put my words on the page or the screen and see what happens.

Sure the work that I share might stink, but so what. At least I tried. I can always write more!

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About Michael

Michael Thacker is a not so young adult blogger, aspiring writer, and sometimes seller of real estate.

Michael tweets a LOT on Twitter. Posts every once in a while on Facebook. Occasionally lets his opinions be known to friends, family, and anyone else that will listen.

Connect with Michael

You can follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MichaelThackerI.

If you want to connect on Facebook, the best place is https://www.facebook.com/RMichaelThacker/