Summary

Aql, a writer on Medium, shares his journey of overcoming fear and embracing writing as his true calling, despite the challenges of writer's block and personal insecurities.

Abstract

Aql, who has written extensively on Medium, confronts the concept of writer's block, identifying it as a manifestation of fear—specifically, the fear of writing something bad, the fear of judgment, and imposter syndrome. After a productive writing streak inspired by #ship30for30, Aql experienced a setback due to these fears, exacerbated by a change from a pen name to his real name on Quora. He reflects on the importance of authenticity in writing, the need for readers to relate to the writer, and the transformative power of writing. Acknowledging his long-standing relationship with writing, from his graduate degree to his professional roles, Aql realizes that writing is not just a job but his passion and key to effecting change. He openly declares his commitment to writing, aiming to become a best-selling author and make a positive impact on the world.

Opinions

Writer's block is attributed to fear, particularly the fear of producing poor writing, fear of judgment, and imposter syndrome.
Writing under a real name can be intimidating, as it exposes the writer to personal judgment from acquaintances.
Authenticity in writing is crucial for reader connection, yet it can be daunting to reveal one's true self.
Writing is seen as a powerful tool for cultural and political change, and good writing resonates deeply with readers.
Aql believes that writing is integral to his identity and life purpose, not merely a professional skill.
He aspires to transcend the perception of writing as just a job and to be recognized and compensated for his craft.
Aql intends to persevere in his writing journey, despite the inevitability of criticism, to achieve his dream of becoming a best-selling author.

On Writing

There’s No Such Thing As Writer’s Block

It’s something you’re not willing to admit.

I’ve written 123 stories on Medium in the past 9 months.

I thought I was immune to writer’s block. I’ve written numerous stories about it, and how there’s no such thing.

Writer’s block is fear of writing — writing something bad. It’s fear before attempting to write. We kill the idea before giving it a try.

We say we’re blocked and use it as an excuse to stop writing.

I had no issue with writer’s block. This January I even challenged myself to write for 30 days. I was inspired by Dickie Bush’s #ship30for30. And I was doing well. 23 posts and then everything fell apart.

My writing habit took a huge hit. It’s been over a month since my last post on Medium.

The reason — writer’s block. But the real reason — fear.

Fear of judgment, fear of failure, and imposter syndrome. I know fear begets fear and failure, but I had to work on this before writing again.

It all started when Quora wouldn’t accept my pen name and blocked my account. I had to email them after changing my pen name to my real name, and they unblocked it.

But then I stopped writing altogether on Quora. I wasn’t comfortable outing myself yet.

I knew it was wrong. I knew if I was to become a successful author, I would need people to know who I was.

As Ernest Hemingway put it, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

Readers need to relate, but I wasn’t ready for that. Largely from fear of judgment from those closest to me.

See, English wasn’t my strong suit back in school. I preferred sciences and numbers. To me, English was grammar and old Shakespeare.

Yet, I’ve always felt that I could communicate better when writing. I wrote letters. I tried to keep a journal. I was fascinated with the idea of making something out of a simple pencil and paper.

I’ve always believed that writing is the key to change. It’s the key to positive cultural and political change.

No one ever achieved anything worthy without writing.

Good writing resonates. It changes you. It becomes a part of you. You can’t unread it. You can’t unfeel it.

For almost 9 years, my life has been about writing. It started with my graduate degree in Public Policy. Everything was about writing papers and essays. Then, beginning in 2014, all I did was write grant proposals, news articles, social media posts, etc. I changed jobs, and I still specialize in grant writing. I’ve never realized that I was getting paid for writing until I decided to write on Medium.

I thought I was new to writing until I realized I was being paid to write for the past eight years. It’s just a job, I thought, but I’ve done it exceptionally well.

I thought my interest in writing stemmed from something unknown. But I’ve always gravitated towards writing as something I need or want to do.

Like most, I’ve always had an existential crisis. What am I here to do? What’s my dream job? But then, a question from my wife helped me get on the right track. “What’s something you’ve always gone back to, something you felt pulling you?” she asked. And my answer was, “writing.”

I never realized it before that moment. I never thought I wanted to be a writer until this realization.

I don’t want a job. I want to be paid for my art.

Easier said than done of course. I haven’t dared to write openly until now.

So here goes! A step I had to take on my journey to becoming a best-selling author.

My name is Aql, and I write.

People will always judge. They judge and criticize best-selling authors. Why would I expect any less?

But I plan to ignore criticism, perhaps ignore comments altogether.

I want to make the world a better place, and it starts with writing.

“It’s because the people who are close to you, when you write something or you take a chance, they sense you changing. You’re becoming a different person and their fear is they’re going to lose you. And so they want to make you stay the way you are. And that’s, in a crazy way, it’s love. It’s out of love, but it’s a dark side of love.” Stephen Pressfield, The Tim Ferriss Show.