You Won’t Believe How Much This Is Destroying Your Dream of Becoming a Writer
Don’t make this stupid mistake
There’s this romantic idea of writing (like the one above.)
This idea of sitting down, typing away the perfect words, feeling great, and getting all the praise. But it’s all a lie. As soon as you sit down for the first time to write, you learn this has nothing to do with reality.
Instead, resistance will creep up and give you the best reasons not to start writing. We’ve all been there.
It makes you crumble like a dried leave in autumn. Fall apart like the 49ers in the Super Bowl and hurt like when Eminem disses you.
But there’s a cure to that.
In his book “The War of Art,” Steven Pressfield reminds us what we’re in the game for as writers.
“The professional concentrates on the work and allows rewards to come or not to come, whatever they like.”
Are you a professional or an amateur?
Pressfield draws a hard line between amateurs and professionals.
Professionals do what they do because they love what they do. Amateurs don’t.
Because it was never about the views.
But only for the joy of it.
And as always, when you’re doing something only for the sake of its joy, you become successful. Even if you didn’t think so.
What does that mean?
It means you’re writing because YOU want to write. Not because you love the idea of becoming a writer, to make more money on Medium, get more claps, or have fancy clients. You’re in for the joy.
Everything else is just a pleasant byproduct.
Look at Eve Arnold. She knows what Pressfield talks about. She wrote for three years before her writing got the attention she has now.
That’s a professional commitment.
“The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not.”
Talking about commitment, get ready to endure some pain.
Because, let’s be honest: most of the time, writing sucks. It’s not as romantic as sitting down and immediately tapping into inspiration.
You have to work your way into inspiration.
And this way is painful, scary, full of fear, blood, sweat, and tears.
You get hurt. By comments (or lack thereof). Of people laughing about you and your cute dreams of becoming the next big writer.
Of your own head not working the way you expect it to.
But all this pain won’t be in vain.
You won’t suffer only to get nothing in return.
On the contrary, it’ll be the necessary test.
It’ll be your test to prove worthy of your ideals.
“We know that if we embrace our ideals, we must prove worthy of them. And that scares the hell out of us.”
It’s one thing to wish for something.
It’s an entirely different thing to go for it. Just have a look around.
People have the biggest dreams.
But most of them never get fulfilled. Not because they lack the skills, intelligence, means, time, or whatever.
They only lack the mindset.
He’s out of line, but he’s right.
It’s easy to talk the talk, but it’s freaking scary to walk the talk.
Most people hide behind talking big.
But as a writer, you need to write big.
“The War of Art” will change your perspective of being a writer. Either you’ll be ultimately off the idea or even more committed.
For me, it was the latter.
What will be yours?
Thanks for reading.
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