Thursday, August 25, 2011

So you want to be a writer...

Yes, I do. Me and everyone else.

They tell me that if I want to be a writer, I'm going to have to start writing. They recommend keeping a journal. If you keep a journal, you can capture your best ideas and daily observations to save for another day. They say it takes ten-thousand hours of work to become a true master of anything. They say all of this, and they say it in the most sympathetic tone they can.

If you say you want to be a writer, you are treated, preemptively, as a failure. I find it sad and funny. Every writer starts out hearing tales of the hardships that await. We hear how the great writers were all depressed alcoholics. The funny thing is, the real hardship is worrying about the hardship. The whole world tells us we need to prepare for the worst, because as writers that is surely what awaits us. If we want to succeed we need to be confident, but how can we be if the very mention of our career brings us sympathy? Yet on we go, marching confidently into oblivion.

They recommend keeping a journal. This is mine.


11 comments:

  1. I really liked the way you worded this intro, and i think you have a great idea of using blogspot as a journal. Not only will you get your practice writing, but it can also be critiqued by the internet community.

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  2. Nice intro.
    What you looking to be writing?

    Also please remove capcha..

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  3. Thanks to both of you! @Bluestrings, I'm hoping this will help me get better faster than just writing for my eyes only. @screaming hawk, I generally like writing things that are funny and fictional. Not sure why this turned out so depressing, haha. Sorry about capcha, has been removed.

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  4. Well, good luck. writing can be one of the toughest things to be successful at. comedy and fiction is a great thing to get into though

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  5. I have wanted to be a writer for so long but I can never just sit down and write. You have inspired me to start a better journal. Thank you. Also, every man does need a muse.

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  6. nice intro, makes me want to start writing.

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  7. I've always though about writing a book never really go to it though. Nice start gonna keep an eye on this one followed

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  8. very nice, hope there's more soon

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  9. Tried writing when I was younger...

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  10. i write ebooks on how to program, i guess it doesn't constitute as being a writer... but i enjoy putting down my ideas, what i think should be focused on and how to explain things.... it almost feels empowering.

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  11. I wish I got here the day you started the blog. Oh well, better late then never I suppose. I'd also like to be a writer but I chose an opposite road so I'm not quite sure if I'll ever fulfill this little dream of mine. Anyway, I'll be following and read whatever you'll post :) - didn't mean the last sentence to sound as creepy as it did.

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