I have been staring at this editing screen for a few hot minutes, not quite sure what I want to write — and it makes me wonder how many of the writers I consider great, have struggled with this same issue.
A lot of my time is spent consuming different content and media throughout the day (and shouldn’t I have something to say about that?) Most of the time, I am looking for solid stories on subjects that interest me. People. Music. Art. God. Films. Photography. Fashion. Comics. Video games. BMX.
My interests are organic and constantly changing. It is an eclectic mix that were I to craft pieces encompassing those interests, it would be possible for potential readers to effectively learn more about me.
TRUTH? Pride is holding me back from laying down the words dancing around in my head. Or, more importantly, fear. The overwhelming sense that I do not want to publish anything that is not epic.
…and yet, I just did — right here.
OUCH!!! I struggle with this daily… overwhelmed with the fear that I will be ridiculed for not being smart enough, talented enough, clever enough… 1 screenplay, 1 live drama later I still have a brilliant excuse everyday as to why this day is not the day I begin writing my next series (despite 2 full months of research)… and life plods on and my dreams recede…. Go DYKC GO! (and go kathryn go too! if only I would heed my own words of advice!)
Write. Write anything…. I use to have that issue too, then I started writing about whatever caught my fancy. The cool part about that is you never know what might be “epic” to who….
Trolling through youtube I found a bunch of videos that I liked, wrote about it… suddenly I’m getting tons of google traffic from people searching out that content. Currently I’m doing reno’s on my house…. I also ride a motorcycle I blog about whatever is on my mind…
The epic posts definitely add to my blog… but all of them good bad or boring seem to attract some portion of traffic. Different days, different times in the season deliver different readers. Some who stick around and read more… some who just click and leave.
But if you don’t write anything,…. you won’t ever know.
Get off the dream of writing that one amazing post… every post is amazing to the person who’s looking for that information. And no matter what you write,… you’ll do it with your voice and slant it in your tone. Which in the end, is why you write in the first place… to share your views of the world.
‘Preciate the encouragement.
Vergel, I feel you on the, “get off the dream of writing that one amazing post“. A lot of times, it is difficult to remember that I won’t be aware of who my pieces will resonate with. You are correct in that I just need to lay down pencil to page, regardless.
Kathryn, let me take this moment right now to encourage you in your hustle — you have already begun the journey with your screenplay and drama (which I loved). Now is the time to keep that momentum on fast-forward. Marinate.
You don’t strike me as the type to throw stuff against the wall to see what sticks (as many bloggers do). But sometimes you just have to write something.
I get the very strong impression that you’re a deep thinker. Partly because you obviously are. Partly, I think, because you cultivate that image. So I could go on about *retch* your personal brand. I guess it depends on what your mission here is. I set my standards low, personally. ;)
One of my mantras is “small imperfect start.” Which is exactly what you just did. Hell, throw some stuff in a draft and save it for later. I have a lot of those, too. Some revisited, some not. Still sitting in draft mode. But I started.
That’s my opinion, as someone who doesn’t consider themselves a “writer” by any stretch.
Bloo, your site is hella fresh.
As someone who just posted on Saturday about how Crack Took my DAD and my brother away. Please believe. Man.
It comes when it comes, not a moment sooner.
I liked this Gutter Twins interview quote today: “[Y]ou make music to move people and you don’t get to pick who you move. You just don’t. It’s exclusionary and elitist and I just never felt that way about music, of all things. The great unifier.”
m.dot, ‘preciate you stoppin’ through. I couldn’t get to your site (wanted to et down with the pieces you wrote about your pop dukes) — what is your URL?
George, every day, I am finding it more and more true that “you don’t get to pick who you move“. To be aware that you are, though? That weighs heavily on whether or not I’m doing it right. Likely I need to cut loose of that even.
interesting…i’ve yet to struggle with what to write since i began blogging a month or so ago…still beginners luck i’m sure. the ideas are pouring out of me. writers block suggests that you’ve written so much already that you’ve nothing left to cover…hope i can get there one day. i have a lot of ish inside i’ve been dying to get out…i’ll be glad when it’s all out and i can…rest.
Congratulations, Clarence, for writing something like this and being so straight up about what it means to you to do it.
Some of Stevie Wonder’s rap between songs on the show from 74 that I’m listening to kinda jumped out at me, while I was reading and thinking about what you had to say and the conversations that you started with this nugget of honest reflection.