Nothing like the pressure of the social networks to get a writer going. Once I posted my daily word count on Facebook, I nailed the lid of my excuse coffin shut. I exposed my desire to produce daily to the world. Is anyone watching? Most likely not at this point of my career. I'm about the only one all worked up about it. I have been unwilling to produce much in the way of new material for quite some time. Now I must produce daily.
Why?
Because I have pride and I desire to succeed. To succeed as a writer, get this - you must write! What is the one thing a writer struggles to do on a daily basis? Write. Crazy, isn't it? We are a strange lot. I haven't received any input on my "Cold Bite of Autumn" that I'm creating here and only here on my blog.
I'm sure that doesn't necessarily means it's shit, but writers can psyche themselves out and believe all kinds of nonsense like that. Or is it nonsense? I find it interesting that writers slave away at their (our) words with no real hope of anyone really taking them to any high level. I personally don't write to be shallow. I'm definitely not writing for market or I'd be making more money, so what is in this gig for us?
My reward is accomplishment. I may never be considered a brilliant writer. I've read brilliant writers and I'm here to tell you most are not published. That is the unpublicized aspect of writing. Those writers who can wrench your gut out most often squirrel their manuscripts away in a closet and hide behind a low self-esteem or a fear of failure/success mindset.
I've listened to people's writing that ripped my soul and I've watched sadly as they convince themselves in every way possible that they could never make it as a writer. They become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sure, even thought their writing is pristine and powerful is no guarantee of success, but they have material most of us would die for!
I've attempted to encourage them to step out and make their writing public. To take that chance and put themselves out there for the world to see, but I've also seen years of negativity having beaten them down. Years of people saying both verbally and non-verbally that they will never amount to anything significant.
What really kills me is that the people who often become "significant" have no real claim to fame or intelligence other than the fact that they are willing to expose their creativity to a world that has a voracious appetite for creative material. There is so much weak writing in the world today that I am positive I fall in the upper half of the crap pile. I could be way up there. I may never be able to gauge where I stand in the avalanche of writing in this world, but at least I know I'm in there giving it the ol' college try.
This little blog is brought to you by: "Buck up! YOU could be the next Rowlings, Grisham, Hemmingway! Don't let the world beat you down. Grow some balls! Get off your ass! Get out there and make something happen! One day you'll be dead."
Why do I write THIS day? Because one day I'll be dead. I hope to continue my little story, "The Cold Bite of Autumn". I sincerely hope I'll develop a following. If it's only you, that is all I need.
