It Is Always Better To Write The Thing!

One of my favorite things to do with fellow authors and writers is to sit down and hash out story ideas. Whether I'm the one bouncing the ball, or I'm the wall returning the serves, there's something satisfying about the collaborative process. Being in the swirling guts of a story nebula as it swells, collapses, and goes through the process of exploding out into a galaxy of ideas and possibilities never gets old.

And this is just the beginning!

There is something that always interrupts this process, though. A knee jerk habit that crops up no matter one's skill, talent, past success, or quality of concept; the desire to say, "Ugh, why bother?"

Sometimes you say it because the project seems overwhelmingly big. Sometimes you say it because it's "too similar" to a classic piece of fiction that already exists. Sometimes you say it because you're just some nobody tinkering on a word processor; who's going to want to read this thing even if you manage to finish it?

To all of these questions I say, "Shut up!" Because it is always better to write the thing.

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It's Your Story, So Tell It Already!

Writing, as an activity, is good for us. It exercises the mind, it sharpens our vocabulary, and it provides practice in storytelling. It can often be therapeutic, and as frustrating as the endeavor sometimes is, most of us who sit down to it will come back for more sooner rather than later.

Easy when you don't know how, and very difficult when you do.

Don't get me wrong, having doubts is a completely natural part of the process. As long as you have expectations of yourself, of your work, or of your writing, there's always going to be that little voice that crops up to naysay you. But if you can't develop a zen attitude about just doing the work for the work's own sake (in case you didn't check the name of my blog, I sure as hell don't have that), then there is another phrase you should adopt to use as a shield against these negative influences.

"But what if?"

When that voice insists that your audience will find your story boring and derivative, ask, "But what if they don't?" Especially if you consider that your audience A) might not be reading beneath the surface level, or B) might find your take on the material inspired. When that voice tells you that nobody's going to read it, ask, "But what if they do?" Because while it's just as possible that no one reads your story but a few close friends, it's equally possible that the algorithm blesses you, and your story explodes with thousands (or even hundreds of thousands) of readers discovering you while they dig through the Internet looking for something new to consume.

And when that voice asks you what you're going to do if you don't finish this project, ask in return, "But what if I do?"

You Have Nothing To Lose (And Everything To Gain)

Writing isn't easy. Writing to achieve specific goals (notoriety, financial independence, invitations as a guest to conventions, etc.) is even tougher. And there is no guarantee that when you set out on this journey that it's going to turn out the way you want it to. You might run into plot complications that require big, structural changes. You might have trouble firing up audience enthusiasm. This may not be the book that receives big critical acclaim, wins you an award, or gets you crowned the Next Big Thing by a particular fandom.

But you know what else? Not writing the story guarantees none of those things will happen.

Can't win if you don't play, right?

And even if this isn't the throw that hits the bullseye, it might be the project that helps you calibrate your aim. The one that lets you find your voice. The one that gets you noticed in an unexpected way, and leads you to the next project that makes all your dreams come true.

But you aren't going to get there if you listen to that hissing little naysayer. So shove a crumpled wad of paper into its mouth, put your fingers on the keys, and write the thing already!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

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