Ever since I was young, I was charmed by books and inspired by the imagination of myself and others to write poems, short stories, and now, an article. No matter what I become in the future, I guarantee I will undertake a creative career path: one where even the thought of sitting at an office desk all day long is nonexistent. That's the thought I used to always carry, until I realized I have potential in a sedentary occupation: writing. There are many questions that I want answered. The most important one to me at the moment is if writing is a viable career choice for me. There are certain points that need to be analyzed before I can even consider writing as a professional.
Procrastination and Discipline
For any writer, discipline is essential. In other words, forcing yourself to write 2-3 hours a day is what's going to help you thoroughly construct and develop your writing. Practice does not make perfect, and this is a personal opinion. While many writers agree that practice certainly does help with the writing process, not as many can say for sure if their work is perfect. An author once came to my school in 8th grade, and spoke to around 50 students who were chosen to attend the seminar (including myself). The one line that stood out to me was that "Practice makes permanent", meaning that as long as one writes on a daily basis, or as much as often, eventually the newly obtained knowledge or skill will stick.
Now, how do you know if you're disciplined? Well, it depends on how much you procrastinate and how much you write. Andrew Lindsay, author of The Slapping Man, feels that while procrastination can be fear, it can also be the time needed for thinking. Thinking time is around 1/3 of the work. But in many cases, writing becomes tedious to the extent that it seems more like work than anything else. Where's the joy in that? David Eubanks, a mathematician and self-publishing writer, follows one simple rule when writing; a rule that I have always followed: If it's not fun to write, it's not going to be fun to read. The time spent procrastinating may be caused by the fear of having to do actual work; which at the beginning, was a pleasurable activity. With the fear of doing actual work, there is also the fear of it not being good enough.
Rejection
However, there is one thing that all of us are disturbed by: rejection. Rejection is "a fact of a writer's life", and it's important to not dwell on it for too long. The key is to keep writing and see where it goes. How does one overcome rejection? The deep satisfaction of producing work that makes the difficulties worthwhile is the driving force for many people in creative fields. And overall, having a "deep belief that what you are doing is worthwhile" is exactly what keeps us from faltering when hit with a storm of negative thoughts and emotions.
There's also another fact that any aspiring writer has to consider. Sadly, most writers don't make tons of money from writing. For that very reason, many writers have a main job, and then writing as their secondary job. There is no guarantee that you can be that 1% that becomes successful. In the end, getting someone to read your work is an obstacle, since there are many other books out there. You may imagine author's sitting at home, typing for hours and hours, but deeper inside the writing industry, there is a never-ending race going on.
Struggles Differentiate Based on Each Individual and Field
Originally, I was trying to conduct all sorts of research and interviews in order to help me determine if writing is a feasible career path for me. And yet, it seems I've hit a brick wall. Each writer is different; some are more disciplined, some are more creative, etc. Each writing path is different, whether you're a novelist, television writer, or a self-publishing author. Each field has its similarities, but at the same time, they are drastically different. In order to answer my inquiry question, I need to know who I am first. What am I capable of? What am I willing to do? What am I unable to follow along with? Can I live a life of rejection after rejection? Does my fondness of writing even compare to other aspiring writers? Why write?
Why write?
For me, I want writing to be a part of my life, no matter what. I don't think the phrase "young writer" suits me anymore. Earlier this year, I found that I have a deeper passion for music than anything else. I've been taking singing lessons at school, love chorus class, and am searching for a vocal instructor outside of school as well. I am doing anything to reach my dreams. I've already figured out a way to incorporate writing into my chosen musical path: writing lyrics. Songs are very similar to poetry, and most poems can be sung. As I take a look over my past work, I've come to have a better understanding of why I write. The reason? I am not sure. Who or what I write for? I know now. I write for myself, and only for myself. Yes, I show my work to others, and put my poetry online for strangers to view. Each piece had a point, or a trigger. I didn't write just to write; I wrote because I had something to say but to only myself. I had something to express but to only myself. For example, when the 8.9 magnitude earthquake (and tsunami) occurred in Japan, I was living in the U.S. I have relatives in Japan, including my biological father. When I heard about the disastrous event, I wasn't sure how to feel, and all the time spent thinking about it made my chest tighten even more, which is why I wrote a couple poems about the event, such as the one below.
Tore our roofs and brought bridges tumbling down.
Soaring items of a grocery store frighten a devastated child.
Up above! There should've been rain.
No, not rain. Just a wave of ever-lasting pain.
Animals and dead corpses flow down the road.
Mere shaking, we were told.
In too deep, my lungs burst and drifting away is my soul.
I wrote for the most important audience, which is myself, because only I can say for sure, if this piece was worthwhile. Does that mean I'll stop writing novels, short stories, poems, etc? Not at all. It just means that writing isn't the most suitable career path for me. Do I have potential? I'm proud to say I do. Will it be wasted? Perhaps. The hardships of a writer are abundant in quantity and massive in the toll that it takes on an individual. I don't enjoy writing without a reason, and I believe that's the only reason anyone should write anything.
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