Don’t Hit the Brakes!

Today, I want to share my little blogging space with the writing community, and any creatives reading this. Sometimes I think about how much different things could have potentially been for me if only I had had the right guidance.

I’ve been open about how college failed me in that area; how I trusted a system which priority, I now know, is to make the most money they can out of each student, with your academic ambitions coming last. But that’s a whole other blog post (stay tuned for that!).

So I wanted to send a reminder to aspiring writers out there to just DO it. This is not a Nike-sponsored post (I secretly wish), but really; just do it. Don’t wait until you go to college to explore the creativity and potentials you already possess. They don’t always teach you how to make a living out of it either. A lot of the things that you’ll learn, you’ll figure it out on your own, not through a university — no matter how expensive it is.

When I say that if I had the right guidance back then I could’ve done more, I mean I knew nothing about anything (Socrates comes to mind?), but if the right words of encouragement were said to me when I talked about my creative aspirations, it could’ve motivated me to start earlier. We all know words can be powerful. Even if you know chances are slim, support is important. It can make a huge difference. You’re giving someone optimism they didn’t know, motivation, and inspiration that may lead to something great; your goals realized.

What would I have liked to hear? Logical things, I wasn’t asking for too much. Things like, life and technology are constantly changing. Do not limit yourself. 

I’m telling you now, in case no one has told you. Self-publish if nobody believes in your work. As I’ve always said, every writer has a story and every story has a reader. There is an audience for you out there. And once you’re there, don’t get discouraged if your art is not broadly seen (because it can happen, and it will). 

I recently watched tick, tick…BOOM! — a musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda based on a screen play by Steven Levenson, and got super inspired by his true story (and sobbed a little in the end). I won’t spoil it, but there is a line particularly that resonated with me. When Andrew Garfield character (Jonathan Levenson) asks what’s next, the agent says: 

You start writing the next one. And after you finish that one, you start on the next, and on and on. And that’s what it is to be a writer, honey. You just keep throwing them against the wall and hoping against hope that, eventually, something sticks.

And there it is. The truth about being an unknown author. So remember those words. Don’t hit the brakes on your dreams until you reach your destination! Screw what people think about your work — what do YOU think?

Much love.