You’d think I’d know what I want in a writing career after spending some ten years of cutting my teeth in wordsmithery. Ha. Ha ha. Hahahaha.
What happened instead is me flitting from one possibility to another, not really committing to an actual path. Do I want to pursue fiction? Or freelance writing? Am I looking to be an editor? Or remain a writer?
I don’t know.
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As someone who champions commenting as a means of growing your blog, I figured I should also point out the negative side of things. So what better way to do that than by breaking my regular habit of commenting on blogs?
After all, I’d just published this post about being consistent in my blogging duties, so there’s no better time to experiment than now.
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So it’s been a transformative time for me.
For starters, it’s my second year of being consistent on WordPress. Never missed a single week’s post, nor a single day’s comments on other blogs.
I’d maintained this momentum through the highs and lows of life, from quitting my job, to falling sick, to publishing a novel, to getting injured. And while I did falter in some habits, my blog has always been a non-negotiable.
New post every Tuesday, twenty comments every day.
What began as an experiment quickly turned into a way of life, and you know what’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned?
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If you took writing seriously, your first instinct would’ve been to click on this post to tell me I spelt my title wrong. Awesome job. That’s what a serious writer would do.
But don’t feel left out if you didn’t, because you’re here, and that means you’re awesome either way.
Besides, writing is more than being the grammar police, am I right? It’s not just about being keen with the language. You’ll also need to approach it from a crafter’s perspective rather than an artist’s.
That’s why I’ve always enjoyed Ann Patchett’s book on the craft titled The Getaway Car. You don’t see it brought up often, especially when compared to the usual suspects such as Stephen King’s On Writing or Anne Lamott’s Bird By Bird, but boy is it filled with tons of crafting wisdom.
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So you’re writing—which, if you’re me, means going down the YouTube rabbit hole for five hours—and you’re overcome by a bunch of emotions and thoughts that shouldn’t be part of the deal.
Sometimes, these thoughts discourage you from writing. Other times, they could even make you doubt your worth as a writer.
If you’re going through a similar thing right now, fret not because I have just the thing for you. Today we’re going to put these thoughts under the spotlight and help you realise that you’re not alone, and that it’s all just part of the process.
And perhaps we should start with the most common thought, which is…
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Your Friendly Malaysian Writer 