This quote I originally saw in Roald Dahl's book "Boy" (Puffin Books 1986, 2008 edition). I think he explains what he means quite clearly in the last chapter. He Talks about his time working for the shell company, and one of the first things he found was that life was simple when he had a routine, and he had to do very little original thinking. He goes on to say "The writer has to force himself to work." That alone takes a lot of mental strength. As stated in the quote, as a writer you have no master. Therefore, you must force yourself to sit down at your desk every day, bring forth a new idea, a write it. Write as long as you can. Nobody else will tell you to do it for you. You also need the strength to "swim back into normal surroundings" after you are done. Roald Dahl does not lie when he states "It is almost a shock." This is just one example of the great mental strength involved in writing, and of why it can be one of the most difficult jobs of all.
This one seems fairly simple and self explanatory. Under close inspection, it is a warning. In my first post in this blog I talk about doing what makes you great or awesome, and the above quote is the same. It is about people noticing you and remembering you, and it gives you only two ways to do it. Writing is the first one, but it must be worth reading. To make something worth reading. Have you ever picked up a book, read the first sentence, and been unable to put it down until you have finished? This is what your writing must be like. It must be too hilarious to not tell all your friends. It must keep the reader in such suspense that they will read all night if they must to finish it. It must have characters written so well that you will cry when they die. This is how to make something worth reading. The quote shows the clear importance of editing. If you cannot hold your readers, if you bore them, you had not yet succeeded as a writer.
You will hear over and over that you must write every day, and this is why. Sometimes it is hard to start, or your afraid it will be bad, but that's what editing is for! The only thing you must not do is not write. It doesn't matter if it's bad. It doesn't matter that it doesn't make sense. It doesn't matter what you wrote. It doesn't matter what it's about. All that matters is that you write something, anything, every single day! You must have the physical and mental strength to work ever day, even when your project is finished. Write. Write. WRITE.
Now we come to the dreaded peer pressure. You've seen it in movies, you've read it in books, and chances are you've been in the receiving end in real life. "Stop bing so weird." "Get you're head of the clouds." "Just be normal." How many times have bullies, frenemies, and sometimes friends (although in a somewhat nicer way said this to you). Do you care? Do you try to be normal? Well stop it. Stop it right now! A writer is not normal! There's the joke our tails come out of our heads. We talk to imaginary people all day. I can't remember the last time I looked outside and just saw grass as grass. To write: be weird, be eccentric, occasionally be the person who gets the weird looks before people cross the street to avoid you, but most of all, be PROUD. You are a writer. The "normal" sailed without you long ago - Terri MainSorry if you want me to be normal, but I can't. And I love it!
And finally, for those who feel they have the physical and mental endurance, yet cannot write well...
For all those who live off natural talent alone, you only exist in one place: inside a writers story.
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