So, someone posted this on a writing forum and while I did respond there about some of the aspects brought up, some of it I thought would be best served responding here because a lot of these places get mad when you start to talk about reality unfiltered.

I hope it helps because it’s really sad how many people can’t comprehend the real world.

The quote was this:

What I’m describing are things to consider when out and about in order to inspire a story. Many people let stories pass them by simply because they’re not yet thinking like a writer. Rather than say things like ‘they’re not paying attention’ or ‘whose fault is that?’, which are accusatory in nature, it’s better to offer possible fixes or perspectives that would point them in the right direction. The main thrust of what you said is true. It’s just the presentation of that truth that lead me to write ‘Harsh, but there’s truth here’. I was meeting you half way whilst adding a little meat to the bone.

To add a little context, the thread was on “how do you come up with story ideas” and I basically said that they’re everywhere. Everything you see, everything you do, everything you watch, read, experience, there are ideas everywhere. All you have to do is pay attention and take advantage of them. It’s a simple concept that some of the whining amateur masses just didn’t like.

“It’s not my fault that I can’t pay attention!” Well whose fault is it? That’s part and parcel with being a writer! If you can’t come up with stories, how do you hope to be a story teller? It’s a skill you need to learn! If you can’t, you’re destined to fail.

Of course, they don’t like that. They want to be dragged by the hand through every bit of effort because they’re lazy and don’t have the slightest clue what they’re doing, nor do they care.

Therefore, here’s an example that I’ve used before that, again, most people can’t seem to wrap their heads around. Let’s say you’re an Olympic hopeful competitive swimmer. If you think the Olympics sound too high-and-mighty, pick anything competitive. You want to win the local high school swim meet. Whatever. What do people who want to do that have to do? They have to practice. They have to get out there, in the water, and swim a lot. They have to listen to criticism and work to constantly improve. They don’t get to say they’re not in the mood for it. They don’t get to say they’re not inspired. They get up every morning and they do it, feelings be damned. This is the way that they actually achieve their goals.

Writing is exactly the same way. If you want to do it, you do it. You don’t make excuses, you don’t whine and complain, you put ass in seat, hands on keyboard and you do it. You listen to those more successful than you and you try to learn something and improve your process. That’s it.

Far too many amateur writers don’t want to do that. They’re lazy. They say they want to be writers but they don’t want to write. They want to “have written” without all of the hard work required to get to that stage. Sorry, that’s not how reality works. They are desperately looking for people to tell them how to be successful without ever earning that success on their own.

Good luck on that.

Here’s the problem that so many of them have though. These people are weak. I don’t mean that in an insulting way, it’s just the truth. In order to be a creative of any kind, you have to have a thick skin. You have to develop a backbone because you will, whether you like it or not, receive your fair share of slings and arrows. If you fall apart into a quivering mass of jelly at the first sign of adversity, you’re just wasting your time. Every creative gets these things. It doesn’t matter if you’re a first time writer or Stephen King and J.K. Rowling. People are not going to like what you do. People are not going to like who you are. You have to grow up and learn to deal with it.

If you really want to succeed, you have to be willing to get in that pool every single morning and swim. It doesn’t matter if you’re happy or sad, you still have to do it. It doesn’t matter if you’d rather play video games, you still have to do it. Pick your goals and hold yourself accountable for reaching them. If you can’t, you fail. It’s that simple.

Because this is something else that comes up a lot. The second that you lay out the hard work ahead, all of the excuses in the world come out. I posted that I get up early every morning to write. Oh, nobody can do that! Someone literally told me that they need 12 hours of sleep a day to function. Yeah, you’re not going anywhere, are you?

There are requirements here. You actually have to put in the effort. You don’t have to do what I do, that’s not the point, but you do need to get the work done somehow. I’ve had people tell me they have no time to write. They can’t squeeze out more than ten minutes a day and an hour on weekends. Guess what? You’re not going to be successful. Writing is not your priority. I don’t care what you want to do, I care what you will do and you’re just not willing. Come back when you have the time to spend.

It’s like someone saying they want to be on the Olympic team but they’re afraid of the water. Guess you’re not going then. “I have no legs!” Well, you’re not getting on the team then, are you? If you want to go for the Special Olympics, by all means feel free, this isn’t a dig at the disabled, but the regular  team representing the country, you just  don’t qualify.

“But that’s not fair!” I don’t care. Life isn’t fair. Get it through  your head. You have to actually earn things and while being born without legs, that’s not your fault, it’s still a disqualification from the Olympic team, just like it would be for professional track and field. You’re not  going to be a cop or a firefighter with no legs. Sorry. You have to live in the world that you live in and far too many people don’t want to.

In summary, none of this is about your feelings. If it makes you sad, see the part about having a thick skin and a spine. Whining doesn’t make you successful, it just makes you annoying. Knock it off. Nobody is impressed. If you want to be a successful writer, then do it. Learn how it works. Figure out how you can do it. Practice endlessly. Have realistic expectations. Keep working at it. You can’t get there any other way. If that doesn’t make you happy, too bad. Grow up. Develop the basic skills to be an adult because most of these people aren’t. It’s sad but it’s true and I don’t really give a damn what makes you sad. Come on back when you’ve achieved some level of maturity. Then, you might actually get somewhere.