Next week, as I write this, Godzilla vs. Kong is coming out to a limited theatrical run and on HBO Max. I have a personal prediction that I’m going to make because all of the Legendary Monsterverse movies have been sub-standard in my opinion. Keep in mind this is only my opinion and I’m entitled to it.
I think it’s going to suck.
First, I wanted to apologize for not posting here much lately but I’m 7 writing days and 40k+ into the last book in a trilogy and I just haven’t had the time.
That said, I caught a video from Brandon Sanderson recently about how to motivate yourself to write and really, I don’t do any of the things that he says. I don’t have to. Because where he says that you should trick yourself into doing things and hack your brain, I have no need for any of that.
I’m just in control of it. So this is how I get things done, specifically writing in this context, but you can apply this to absolutely anything in your life.
This is something that gets talked about a lot and there are a bunch of games that implement survival modes or hardcore modes and in absolutely every one of those cases, I simply opt out. I find no fun in any of that. Yet lots of people act like if you’re not playing the hardest of the hardcore modes, you’re doing something wrong.
Those people are idiots, but here’s why I don’t want to.
Amateur writers are an odd bunch. Just listen to them sometime and you’ll see how true that is. Mostly, they don’t understand what it takes to be a writer and a lot of them have some very bizarre ideas about what writing is like.
Therefore, I want to provide what I think are ten characteristics of successful writers, things that you really need to have on your side before you get into this, otherwise you’re just courting disaster. So let’s get started, in no particular order, because none of these are pick-and-choose.
So, WhatCulture did a video that I caught on 9 shows that everyone should watch. Except most of them just aren’t worth watching, or weren’t back in the day. So here’s my quick look at all of their 9 shows and why even though I saw most of them, I either dropped them or didn’t care when they got canned. There are very few exceptions to this rule.
I watch a fair number of YouTube movie reviewers and this seems to be an issue with a lot of them. They will watch a movie and then review the movie they wished they’d seen, not the movie they actually sat through. They had expectations that we not what the director intended. Then they complain that the product wasn’t up to what they wished for. That’s not how this works, sorry. So today, I’m going to talk about that, along with look at the latest place I’ve seen this happen, Willy’s Wonderland.
This comes up a lot in writing circles and I’m not sure why people can’t figure it out. It’s fine that you’re writing, but why in the world are you posting your writing, begging for critique, especially where such things are not permitted, where the quality of your writing is obviously sub-standard and you’re getting mad that nobody is bothering.
Of course they’re not! Rent a clue!
Finally, we come to the last part of the advice I give to new writers and this too is one that gets generally ignored to their own detriment.
The simple fact is, a book you never finish is a book that you failed at. You can edit anything but an empty page. This is a problem for a lot of people and a lesson that most need to take to heart. So never give up, never surrender and get your ass back to work.
It you talk to a lot of authors, you’ll know that the biggest problem most have is right at the end of the book. More specifically, at least in my experience, is just before the end of the second act. It’s where a lot of people get into trouble.
I will admit, I’ve had the same problem, especially in the past when I didn’t heavily outline like I do today, but now, it’s a whole lot better. I don’t slow down at the end, I accelerate. Now, I sprint to the ending.
My third piece of advice is the one that most people seem to have the biggest problem with. That is that the world isn’t fair, life may not be what you want, and you have to grow up and deal with it. That’s not cruel, that’s just truth and truth is really all that matters.
So let’s go take a look at the realities of writing life and why most people who try, they fail. That’s just how it is. Deal with it.
