Lessons in Writing That Work For Your Life Too

Lessons in Writing That Work For Your Life Too In his half-autobiography/half-instruction manual On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King notes that Writing is not life, but I think that sometimes it can be a way back to life. In these few words, he voices what many writers intrinsically understand after going through the process of completing a draftâ€"the lessons gained from writing are in many ways, life lessons, as well. Here are five lessons in writing that will work for your life, too.The lessons gained from writing are in many ways, life lessons, as well. Photo by Muhammad Haikal Sjukri on Unsplash.Persistence is importantAny writer who has been doing it long enough has experienced the dreaded blank page and absence of inspiration. Especially if you are a writer by profession, the combination of a blank page and looming deadlines can make the creative process even more difficult, which is why its important to keep goingâ€"to keep writingâ€"even when the going gets hard.Octavia Butler, noted African-American science fiction author and multiple recipient of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, put it like this: You dont start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking its good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. Thats why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.Even when inspiration is hard to find or rejections you get back from potential publishers have piled up, persisting in your writing will eventually pay off. This might include sitting back down with your manuscript and reworking it (or as Stephen King puts it, Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribblers heart, kill your darlings.) Or, it might include starting from the beginning with an entirely new story and putting your rejected manuscript to the side to self-publish.However you decide to persist, remember that life (as with writing) will have its difficult moments. There will be times when you want to throw in the towel and be done with it, but hard times are what teach us to be the best version of ourselves. So quitting is not an option if you want to growâ€"as a writer and as a person.Set a goal every day and stick to itFor Stephen King, a daily writing goal is one of the ways he has found success as a writer. In his On Writing, he speaks of the mornings being the best time for him to write, and the time of the day when he feels like he gets his best work done. The goal he sets for himself is about 10 pages a day (or approximately 2,000 words. His afternoons are reserved for naps and letters, while his evenings are for reading, family, revisions that cant wait, and Red Sox games on TV.Although 2,000 words might not seem like very much, it equals out to approximately a million words within a year and a half. One glance at Kings extensive work that has been published and youll see that his daily writing goal has played a large role in helping him write and publish prolifically.In life, as in writing, setting a daily goal for yourself does several things. First, it helps you accomplish larger tasks by breaking them down into much smaller chunks. This helps alleviate any overwhelm you might feel in needing to get something accomplished. For example, if you want to eat healthier and lose weight, setting a daily goal of healthy calorie intake and exercise is how to make that happen. This goal might be as simple as exercising for 5 minutes a day and cutting back on sodas, chips, and other unhealthy snacks but the important thing is sticking to it daily, for as long as it takes until youve reached the goal you set for yourself.Sometimes, you just need to sleep on itIf youve ever written something wellâ€"so well, in fact, that youre immediately ready to submit it as a draft of your workâ€"dont do it! Why? Because sometimes, you just need to sleep on it, and looking closely at your writing is one of those times.Youve likely heard the advice to not edit as you write and its good advice to follow. When you wr ite, you are using the right side of your brain to create. When you edit, you are using the left side of your brain, looking at the words on the page in a logical, rational, analytical, and objective way. Separating these two processes by a good nights sleep does several things. First, it resets your brain, allowing you to look at your work with the eye of an editor versus the eye of a writer. Second, it gives you a fresh perspective, potentially allowing you to see things you missed when you were in writing mode.The same is true for other facets of lifeâ€"sometimes, especially if youre overwhelmed by work, family, relationships, and deadlines, you just need to sleep on it and approach the topic with a fresh perspective in the morning. Whether through dreams or simply time to allow your brain to rest, sleeping on it can provide the reset you need to make more sense of a situation that looks a little less cloudy or convoluted after a good nights sleep.Be honestNo one knows your truth better than you and no one can write the story that you are uniquely qualified to write. Neil Gaiman puts it like this:Start telling the stories that only you can tell, because therell always be better writers than you and therell always be smarter writers than you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing thatâ€"but you are the only you.Tarantinoâ€"you can criticize everything that Quentin doesâ€"but nobody writes Tarantino stuff like Tarantino. He is the best Tarantino writer there is, and that was actually the thing that people responded toâ€"theyre going this is an individual writing with his own point of view.There are better writers than me out there, there are smarter writers, there are people who can plot better - there are all those kinds of things, but theres nobody who can write a Neil Gaiman story like I can.Neil GaimanWhen you consider writers like Ernest Hemingway, Charles Bukowski, Sylvia Plath, and Cormac McCarthy, the best and most mem orable writers of the present and throughout history are those who have told the truth and were honestâ€"sometimes brutally soâ€"in their work. These truths are part of what makes their novels or poetry so easy to read, because in them, we find words of wisdom that only honesty can produce.This lesson of honesty goes beyond the act of writing and applies to our lives, relationships, and personal interactions, as well. Honesty is an attractive quality in anyone and is one of the easiest ways you can have influence on others around you. People are drawn to honesty and integrity because we live in a world that, unfortunately, experiences a dearth of both.Writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, and Charles Bukowski have always been known for their honesty in writing. Photo by Joshua Coleman on Unsplash.Learn to appreciate criticismIn his movie, Midnight in Paris, writer and director Woody Allen resurrects Ernest Hemingway, who holds a conversation with the main character of the movie, Gil (who is also a writer). In one memorable scene, Gil asks Hemingway to read his script:Gil: Yah, its like 400 pages long and Im just looking for an opinion.Hemingway: My opinion is that I hate it.Gil: You havent even read it yet.Hemingway: If its bad, Ill hate it because I hate bad writing. If its good Ill be envious and Ill hate it all the more. You dont want the opinion of another writer.Midnight in ParisWhile Hemingways reasoning for not offering criticism is witty, Gil was on the right path by looking for feedback for his workâ€"particularly from someone whose opinion he respected. Feedback is useful for any writer and the right kind of criticism can help you sharpen your skills. While you probably dont want to solicit feedback from just anyone, receiving feedback from professional editors and others who know the industry well can help you hone your writing and cut out the unnecessary parts (or kill your darlings).The most important part of being open to honest feedbac kâ€"both in your writing and in lifeâ€"is to avoid over-reacting when you receive criticism. If youve asked the right critic to help you, you could find his or her advice to mean the difference between success and failure in getting your work published.