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The Definition of a Writer is Someone Who Writes. Nothing More, Nothing Less.
by Jess Hinds
A writer is not someone who writes great stories every time they put pen to paper. That is not possible. A writer is not someone for whom writing is always easy. That is someone who doesn’t identify as a writer. A writer is not someone who always knows what to write. That does not exist. A writer is not a writer who is published. That is a published writer. A writer is not someone who has been produced. That is a produced writer. A writer is not someone who writes professionally. That is a professional writer. A writer is not someone who writes for money. That is a creative whore. A writer is someone who writes. If you write, you are a writer. If you don’t, you are not. The way you define what it means to be a writer matters. Your brain will chemically be affected by this. You might need to reroute your brain 101 times for this definition to take effect in your brain. But it is worth it. It will take away much of the unnecessary suffering that most writers put on themselves. Make a sign that reads, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” Post it near your writing desk. When you think about sitting down to write, remind yourself, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” When you sit down to write, take a breath and whisper, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” When you are a writer and a daymare of rejection, humiliation, and/or failure pops into your head, discard it like an unwanted postcard, take a deep breath and look up at your sign that reads, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” When you have finished your writing session, take a deep breath and remind yourself, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less. Today I wrote. Today I am a writer.” When your writing gets published or produced, take a moment and remember, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” When your writing gets praised, remind yourself, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” When your writing gets criticized, remember, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” When you get fired for the first time, remember, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” When your voice starts to change because you have been through the roller coaster of life, remember, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” When you write something that shakes you to the core and makes you question everything you have ever known, remember, “A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” When you write something so beautiful you decide not to share it with anyone but keep it just for yourself, you will know, "A writer is someone who writes - nothing more, nothing less.” |
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Vulnerability is Necessary for Writers. It is a Muscle. It Can be Cultivated. It can be Practiced
by Jess Hinds There is no art without vulnerability. Craft requires skill. Art requires vulnerability. Both can be practiced. The voice of a writer is all vulnerability. It is the part of you that no one else has. What is more vulnerable than revealing how different you are? It is in this difference that we find something in common. No one is fucked up exactly the same way you are. The truth of that uniqueness will serve you well. Many writers will shy away from this and instead opt to emulate others or what they have seen before. This is a waste of everyone's time. If you are not leading with the art, your voice, your point of view, your vulnerability, then what you write will be judged entirely on your craft. There are already thousands of people whose craft is stronger than yours—they have been practicing longer—and many probably have better connections than you. Writing to be mediocre, normal, or to fit in will not only lead to failure but you will also feel like shit doing it. Your true self will be buried deeper and deeper inside of you until eventually it dies. Better to be hated for who you really are than loved for pretending to be someone else. Vulnerability is strength. Two soldiers walk onto a battlefield, one with head-to-toe armor and one with a light linen dress. Who is stronger? The one in the dress. The armor-clad one might be more protected, but this adornment implies a weakness in need of protection. True connections demands vulnerability. If you want people to see you, you must take off the mask. And the one underneath that, and so on. Vulnerability requires bravery. Bravery requires fear. If you want to practice vulnerability while you write, seek out what scares you. Then write about it anyway. Vulnerable writing leads to strong reactions. As an artist, your should seek after intense love or hate from an audience. Someone loathing your book is a much higher compliment than people thinking, “that's nice.” Art that angers people often reflects a part of the reader back to themselves that they are not yet ready to see. It is our job as the artists of our culture to do this. Of course, people are going to get upset. Avoiding their umbrage is not your job. |