8 Noble Truths About Writing
What is the truth about writing?
However rewarding, enriching and enjoyable it is to put your words into the world, writing is hard! Don't underestimate it.
Why even bother to write? Simple. If you are a writer, you need to write. You can't help but write!
In this post, we're going to share 8 noble truths we have learned about writing. The following list is based on our experiences, and we hope you find it useful. We have learned about writing through trial and error, through reading, and through talking with other writers.
Writing is one of the most important activities we can undertake. Taking the thoughts, pictures and stories out of our minds and out into the world is an adventure each day. Whether it is personal or professional writing, everyone feels the need at some time to write in their lives.
So, let’s be honest. Let's put away the myths, falsehoods and waffle, as we talk about the 8 noble truths about writing.
1 – Write For Yourself
The first truth - write for yourself. Many people write hoping for fame, fortune becoming rich and famous, will follow. But they are wrong. You must write for yourself first. Don't write to please others. Avoid writing to look good. Don't write for any other reason than finding a voice in words, for the stories, dreams, and feelings in your head.
When you write, never be afraid to be yourself. You must be yourself in what you write, and who is more likely to know you than yourself? So, truth one, write for yourself alone. Morning Pages is a great way to start writing for yourself.
2 – Write Every Day
The next noble truth about writing you need to live out is writing every day. You should try to write every day, even if it's just for 10 minutes. It's not always easy to write each day. If you don't have time to write, just write a little. Don't worry about the quality or quantity of your writing; just do it. Remember to write first, edit later, but write every day.
3 –Write For Joy
Write with joy. If you're not having fun, it's not worth it. Writing should be fun! It's supposed to be your hobby, not something you're forced to do. It's important to let go and be creative. If you are having fun, you will be more productive. Write to get people to enjoy reading your words as much as you enjoy writing them. If you have found your writing a chore, spark it up with fresh ideas, different locations to write or a genre you've never tried. It is a truth that if you don't find joy in your writing, you won't grow and last the long haul.
4 – Write For The Long Haul
Writing is hard. The fourth noble truth is this: don't give up! It takes patience and persistence to become a skilled writer. Writing can be the most fulfilling thing you can do with your life. In the last few years, writing has become a more popular activity as the web has opened the doors to creativity, but it has also become a lot more competitive. Many people are afraid to write for fear of being criticised or told they aren’t good enough. Write without fear. Don't compare yourself to others. Learn to write without perfectionism. The key is to have patience.
5 – Write To Build Skills
The fifth noble truth is you don't need to know everything about writing to be a writer. Writing is not something that you can do by just sitting down and thinking about it. You write and you get better at it. Start! Writing is not an art, it's a craft. Writing is like every other skill. It takes practice and time to get better at. The more you write, the better you will get. Focus on quantity rather than quality - all writing is rewriting! We can help you build your writing skills with our writing courses.
6 – Write What You Know
The truth is, writing what you know is a challenge. You should try to write about your own experiences. You might think that it would be easy, but it isn't. If you have a passion for what you're writing about, it'll come through on the page. We are the author of our own lives, so that's a good place to start. This one is obvious, but it’s the most important writing truth we have learned.
7– Write To Understand Yourself
Everyone has a story they haven't yet told. You just need to find yours and write it down. You should write to yourself, and to understand yourself. Write about your past, present, and future, but try not to write about how others think you should feel or what you should do. For yourself, write about your dreams, hopes, and expectations. Write about the things that you've accomplished and the things that you want to accomplish. Write about your fears, worries, hopes, and aspirations. Write about how you feel and think. The seventh noble truth is we can learn a lot about ourselves by writing.
8 – Write To Hit Publish
You'll never get published unless you put your work out there. Undeniably, you'll have to take a lot of risks, and you'll have to be prepared to take criticism - some valued - some ... well, don't waste time thinking about it! You need to be brave and do something you haven't done before, otherwise you'll never learn. The greatest truth to learn is noble truth number eight - write, edit, edit and maybe edit some more - but then hit publish!
Writing is hard. But writing is also rewarding. That's the truth of it. When you apply these truths to your writing, you will express yourself through words, and you will tell the world about your passions, struggles, and dreams. So when you look at that blank screen, what do you do? Do you click on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram? Or do you just start typing away?
The truth of whether or not you want to be a writer will be revealed at that moment.
(Note - from Buddhist belief - The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.)
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Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash
