Mdina. I look at the medieval walled town of what the natives commonly call the ‘Silent City’. I make note of and appreciate the silence that reigns supreme in the streets. Speaking of the streets, I’ve never seen streets so narrow that they silently communicate a ‘one way only’ message.
And as I glance into the distance and away from my laptop for just one moment, I take in the beautiful sea as the wind gently pushes my hair back. That sea breeze is intoxicating.
Well, as a writer, that’s the dream.
And then there’s reality as I tap away at the white keys on my ‘budget’ HP laptop. Reality is writing up this blog post on my way to work. Reality is glancing to my left, beyond the glass of the window in the tram that bustles noisily along the northern suburbs of Melbourne.
In reality, there is no sea breeze – Just the distinct smell of a fellow commuter’s newspaper. Reality isn’t worth a photograph.
Welcome to life as a writer. Sure, everyone has those romanticised dreams of being inspired by your surrounds and living your passions. And hey, I’m sure that when I first chose to pursue a Bachelor of Journalism at university, I had some romantic vision of what my future would entail.
Since, and I’ll be honest, I’ve consistently questioned whether I should have listened to everyone around me and instead, studied Psychology. There’s no doubt I would have been far richer in a monetary sense.
That all said, at the end of the day, we all need to follow our passions and our true course in life. Passion is what feeds us. Passion is what forces us to get up out of bed and continue on, even when the day seems too dark to face.
Life as a writer isn’t easy. I don’t mean that in a whiney, ‘poor me’ kind of way either. But, it is definitely a gig that will throw its fair set of challenges at you. I’ll be honest, I’ve been incredibly lucky and blessed to have always managed to earn a living from my writing. Others I know, despite having talent, are yet to ‘break-through into the industry.’
Working as a writer for someone else can at times, seem like the enemy if you’re really passionate about what you do. Often, what you’ll be writing won’t be what you choose to write about and you’ll need to grow a thick skin rather early on in your career or let’s be honest, you won’t last.
You’ll find your work is changed, altered and rejected on a regular basis and most disappointingly at times, for all the wrong reasons. Often, it’s not about the quality of your voice or what you have to say at all: It’s about all of those hairy factors Editors and media outlets contend with on a daily basis.
And that’s where the magical world of blogging enters the picture.
Why? It’s quite simple: It opens up all of those doors you may have found to have been closed once upon a time.
In fact, the headline quote on my website is a quote that I stumbled across while reading aimlessly one day. It comes from Milton Berle and reads:
If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.
And for me, that’s what blogging is all about. Working as a writer in the big wide world has at times, left me lost. And for a long time there, I forgot why I made that decision way back when, to pursue writing.
Take away all of the background noise and it all becomes rather simple: Writing is part of who I am.
What that means is that while I can earn a living from it, I need more. I crave the ability for the world to read more than what is just ‘click bait’ – I need to write about what matters to me, even if only one or two people (quite possibly even less) are reading it.
In saying that, I’ll admit that it can be tough to continue writing when it seems as though everything is working against you. And I’m the first to admit that for a long while there, I lost what I call my ‘spark’.’ For me, the ‘spark’ means having the drive to sit on the tram, writing for a couple of hours a day about things that matter to me instead of listening to music or staring aimlessly out the window.
To me, the ‘spark’ means interacting with other bloggers on Facebook groups and forums to pick up handy hints and tips. It’s the ‘spark’ that drives me to spend an hour after work emailing people in an attempt to get my writing out there instead of watching TV.
I cannot speak for other writers when I say this, but for me, the ‘spark’ is either on or off. As I’ve matured however, I’ve learned that to get the ‘spark’ back, you can’t allow yourself to drown in your own doubts and fear of rejection. Writing is very personal. It hurts to be rejected. I get it.
But if I had the chance to share only five things with another writer, this is how my list would read:
#1: Keep writing – Don’t allow yourself to wallow. Creatives have the tendency to have massive mood swings. When you’re not feeling the ‘spark’, write and break through the barrier. It’s all in the mind.
#2: Accept that everyone has different opinions – Not everyone is going to like your work. Accept it but don’t let anyone else defeat you. Get to a point where bad feedback drives you further and remember, a lot of successful people have been rejected on their journey to success.
#3: Don’t agree to work with ‘negative’ people – I’ve worked with a lot of different types in my life: Those with massive egos, those who failed to listen, others who offered no support. And I’ll tell you: It’s not worth it (regardless of how much money is on the table).
Since, I have been lucky enough to come into contact with the exact opposite and working with the right people, makes all the difference.
Having people around you to lift you up and inspire you is priceless. It’s something I’ve always had and maybe even taken for granted in the past.
#4: The two P’s, ‘persistence and patience’ – Perhaps the most frustrating of things to tell any writer, but it needs to be said: Persistence and patience are key. When I find myself losing my way, I remember: The best of things are definitely worth waiting for.
#5: You’re never done ‘baking’ – I know the day will never come when I wake up and think I’ve learned everything there is to life and my craft. And that’s what drives me.
I’m always thirsty for more and although some may see this as a negative, my mind never stops. When I’ve achieved something, I’m always thinking about ‘the next thing’ and what I can do next to better myself.
So, I challenge you to find your Mdina and let it whisk you away into the wonderful, wide world of blogging when you’re happy, sad, motivated, angry and feeling every other emotion under the sun.