On Writing, In General – Mind the Pitfalls

Recently, a friend of mine asked me to read something he wrote and give him my honest feedback. He was wondering if he should pursue the idea and turn the text into a book.

Happy I could help, and honored he chose me, I got on the task immediately. Having read his work left me faced with a dilemma: On the one hand, the writing was really good (though honestly, I did not expect anything less). On the other, I had no interest in the topic whatsoever.

Which is why I appended the following remarks to my honest feedback and review. My friend was kind enough to allow me to publish them on my blog as a constant reminder to me, to him, and to anyone else asking themselves the same question: “Is this good enough?”

1. You write for yourself. What you write about, if honest, reflects your inner world. As such, it is unique, and is neither good nor bad. It is what it is. On the outside, it simply resonates with some (= more or fewer) people. The number of people does not necessarily reflect the quality of your writing.
2. Some people will love it, some people will hate it. No matter how well you write, and no matter how hard you try. It’s just the way it is. In addition, haters gonna hate. F*** ‘em. Life is too short to live by other people’s standards and expectations.
3. Every criticism, feedback, and/or opinion you get – take it with a grain of salt. People can only share the viewpoint they’ve formed through their own unique prism of beliefs, expectations, attitudes, and experiences. And even this depends on how well they are able to communicate it with you and the rest of the world. No one is truly objective. You are no exception, either.
4. Accept advice and suggestions only if you truly resonate with what is offered. Say thank you to everything else and move on.
5. You are never that good, and you are never that bad. But you can always improve, upgrade, and/or enhance if you don’t like a certain thing. Likewise, you can simply decide to do something completely different. That’s perfectly fine, too.
6. If you are looking for advice, seek advice from the people who know a thing or two about the field you are inquiring about. Identify your target audience wisely, and make informed decisions based on segments that truly matter. Alternatively, let your audience find you. This too can happen, but not if you write for yourself within the four walls of your room.
7. Never ask people close to you: “Is this OK / good enough / interesting / quality work / good strategy / wise decision etc.?” What the f*** do they know? Are they successful billionaires who made money in the field you wish to make a breakthrough? No? Then why are their opinions relevant to you?
8. Always rely on yourself, on your knowledge, and your skills. No one knows better than you. So – stop listening to others, and start listening to yourself, for a change.

Keep these in mind when you write, or whatever you do, and you will be just fine. 😉