DNO 1

Dear No One, It’s as though I’ve forgotten how to write. Or as if I’m not smart enough to be a true writer. Someone who can transport the mind to another place through imagery. Or captivate the mind with mystery. I aspire to write with the same mystic and clarity as the greatest. But perhaps my fate is to be lower on the branch of the tree of arts. But maybe it is through such displeasure and doubt that one gets a start. For if I were content to just spill my brains out on a page I would not have studied so extensively. It was through so much reading and study that I found myself so lacking. Still that shouldn’t stop me from writing even just a little bit so why don’t I do it? There is always the difference between having great ideas and having the resolve to bring them to fruition. See I place my trust in my intuition. And really I have no way of knowing what the results will be, I mean no one does. What I do know is that time keeps passing, every second gone is done, that is true for everything in existence. Maybe my problem isn’t that I’m not writing. See there is a simple solution to not writing—just write. No perhaps what is really an issue is the constant pressure I put on myself to write. What I do is think about all the things I want to do, think about what is not getting done, and overload my brain trying to finish five things instead of just focusing on the one. I need to remind myself that there is time, that I have time. I have to remind myself that mastery is a process of constant effort. I have to remind myself that all writing is valid as long as I’m doing it. It’s a real absurdity, when I think on it, is that often times I edit an idea of writing out of existence. Which is to mean that I think about it so much that either the projects scope becomes too large to be feasible or I think it to death. There have been days where I write out my thoughts on something, maybe something that’s bothering me, or something I think is wrong. These aren’t essays just small opinion pieces but I almost always can them. Why? Because I’m thinking about how they will be received by readers. This isn’t a totally invalid thought or concern to have. If my intention is to be a writer then I should take care that people like what I am writing. But I’m writing on my personal blog, I’m writing opinion pieces, I’m writing for me. And I forget that. I start writing with an audience in mind and end up stifling myself. On my blog I should feel free to write anything I want because I know that I’m not going to write anything offensive or hateful. Putting words to page, honestly expressing myself, writing from my experience, these are what I should be focusing on. Any creator should come to this point, to the understanding that creating or performing their art or craft is the most important part. All the other stuff whether fame, fortune, or even just financial security comes after ability has been developed. Natural talent is like gold ore or a diamond in the rough, it is something precious but still needs further refinement.